Cleveland Sports Forum

rusty - good stuff.

This team though of course has Kwan. If anyone was cut out to be a leadoff hitter he is the guy.

Kwan - Amed - JRam has been a really productive top 3.

As for Straw - at least a center fielder can be tolerated as a .200 hitter if he fields like Straw does. However the team ALSO carries catchers who don't hit.

I really, really hope Straw hits enough to be acceptable to keep in CF. Otherwise I see him ending up a 4th outfielder with Kwan in CF.

Hoynes speculates this morning that Benson may see more time in CF for the time being. Will made his own great plays yesterday as well as singled with men on base. And Straw replaced him later
Brennan also has been playing CF and hitting very well in Columbus, but they only get to add 2 players September 1 this year.
Gabriel Arias has played some LF and some 1B and has been hitting well and is on the 40 man roster so seems likely.
Cody Morris is a likely addition to the bullpen.
But the minor league season now continues into September so options down and back are still possible

Cody Morris
Likely to be September call-up
PCleveland Guardians
SHOULDER
August 31, 2022
Morris (shoulder) joined the Guardians' taxi squad Wednesday and is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list Thursday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS

Morris has resided on Cleveland's 60-day injured list all season after suffering a right shoulder strain in spring training, but he's been healthy for quite some time. After resuming game action in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League in mid-July, Morris shifted his rehab assignment to Triple-A Columbus earlier this month. The 25-year-old right-hander is being developed as a starter, but he'll likely work as a multi-inning arm out of the Cleveland bullpen in September after recording no more than 10 outs in any of his six rehab outings with Columbus. He's been dominant across his 15.1 innings at Triple-A, allowing only 11 baserunners while striking out a whopping 30 batter

Jason Lloyd

Guardians
Are the Guardians building a juggernaut? — Ryan S.

You’d like to think so, right? Certainly, with the age of the current roster and the stuffed farm system, they have all the ingredients to be good for a long time. However, to be a “juggernaut,” using your term, they’re going to have to lock up some of these players to build something sustainable. Otherwise, you’re constantly having to start over at key spots every couple of years.

I believe it’s probably too late for Shane Bieber, but can they announce an Andres Gimenez extension this winter? And maybe Cal Quantrill? What about Josh Naylor? That’s when the juggernaut becomes reality.

Can the Guardians somehow keep Amed Rosario since he is only 25 and playing his best baseball and trade some of our other infield prospects? — Ning A.

I floated that thought to Zack Meisel a few weeks ago in one of the chats we did, that hey, maybe the shortstop of the future is the shortstop of the present. Zack disagreed, but Rosario certainly isn’t making things easy on them. He is deeply respected in the clubhouse and playing well. He only has one more year of control and will present a difficult choice to the organization this winter. There was a time I thought he would’ve been dealt by the trade deadline, but he means too much to this team and this clubhouse. They couldn’t mess with what was working.

Full disclosure: I’m a Reds fan living in NE Ohio so I ask this as an outsider: Why do very few seem to care about the Guardians playoff push? Is everyone still mad about the team name change? — Jonathan M.

The name change is certainly part of it. There also is a distrust in ownership for not being able to re-sign star players. Attendance has sagged since the tremendous sellout streak of the late 1990s. The Browns return, LeBron James created a generation of basketball fans who otherwise might not have existed and the baseball franchise plunged to third in popularity. It’s a shame. As I’ve written and said countless times, the Guardians are the best-run franchise in town and it isn’t close. But for 20 years, they haven’t been able to gain enough traction to consistently fill the stadium. It’s a shame.

Oscar Mercado was once a viable rookie of the year candidate and then he fell off a cliff. What traits does Steven Kwan have in his game that give you confidence he won’t fall off a cliff like Mercado? — Chris W.

Funny you mention this. Readers were irate that I “compared” Kwan to Mercado in a back-and-forth piece I did with Zack a few years ago. At no point did I compare the two. I merely mentioned that guys, such as Mercado, have gotten off to terrific starts as rookies only to crash and burn in Year 2. Kwan has impressed everyone in the building with the way he carries himself. Kwan’s ability to put the bat on the ball is elite, as is his defense in left field. There is always a concern players regress in their second season, which is why I hesitate to put Kwan in the same category as Gimenez in terms of key pieces for the future.

The year is 2027 and one of the three major Cleveland sports teams just won a championship, which team is it? — Michael A.

This is a great question, although I hate hypotheticals. I’ll say the Guardians because Deshaun Watson’s contract expires in 2026 and who knows what will happen after that. I can’t pick the Cavs until they address the small forward position. And in another five years, maybe some of the economic development around Progressive Field spurred on by the new minority ownership group will start to be funneled back into the payroll. Give me a World Series parade in 2027.

Contract aside, who would you rather have on the Guardians for the next five seasons: Francisco Lindor or Gimenez? — Kevin S.

This is another great hypothetical I hate answering. My initial instinct is to lean toward Lindor if we’re taking contracts out because he’s more established and has more of a track record. But in five years, Lindor will be 33 and perhaps starting to decline. Give me Gimenez, but it’s close. Factor in the contracts, however, and there’s little debate.

What is the biggest contributing factor to the Guardians’ success this year: player development, scouting or coaching? — Matt S.

It’s impossible to choose just one, and not because I don’t want to answer the question. Player development is responsible for guys like Bieber, Kwan and Jose Ramirez. Scouting landed them Gimenez, Naylor, Emmanuel Clase, Quantrill … and Terry Francona brings it all together. If I have to pick though, I’ll take Francona for the culture he sets in the clubhouse and the way he gets the very best out of guys. But it’s not fair because he couldn’t do it if the player development and scouting didn’t identify the talent.

I’ll list players, and you tell me if they are on a Cleveland team next year (2023).



Guardians: Amed Rosario, Myles Straw, Austin Hedges, Owen Miller, Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale



— Evan B.



Guardians: Rosario: No. Straw: Yes. Hedges: No. Miller: Yes. Plesac: Yes. Civale: Yes.

