Cleveland Sports Forum

Timely report:


In a perfect world, the Guardians would be able to add James Karinchak back in the bullpen to have another lethal, back-end option to turn to in relief. Instead, Karinchak is still in Triple-A, working through some of the issues he displayed earlier this season when he owned a 4.37 ERA through the first two months of the season.

A quick look at his numbers in