Three pitches that demonstrate the evolution of the Guardians’ dominant bullpen

Aug 6, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher James Karinchak (99) reacts after striking out Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (not pictured) during the eighth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
By Zack Meisel
Aug 31, 2022
36

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CLEVELAND – The Guardians’ bullpen hasn’t allowed an earned run in more than two weeks. And in baseball, mentioning such a streak is taboo.

“I don’t really want to talk about that,” James Karinchak said Tuesday afternoon.

All season, Emmanuel Clase has converted tense ninth innings into stress-free affairs, casually securing narrow victories with his triple-digit cutter and wipeout slider. But the relievers responsible for the earlier innings have elevated the group to new heights.

Cleveland’s bullpen last allowed an earned run on Aug. 15, in the eighth inning of the second game of a doubleheader against the Tigers. Since then, they have rattled off 30 1/3 consecutive innings without an earned run, with 42 strikeouts in that span. They recorded three hitless, scoreless frames in relief of Cal Quantrill on Tuesday night in a 5-1 win over the Orioles.

“They’ve been so good all year that this almost doesn’t feel strange,” Quantrill said. “This is kind of what they’ve been doing. I just feel so confident that if I hand them the ball, with a clean inning and with the lead, then the game’s over.”

Karinchak, Trevor Stephan and Nick Sandlin have emerged as reliable forces in the late innings, inducing goofy-looking swings and piling up strikeouts against overmatched hitters.

“What makes us dangerous is we go in there and attack guys,” Karinchak said. “Stuff is just stuff. If you go in there and don’t attack guys and don’t get outs, who gives a shit at the end of the day?”

The way each of the three has attacked hitters with a particular out pitch over the last two months has allowed this bullpen to overwhelm opponents. Here are the three pitches that represent the evolution of Cleveland’s ’pen.

Trevor Stephan
The pitch: Splitter
Whiff rate: 52.1 percent

Outside of Clase, Stephan has been the steadiest member of Cleveland’s bullpen since Opening Day. He endured his only rough patch in late May, a stretch he halted by altering the grip on his splitter. He spread his fingers to create more depth, “almost pitch-forking it into the ground,” as bullpen coach Brian Sweeney described it.

“That thing is nasty,” Sweeney said.

The splitter is an heirloom, passed down from J.J. Putz to Bryan Shaw to Stephan, who started toying with it last summer when he sometimes waited a week or two to pitch as the bullpen’s Rule 5 draft project. He threw the splitter 8.1 percent of the time last year. He has more than tripled that usage this season. The pitch, which averages 88 mph, dives down and away from left-handed hitters and resembles his 97 mph fastball for much of its route to home plate.

Catcher Luke Maile said the splitter can “have a mind of its own” with how it sputters toward the plate, but he added that even Stephan’s worst splitter “is still a really good changeup.” Stephan hasn’t thrown many bad ones over the last couple of months. The evolution of his splitter has vaulted him from a reliever who entered the game when Sweeney smashed the “break-in-case-of-emergency” glass behind the bullpen bench to one who enters the game in some of the most pivotal moments.

Stephan has allowed an earned run in one of his last 19 outings. In that stretch, spanning 20 1/3 innings, he has totaled four walks and 33 strikeouts. He boasts a 2.32 ERA and a 1.95 FIP this season.

“When he’s flicking the splitter,” Karinchak said, “I don’t think anyone in the world has a chance to hit it. That’s the best one in the game.”

James Karinchak
The pitch: Curveball
Whiff rate: 47.8 percent

The key for Karinchak: He has rediscovered his ability to throw his fastball and curveball for strikes in any area of the zone. His arm speed is consistent, no matter the pitch, so hitters often can’t tell which is coming. That’s why you’ll see them stand idly by as a curveball drops into the top region of the strike zone; they assumed it was a fastball that would remain at their neck. Or you’ll see them lunge at a curveball that lands in the dirt in front of home plate.

Fastball usage in 2022: 50.6 percent
Curveball usage in 2022: 49.4 percent

“Unless you’re guessing,” Sweeney said, “it’s a challenge.”

Maile noted how he hasn’t even needed to have a conversation with Karinchak about differentiating between a curveball that lands in the strike zone versus one that plunges toward the dirt. He said Karinchak has “a really good feel” for luring hitters into chasing the pitch as it dives toward their feet.

Over his last 19 appearances, Karinchak has racked up 21 scoreless innings with 38 strikeouts and only seven hits allowed.

“His stuff speaks for itself,” Maile said.

Nick Sandlin
The pitch: Slider
Whiff rate: 41.4 percent

A quick trip south on I-71 solved Sandlin’s primary ailment during the first half of the season: command.

Prior to a demotion to Triple-A Columbus (through June 18): 18 2/3 innings, 18 walks.

Since his promotion to Cleveland (July 5): 15 innings, two walks.

Sandlin worked with Triple-A pitching coach Rigo Beltran and pitching strategist Cody Buckel on the direction of his delivery and — voila! — he can pinpoint his array of offerings precisely where he wants. And when he can locate, that makes his slider lethal. He throws it 43.1 percent of the time from his sidearm slot.

“His ability to throw strikes and throw the four-seamer more,” Maile said, “has opened up a lot of that.”

Whiff rate, by month, on Sandlin’s slider

April: 38.1 percent
May: 29.2 percent
June: 41.7 percent
July: 44.8 percent
August: 50.0 percent

“It’s challenging to square him up,” Sweeney said. “He does a really good job of generating weak contact.”

Sandlin has limited opponents to an average exit velocity of 85 mph in his two big-league seasons, far below the league average of 88.4 percent.

He has strung together 15 consecutive scoreless appearances, spanning 14 innings.

“It’s another guy you definitely don’t want to face,” Karinchak said. “He’s disgusting.”

Evan Mobley’s expectations, Guardians winning ways and more



CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 30: Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) is congratulated by Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) after hitting a 2-run home run during the fourth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Guardians on August 30, 2022, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

By Jason Lloyd
Sep 1, 2022

The Guardians remain in the thick of a pennant race, and the Cavaliers have a few weeks before the season begins. There is a lot to discuss. You asked the questions and I have the answers.

(Editor’s note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.)

Guardians
Are the Guardians building a juggernaut? — Ryan S.

You’d like to think so, right? Certainly, with the age of the current roster and the stuffed farm system, they have all the ingredients to be good for a long time. However, to be a “juggernaut,” using your term, they’re going to have to lock up some of these players to build something sustainable. Otherwise, you’re constantly having to start over at key spots every couple of years.

I believe it’s probably too late for Shane Bieber, but can they announce an Andres Gimenez extension this winter? And maybe Cal Quantrill? What about Josh Naylor? That’s when the juggernaut becomes reality.

Can the Guardians somehow keep Amed Rosario since he is only 25 and playing his best baseball and trade some of our other infield prospects? — Ning A.

I floated that thought to Zack Meisel a few weeks ago in one of the chats we did, that hey, maybe the shortstop of the future is the shortstop of the present. Zack disagreed, but Rosario certainly isn’t making things easy on them. He is deeply respected in the clubhouse and playing well. He only has one more year of control and will present a difficult choice to the organization this winter. There was a time I thought he would’ve been dealt by the trade deadline, but he means too much to this team and this clubhouse. They couldn’t mess with what was working.

Full disclosure: I’m a Reds fan living in NE Ohio so I ask this as an outsider: Why do very few seem to care about the Guardians playoff push? Is everyone still mad about the team name change? — Jonathan M.

The name change is certainly part of it. There also is a distrust in ownership for not being able to re-sign star players. Attendance has sagged since the tremendous sellout streak of the late 1990s. The Browns return, LeBron James created a generation of basketball fans who otherwise might not have existed and the baseball franchise plunged to third in popularity. It’s a shame. As I’ve written and said countless times, the Guardians are the best-run franchise in town and it isn’t close. But for 20 years, they haven’t been able to gain enough traction to consistently fill the stadium. It’s a shame.

Oscar Mercado was once a viable rookie of the year candidate and then he fell off a cliff. What traits does Steven Kwan have in his game that give you confidence he won’t fall off a cliff like Mercado? — Chris W.

Funny you mention this. Readers were irate that I “compared” Kwan to Mercado in a back-and-forth piece I did with Zack a few years ago. At no point did I compare the two. I merely mentioned that guys, such as Mercado, have gotten off to terrific starts as rookies only to crash and burn in Year 2. Kwan has impressed everyone in the building with the way he carries himself. Kwan’s ability to put the bat on the ball is elite, as is his defense in left field. There is always a concern players regress in their second season, which is why I hesitate to put Kwan in the same category as Gimenez in terms of key pieces for the future.

The year is 2027 and one of the three major Cleveland sports teams just won a championship, which team is it? — Michael A.

This is a great question, although I hate hypotheticals. I’ll say the Guardians because Deshaun Watson’s contract expires in 2026 and who knows what will happen after that. I can’t pick the Cavs until they address the small forward position. And in another five years, maybe some of the economic development around Progressive Field spurred on by the new minority ownership group will start to be funneled back into the payroll. Give me a World Series parade in 2027.

Contract aside, who would you rather have on the Guardians for the next five seasons: Francisco Lindor or Gimenez? — Kevin S.

This is another great hypothetical I hate answering. My initial instinct is to lean toward Lindor if we’re taking contracts out because he’s more established and has more of a track record. But in five years, Lindor will be 33 and perhaps starting to decline. Give me Gimenez, but it’s close. Factor in the contracts, however, and there’s little debate.

What is the biggest contributing factor to the Guardians’ success this year: player development, scouting or coaching? — Matt S.

It’s impossible to choose just one, and not because I don’t want to answer the question. Player development is responsible for guys like Bieber, Kwan and Jose Ramirez. Scouting landed them Gimenez, Naylor, Emmanuel Clase, Quantrill … and Terry Francona brings it all together. If I have to pick though, I’ll take Francona for the culture he sets in the clubhouse and the way he gets the very best out of guys. But it’s not fair because he couldn’t do it if the player development and scouting didn’t identify the talent.

I’ll list players, and you tell me if they are on a Cleveland team next year (2023).

Cavs: Colin Sexton, Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Kevin Love, Jarrett Allen

Guardians: Amed Rosario, Myles Straw, Austin Hedges, Owen Miller, Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale

Browns: Jedrick Wills Jr.

— Evan B.

Sexton: No. LeVert: No. Okoro: Yes. Love: No. Allen: Yes.

Guardians: Rosario: No. Straw: Yes. Hedges: No. Miller: Yes. Plesac: Yes. Civale: Yes.

Browns: Wills: Yes.


Evan Mobley and the Cavs are headed in the right direction. (Jason Miller / Getty Images)
Cavaliers
We’ve seen the Cavs mentioned in Donovan Mitchell trade talks. Any truth to that? Seems like it’d be tough since no way Darius Garland and/or Evan Mobley would be involved, but how realistic is this or is it just kicking the tires? I mean the Cavs do love small guards with less-than-stellar defense. — Ethan O.

I don’t think it’s realistic. To your point, they aren’t including any of Garland, Mobley or Allen in a potential deal. If the Knicks wanted strictly draft picks, the Cavs might be players. But I think the Knicks can do better than that, and frankly, I’m not sure you want anyone who will take the ball out of Garland’s hands. Give him the ball and get out of the way. He’s earned it.

Is Mike Gansey in charge of the draft and trades moving forward as the new GM of the Cavs or is that just a token role and Koby Altman still makes all of the personnel decisions? — Andy P.

The GM promotion for Mike Gansey is good for a nice salary bump, but Koby Altman has the final say on all decisions similar to Chris Antonetti with the Guardians.

What are your expectations for Evan Mobley in Year 2? — Moe S.

Continue to grow into a No. 1 option on a championship-caliber team. He’s that good. He can be “the guy.”

Will we watch the development and maturity of Evan Mobley over the next two years, only to lose him as soon as he is eligible for free agency to the Lakers or Warriors with no compensation because of the lure of his native California? — William C.

If the Pelicans can retain Zion Williamson, then I don’t think any superstar player will ever leave the team that drafted him after his rookie deal is up. I understand the Williamson saga is complicated, but with all the rumors about him the last few years, the odds of him striking an extension to stay in New Orleans even a year ago seemed slim. Mobley will sign an extension, but it’s the contract after he gets paid that is troublesome for small-market teams like Cleveland. Count on getting six years out of stars, their rookie deals plus an extension that gets them traded out of town with one year left, and you’ll rarely be disappointed.

The part that benefits the Cavs, and I’ve written this before, is the fact that “the guy” was the final piece they’re dropping in. Oftentimes, “the guy” is the first one who shows up in a rebuild, and by the time that team is ready to win, he’s already entering his second contract (i.e. Garland). The Cavs are fortunate in that the best piece of their Big Three likely was the last they dropped in. That buys them extra time.

How does J.B. Bickerstaff project as a coach for a playoff-level team? Does he have the potential to be a high-level coach in the postseason? — David M.

I have no idea and neither does anyone else. That’s why not making the playoffs last season stung so badly. We always talk about the players needing that postseason experience. Well, so do the young coaches. Bickerstaff has never been forced to play the same team 4-7 consecutive times and make all the necessary lineup and schematic changes that it demands. We should get a better idea of that this time around.

I saw a recent social media post asking if the Cavaliers should retire Kevin Love’s jersey. I think he’s a Hall of Famer because of his college and pro career, but I’m honestly not sure about the Cavs retiring his jersey. However, he is still playing. Thoughts? — Chris L.

I also believe Love is a Hall of Famer given his entire body of work. Remember, it’s the Basketball Hall of Fame and encompasses players’ work in high school and college, unlike the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Cooperstown, both of which have more stringent criteria to be selected. Love is in as far as I’m concerned. That alone is reason enough to get his jersey retired.

I’m already on record that LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Love should have their jerseys retired by the Cavs for what they meant to the championship. I’m just not sure Irving would show up for the ceremony.

Why not? He'll probably be injured at the time.

And it's in the USA so no "vaccination" required.

Meisel’s Musings: On Guardians’ stretch run, present vs. future, and the Cleveland sports scene

Aug 30, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) celebrates his two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
By Zack Meisel
6h ago
31

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CLEVELAND — Manager Terry Francona woke up Thursday, realized the calendar had flipped to September and felt a rush.

We’re about to embark on perhaps the best, most chaotic time of year in sports, especially in Cleveland. For the Guardians, that means a playoff push. For the Browns, a new season. And for the Cavaliers, who begin training camp at the end of the month, it apparently means it’s time to craft one of the most imposing starting lineups in the league.

I was walking into the Guardians’ clubhouse Thursday when word leaked about the Cavs’ acquisition of Donovan Mitchell. (Recalling Ernie Clement from Triple A, it turns out, was not the most profound transaction by a Cleveland team that afternoon.) A small group of clubhouse attendants had gathered to discuss what the Cavs were surrendering to land the three-time All-Star.

In 2007, the perfect storm arrived on the shores of Lake Erie. LeBron James carried a rather uninspiring roster — in which Daniel Gibson and Sasha Pavlovic were two of his primary sidekicks — to the NBA Finals. The Indians stood one decent CC Sabathia or Fausto Carmona start and/or one Joel Skinner stop sign from advancing to the World Series. The Browns rolled to a 10-6 season but fell short of a playoff berth thanks to one blustery, Derek Anderson-interception-filled afternoon in Cincinnati.

There have been other years in which two of the three teams in town have thrived. The summer of 2016 might never be topped. Cleveland soared high on an unprecedented champagne-fueled buzz from Father’s Day until shortly after midnight on Nov. 2.

But what about right now?

The Cavs, Browns and Guardians all seem poised to make noise in the coming years. Obviously, these things can be fluid. Windows shut without warning all the time in all three sports (See: 2008 Browns and Indians). Life is good for Cleveland fans at the moment, though. The Cavs and Guardians, in particular, have surpassed expectations given their youth. This might be the calm before another perfect storm.

To the musings …


Terry Francona and Sandy Alomar Jr. sit in the dugout Wednesday. (David Richard / USA Today)
1. Francona called a team meeting about two hours before first pitch Thursday. That’s not a common occurrence, but he wanted to set the stage for the final stretch of the regular season.

“I just wanted them to remember, ‘Hey, it’s not supposed to be easy.’”

As you may have heard once or twice or 637 times, the Guardians employ the league’s youngest roster. On the position-player side, only José Ramírez and Myles Straw have played meaningful fall baseball.

“I told them,” Francona said, “‘I don’t know how many guys in this room have played through a major-league pennant race. That doesn’t mean we can’t win. It just means you haven’t done it before.’ They have been really good about not backing down from challenges.”

This team lacks veterans. Two weeks ago, Austin Hedges joined Bryan Shaw and Luke Maile as the only members of the roster in the 30-and-older club. But some of the younger players who have excelled — Steven Kwan’s name is regularly mentioned — have guided those who have ridden the rookie shuttle north on I-71 to Progressive Field.

“When guys get called up,” Francona said, “their buddies are here to show them the right direction.”

2. Cody Morris is the latest rookie to join the fray. He’ll eventually be the 15th player to make his big-league debut for Cleveland this season.

Triple-A manager Andy Tracy summoned Morris to his office earlier this week and told him the organization planned to build him back up as a starter, so they were sending him to Class-A Lake County to chew up some innings. Morris was puzzled. He had been scaling back his workload and pitching in relief — he thought, so he could help the Guardians over the final five weeks of the season. He couldn’t believe what Tracy was telling him. He had worked all season to recover from an upper back strain and try to reach the majors.

Then, Tracy said: “Make sure to stop by Progressive Field on your way in. That’s where you’re going.”

Tracy has been pulling these stunts all season. He told Nolan Jones he was being demoted to Double-A Akron to work on his defense at Canal Park. In reality, Jones was to fly to Kansas City to meet the Guardians. Tracy told Tyler Freeman he was being benched for not hustling, even though Freeman had advanced to second on an errant throw after a single. Tracy later revealed Freeman was actually being yanked from the game because he needed to head to Cleveland before the Guardians’ game the following afternoon. Tracy asked Peyton Battenfield to fetch him a coffee. When Battenfield obliged, Tracy told him to also go pack his bags and meet the Guardians in Detroit ahead of their series north of the border.


Cody Morris is set to debut. (MLB Photos via USA Today)
Anyway, Morris is quite intriguing in any role on Cleveland’s pitching staff. He’ll turn 26 in November, so he figures to factor into the equation beyond just the next month and change. Cleveland drafted him in 2018. He started in A-ball for the organization in 2019. The pandemic wiped out his 2020 season, so he spent that summer playing catch at the beach, sometimes with a friend, sometimes with a cousin.

“Sometimes the wall,” he said.

In 2021, a lat strain limited him to 61 innings, but Morris posted a 1.62 ERA, with 93 strikeouts. He suffered this year’s injury before he had the chance to showcase his ability in spring training. When he returned to action, he logged a 1.72 ERA, with 52 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings.

3. The Clement move is a bit of a head-scratcher. Will Brennan would have made a ton of sense, given Straw’s impotent bat. There’s benefit to having catching prospect Bo Naylor complete a full season at Triple A, especially given his dramatic turnaround at the plate this season. But even just having him gain some experience shadowing Hedges, Maile and Sandy Alomar Jr. seems like it might have been more worthwhile to the team’s future than Clement’s return will be for the present.

Why Clement? Francona said it’s to add flexibility. With Clement’s versatility, the Guardians could pinch hit for anyone at any time and Clement could fill in defensively if needed. OK. Right. But Gabriel Arias could have done that. Freeman already can do that. Owen Miller is still on the roster. Even Jones would have fit, since the club has cycled through Miller and Richie Palacios as the designated hitter this week.

Team president Chris Antonetti visited the Triple-A team in Columbus this week to explain the club’s decision-making to several of the prospects who weren’t receiving a promotion but might have expected one. For what it’s worth, the Guardians will have to add Brennan and Naylor (and a host of others) to the 40-man roster in a couple of months.

Koby Altman and the Cavs executed the move that they hope will elevate their team to the ranks of the Eastern Conference elite. Likewise, Antonetti and company will need to pull the proper levers this winter to vault the Guardians into the American League’s upper tier. They have the trade capital — and a crowded roster in need of some consolidation — to make anything happen.


4. The Edwin Díaz entrance is mesmerizing, and it seems to be the talk of baseball this week. Francona quipped he has no plans for a trumpet player to perform on the field during his pitching changes. Maybe the Guardians can hand out SpongeBob SquarePants foam fingers for fans to wave as they sing along to Oscar Gonzalez’s walk-up song, the theme from that show.

It’s hard to watch the Díaz ritual and not think about postseason atmospheres. Can the Guardians navigate the final five weeks of the regular season and reach the stage in which that atmosphere is the norm? It’d be immensely beneficial for a team this inexperienced to earn at least a taste.

To fend off the Twins and White Sox, the Guardians will need the bats to emerge from their recent hibernation. They have been blanked in three of their last four games.

Last weekend’s Seattle series shouldn’t have been too discouraging. That appeared to be a matter of being unable to supply the key hit at the right moment against one of the top pitching staffs in baseball. Some missed opportunities with runners in scoring position against Robbie Ray, Luis Castillo and Logan Gilbert? Sure, that happens. But being shut out on consecutive nights by Baltimore’s Jordan Lyles and Kyle Bradish? Yikes.

In the meantime, Cleveland’s pitching staff continues to deliver. The Guardians have allowed more than four runs in a game just once in the last four weeks. That’s half of the formula to chase down a division crown. Now, they need the offense to come alive. September is here, after all.

ee more
Zack Meisel
@ZackMeisel
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50m
Zach Plesac has a hand fracture. Aaron Civale has right forearm inflammation. Both to the injured list.

Xzavion Curry and Kirk McCarty have taken their roster spots.
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Zack Meisel
@ZackMeisel
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1h
Cody Morris will make his major-league debut tonight, starting in place of Zach Plesac, who has a right hand injury. More info to come on that front.

Guardians’ Zach Plesac breaks hand after punching ground, placed on injured list

Aug 16, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Zach Plesac (34) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
By The Athletic Staff
22m ago
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The Cleveland Guardians placed Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale on the 15-day injured list on Friday. The team thinks that Plesac, who has a fractured right hand, injured himself punching the ground after giving up a home run in his last start, according to Cleveland manager Terry Francona.

Civale is headed to the IL due to right forearm inflammation.

Cody Morris will make his major-league debut against the Mariners in place of Plesac, who was scheduled to start Friday night. Morris has a 2.35 ERA at Triple-A Columbus with 30 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings.

Plesac, who is 3-11 with a 4.39 ERA, suffered a freak injury to his pitching hand last season when he fractured his right thumb “aggressively ripping off his shirt.” The 27-year-old caught his thumb on a chair, which caused a non-displaced fracture.

Civale, who’s also 27, has a 2-6 record and 5.40 ERA. But he’s pitched fairly well since returning from an injured list stint in July due to a sprained wrist. In four August starts he had a 3.43 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 21 innings.

The Guardians are 68-61 and a game up on the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central.

Um Mr. Plesac you might want to tone down those emotions a bit eh?

I think we seen enough of Mr. Plesac. We sent Clevenger away but Cuz cleared the better picture, and this is what the third time that he’s been an ass. He’s white one and no I’m sorry he’s two and 11 for the year. We have to have better guys in the minors. Really tired of his antics.

]Meisel’s Musings: On Guardians’ stretch run, present vs. future, and the Cleveland sports scene[

Aug 30, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) celebrates his two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
By Zack Meisel
Sep 2, 2022
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CLEVELAND — Manager Terry Francona woke up Thursday, realized the calendar had flipped to September and felt a rush.

We’re about to embark on perhaps the best, most chaotic time of year in sports, especially in Cleveland. For the Guardians, that means a playoff push. For the Browns, a new season. And for the Cavaliers, who begin training camp at the end of the month, it apparently means it’s time to craft one of the most imposing starting lineups in the league.

I was walking into the Guardians’ clubhouse Thursday when word leaked about the Cavs’ acquisition of Donovan Mitchell. (Recalling Ernie Clement from Triple A, it turns out, was not the most profound transaction by a Cleveland team that afternoon.) A small group of clubhouse attendants had gathered to discuss what the Cavs were surrendering to land the three-time All-Star.

In 2007, the perfect storm arrived on the shores of Lake Erie. LeBron James carried a rather uninspiring roster — in which Daniel Gibson and Sasha Pavlovic were two of his primary sidekicks — to the NBA Finals. The Indians stood one decent CC Sabathia or Fausto Carmona start and/or one Joel Skinner stop sign from advancing to the World Series. The Browns rolled to a 10-6 season but fell short of a playoff berth thanks to one blustery, Derek Anderson-interception-filled afternoon in Cincinnati.

There have been other years in which two of the three teams in town have thrived. The summer of 2016 might never be topped. Cleveland soared high on an unprecedented champagne-fueled buzz from Father’s Day until shortly after midnight on Nov. 2.

But what about right now?

The Cavs, Browns and Guardians all seem poised to make noise in the coming years. Obviously, these things can be fluid. Windows shut without warning all the time in all three sports (See: 2008 Browns and Indians). Life is good for Cleveland fans at the moment, though. The Cavs and Guardians, in particular, have surpassed expectations given their youth. This might be the calm before another perfect storm.

To the musings …


Terry Francona and Sandy Alomar Jr. sit in the dugout Wednesday. (David Richard / USA Today)
1. Francona called a team meeting about two hours before first pitch Thursday. That’s not a common occurrence, but he wanted to set the stage for the final stretch of the regular season.

“I just wanted them to remember, ‘Hey, it’s not supposed to be easy.’”

As you may have heard once or twice or 637 times, the Guardians employ the league’s youngest roster. On the position-player side, only José Ramírez and Myles Straw have played meaningful fall baseball.

“I told them,” Francona said, “‘I don’t know how many guys in this room have played through a major-league pennant race. That doesn’t mean we can’t win. It just means you haven’t done it before.’ They have been really good about not backing down from challenges.”

This team lacks veterans. Two weeks ago, Austin Hedges joined Bryan Shaw and Luke Maile as the only members of the roster in the 30-and-older club. But some of the younger players who have excelled — Steven Kwan’s name is regularly mentioned — have guided those who have ridden the rookie shuttle north on I-71 to Progressive Field.

“When guys get called up,” Francona said, “their buddies are here to show them the right direction.”

2. Cody Morris is the latest rookie to join the fray. He’ll eventually be the 15th player to make his big-league debut for Cleveland this season.

Triple-A manager Andy Tracy summoned Morris to his office earlier this week and told him the organization planned to build him back up as a starter, so they were sending him to Class-A Lake County to chew up some innings. Morris was puzzled. He had been scaling back his workload and pitching in relief — he thought, so he could help the Guardians over the final five weeks of the season. He couldn’t believe what Tracy was telling him. He had worked all season to recover from an upper back strain and try to reach the majors.

Then, Tracy said: “Make sure to stop by Progressive Field on your way in. That’s where you’re going.”

Tracy has been pulling these stunts all season. He told Nolan Jones he was being demoted to Double-A Akron to work on his defense at Canal Park. In reality, Jones was to fly to Kansas City to meet the Guardians. Tracy told Tyler Freeman he was being benched for not hustling, even though Freeman had advanced to second on an errant throw after a single. Tracy later revealed Freeman was actually being yanked from the game because he needed to head to Cleveland before the Guardians’ game the following afternoon. Tracy asked Peyton Battenfield to fetch him a coffee. When Battenfield obliged, Tracy told him to also go pack his bags and meet the Guardians in Detroit ahead of their series north of the border.


Cody Morris is set to debut. (MLB Photos via USA Today)
Anyway, Morris is quite intriguing in any role on Cleveland’s pitching staff. He’ll turn 26 in November, so he figures to factor into the equation beyond just the next month and change. Cleveland drafted him in 2018. He started in A-ball for the organization in 2019. The pandemic wiped out his 2020 season, so he spent that summer playing catch at the beach, sometimes with a friend, sometimes with a cousin.

“Sometimes the wall,” he said.

In 2021, a lat strain limited him to 61 innings, but Morris posted a 1.62 ERA, with 93 strikeouts. He suffered this year’s injury before he had the chance to showcase his ability in spring training. When he returned to action, he logged a 1.72 ERA, with 52 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings.

3. The Clement move is a bit of a head-scratcher. Will Brennan would have made a ton of sense, given Straw’s impotent bat. There’s benefit to having catching prospect Bo Naylor complete a full season at Triple A, especially given his dramatic turnaround at the plate this season. But even just having him gain some experience shadowing Hedges, Maile and Sandy Alomar Jr. seems like it might have been more worthwhile to the team’s future than Clement’s return will be for the present.

Why Clement? Francona said it’s to add flexibility. With Clement’s versatility, the Guardians could pinch hit for anyone at any time and Clement could fill in defensively if needed. OK. Right. But Gabriel Arias could have done that. Freeman already can do that. Owen Miller is still on the roster. Even Jones would have fit, since the club has cycled through Miller and Richie Palacios as the designated hitter this week.

Team president Chris Antonetti visited the Triple-A team in Columbus this week to explain the club’s decision-making to several of the prospects who weren’t receiving a promotion but might have expected one. For what it’s worth, the Guardians will have to add Brennan and Naylor (and a host of others) to the 40-man roster in a couple of months.

Koby Altman and the Cavs executed the move that they hope will elevate their team to the ranks of the Eastern Conference elite. Likewise, Antonetti and company will need to pull the proper levers this winter to vault the Guardians into the American League’s upper tier. They have the trade capital — and a crowded roster in need of some consolidation — to make anything happen.


4. The Edwin Díaz entrance is mesmerizing, and it seems to be the talk of baseball this week. Francona quipped he has no plans for a trumpet player to perform on the field during his pitching changes. Maybe the Guardians can hand out SpongeBob SquarePants foam fingers for fans to wave as they sing along to Oscar Gonzalez’s walk-up song, the theme from that show.

It’s hard to watch the Díaz ritual and not think about postseason atmospheres. Can the Guardians navigate the final five weeks of the regular season and reach the stage in which that atmosphere is the norm? It’d be immensely beneficial for a team this inexperienced to earn at least a taste.

To fend off the Twins and White Sox, the Guardians will need the bats to emerge from their recent hibernation. They have been blanked in three of their last four games.

Last weekend’s Seattle series shouldn’t have been too discouraging. That appeared to be a matter of being unable to supply the key hit at the right moment against one of the top pitching staffs in baseball. Some missed opportunities with runners in scoring position against Robbie Ray, Luis Castillo and Logan Gilbert? Sure, that happens. But being shut out on consecutive nights by Baltimore’s Jordan Lyles and Kyle Bradish? Yikes.

In the meantime, Cleveland’s pitching staff continues to deliver. The Guardians have allowed more than four runs in a game just once in the last four weeks. That’s half of the formula to chase down a division crown. Now, they need the offense to come alive. September is here, after all.

The reeling Cleveland Guardians suddenly have a starting pitching headache



Aug 27, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Zach Plesac (34) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
By Zack Meisel
Sep 2, 2022

CLEVELAND — Zach Plesac has a broken hand, Aaron Civale has a balky forearm and the Guardians have a headache.

Plesac punched the dirt surrounding the mound at T-Mobile Park after surrendering a home run to Jake Lamb in the seventh inning Saturday. The dirt was unavailable for comment.

Plesac faced one more batter that night. The next morning, his right palm was swollen. He threw his customary side session earlier this week and insisted he could make his scheduled start Friday night, but the team wanted to ensure he was healthy.

As it turns out, he has a fracture in the fifth metacarpal. And now it’s fair to wonder about his future in Cleveland. It’s certainly up in the air whether he’ll make another start this season. He’ll spend at least the next week in a splint; the black apparatus was covering his right ring and pinkie fingers Friday afternoon. Eventually, he’ll be re-evaluated by Dr. Thomas Graham, the team’s go-to hand specialist.

Plesac is earning $2 million this season, the result of an agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association stemming from the club’s decision to place him on the restricted list and then demote him to Triple-A Columbus following his breach of COVID-19 protocols during the 2020 season. He’ll be eligible for arbitration each of the next three winters.

This isn’t the first time Plesac has suffered an unconventional hand fracture. Last season, he missed six weeks after, as he and his manager detailed it, he broke his thumb when an ill-placed chair interfered with the removal of his shirt.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the rotation undergo a bit of a face-lift this offseason. It seems like an area of the roster the front office could target in a trade by way of packaging a few prospects. The team also has a bounty of pitching prospects who could vie for an opportunity.

The Guardians will learn about some of those prospects over the next few weeks with Plesac and Civale sidelined. Cody Morris made his big-league debut in place of Plesac on Friday night. Xzavion Curry will slide into Civale’s spot Saturday.


Civale threw a bullpen session Thursday and, according to manager Terry Francona, “didn’t seem real crisp.” Pitching coach Carl Willis asked Civale if he was OK. The right-hander replied that his elbow didn’t feel right.

That’s the sort of answer that sounds alarms in pitching spheres, so the club sent Civale to get imaged during the game Thursday night. His elbow is structurally sound, but he’s dealing with inflammation in his forearm.

Civale would be eligible to return from the injured list in the middle of the month, but the Guardians will see how his arm responds after he throws next, perhaps in a few days. Francona deemed the results a “pretty big sigh of relief. … You start talking about an elbow and stuff, you get nervous.”

Civale’s season has been defined by interruptions. This is his third stint on the IL. He has been limited to 16 starts, spanning 75 innings. In four August starts, he logged a 3.43 ERA, with more than a strikeout per inning.

“He’s had a lot of things that have gotten in the way,” Francona said.

So, the solution for the team that entered Friday’s action clinging to a one-game lead in the AL Central is the same solution it has leaned on all season: more rookies. Morris became the 15th player to make his debut for the Guardians this season, the most in a season since 1922. The Mariners chased Morris after two innings, in part because he was only built up to about 60 pitches. Curry will make his second big-league appearance Saturday. Welcome to a playoff chase, kids.

Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill have carried the rotation this summer. Plesac’s numbers are rather pedestrian, with a 4.39 ERA and a 4.50 FIP. He ranks near the bottom of the league in hard-hit rate, strikeout rate and expected opponent hitting metrics. An abysmal first month stained Civale’s statistics; he owns a 5.40 ERA and a 3.94 FIP. Still, the pitching staff has shouldered the burden in recent weeks; the Guardians have allowed more than four runs only once over the last month. Cleveland’s rotation has posted a 3.30 ERA since Aug. 1.

But now the Guardians will be tested further. The club sorely needs its offense to emerge from its recent slumber. The Guardians were shut out in three of their four games before the series opener Friday against Seattle, then were held to one run that night. Can they conjure up enough fuel to navigate their way to the finish line? Francona admitted there’s some concern about the league’s youngest roster slamming into a proverbial September wall.

“I think it’s real,” he said. “At the same time, we still have games to play that we have to figure out. Even if it looks like it doesn’t reach sometimes, we have to make it reach. Then when it’s over, you can maybe exhale and say, ‘God, I’m tired.’ Not now. We have to figure out a way to get it done.”

That includes the manager, who is aiming to complete his first full season since 2019.

“That’s the good part of waking up every day feeling shitty,” Francona said. “You always feel shitty.”

Law: Gavin Williams, Robert Hassell and more updates on key Guardians, Nationals prospects

Jul 16, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; National League Futures right fielder Robert Hassell III (9) singles in the second inning of the All Star-Futures Game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
By Keith Law
Sep 10, 2022
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Gavin Williams was the Guardians’ first-round pick in the 2021 draft, a high-upside starter from East Carolina whom some teams dinged over concerns about his injury history and durability. He’s been electric and healthy since that draft, spending the majority of this year at Double A, and started Thursday night against the Nationals’ Double-A team in Harrisburg.

Williams was 93-97 on Thursday, holding 94-95 into his last inning (the sixth), showing a four-pitch mix where all four pitches were at least playable, although the changeup was his worst offering. The slider had power to it at 86-89, and he showed a mid-70s curveball with good shape and spin. His changeup was 86-88 and probably too firm and straight, although he showed feel for when to use the pitch and would even elevate it away to lefties to try to elicit chases.

Against Harrisburg, he was his own worst enemy, running too many deep counts and throwing a lot of noncompetitive pitches, especially once he got to two strikes. There’s no evident reason for this — he’s on line and seems to repeat his arm path well — but it happened across the outing. One example at-bat to a left-handed hitter had him ahead 0-2, then throwing two fastballs so far above the zone that there was no chance to get a swing-and-miss, then coming back with a 2-2 curveball strike that went for an RBI single because it went right into the hitter’s bat path. There was no reason for Williams to be in that situation, because he was ahead 0-2 and wasted the next two pitches.


Williams has the building blocks to be an above-average starter, with a fastball that plays above its velocity, a potential out pitch in the slider, and a delivery that at least should lead to above-average control and average command. He’ll need to use his changeup more, with a significant platoon split on the season (.136/.202/.191 vs RHB, .222/.330./392 vs LHB), and may need to improve or alter the pitch to make it more effective. The best news on Williams is that he has been healthy all year, with 24 starts on the season, making the Guardians’ bet that other teams’ concerns about his durability were unfounded look like a smart one.

Cleveland’s fifth-round pick last year, Tanner Bibee, was a strike-throwing right-hander from Cal State Fullerton, but as so often happens with college pitchers the Guardians draft, he’s throwing a lot harder, hitting 99 in some starts this summer. He threw Tuesday and was dominant, striking out 10 batters, including five of the first seven batters he faced, and showed a four-pitch mix of his own that gives him a ceiling right around that of Williams.

Bibee was 93-97 across six innings with some good ride on the pitch, although it’s probably his third-best pitch. His changeup is at least a 65, maybe a 70, coming in at 82-84 mph with late, biting fade, a pitch he could throw to left- and right-handed batters and that has achieved a whiff rate over 50 percent on the season. His slider is above-average, 83-88 with solid tilt that he uses almost exclusively to right-handed batters, while he has a show-me curveball with decent shape but that’s clearly a fourth pitch for him.

Bibee has a very fast arm and a high 3/4 slot that gives him some more deception, especially against lefties, with a delivery that keeps him on line to the plate. He’s maintained that plus control from college, with 23 starts on the year and none with more than two walks. His outing Tuesday was just the third time all year he’d allowed more than two earned runs, with three runs scoring in one inning due in part to a passed ball and a balk. He also has an above-average starter ceiling, with both he and Williams at least showing the potential to be No. 2 starters in a contender’s rotation.

Even with the recent promotions of outfielder George Valera and shortstop Brayan Rocchio to Triple A, the Akron lineup is still strong. Left fielder Jhonkensy Noel took one of the most impressive BPs before this year’s Futures Game, and Tuesday night, he hit a 90 mph fastball as loudly as I’ve heard any ball hit all year, with an exit velocity around 109 mph. The left fielder never so much as moved as the ball cleared the stands behind him. He swings very hard, all the time, although he doesn’t strike out as often as you might expect, instead making a lot of incidental contact along with the explosive sort — he has 32 homers on the season between High A and Double A, but has just a .243 BABIP on the season, which points to the lower quality he’s making when he’s not splitting the baseball at its atoms.

In these two games, it was more about approach, not picking up pitches or just not recognizing what pitch he might see in a situation, with several softly hit groundballs in between the hard contact. Noel is huge, listed at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, and there’s certainly enough physical evidence to worry he’s not going to stay in left field for the long term. I’d bet he ends up at first before he’s 27. He’s so young — turning 21 the Friday before the Futures Game this year — that he’d be a college junior if he’d been born in the U.S. There’s still a lot of time for him to refine his approach enough to make that hard contact play.

Shortstop Jose Tena hasn’t had a great year on the surface, with a .262/.297/.400 line as a 21-year-old, but I still see things to like here. He’s an above-average defender at short with easy actions and soft hands, getting himself into good position on most plays. He has bat speed and makes harder contact than you’d expect for his frame, although he’s too aggressive, especially early in counts, and doesn’t get himself the best pitches to hit as a result. With Rocchio ahead of him, there’s no rush for Cleveland to push Tena any further up the ladder, and after his walk rate dropped this year from 6 percent to 4.5 percent, he may need to spend more time in Double A or get a longer stint in Triple A before he sees the majors.

Angel Martinez has had an impressive year at the plate for a 20-year-old, hitting .288/.384/.477 in High A with just a 17.5 percent strikeout rate, then keeping it rolling since he moved up to Akron on Aug. 21, hitting .273/.382/.527 at the higher level with just seven whiffs in 69 PA. The approach is real; he’s got a good sense of the strike zone and was working the count, not taking just to take. He has a very fast bat and had no issues with velocity but needs to add strength to end up with average or better power. I got average run times from him, but I think he’s better underway. I only saw him at second base, where he was at least average.

Nats prospect Robert Hassell wanted no part of Bibee but had a field day with Williams, reaching base four times in the second game. One of the five prospects acquired from San Diego in the Juan Soto trade, the center fielder punched out three times in the Bibee start, twice against Bibee’s changeup, although he had a hard-hit line out on a 95 mph fastball. He hammered Williams’ fastball, with two hard-hit balls on 96 mph fastballs, after which Williams walked him on four pitches. Hassell is a plus runner and played well in center field, making all the routine plays and showing above-average range; he might be pushed to a corner by a plus defender there, but I see no reason he can’t stay in center on his own.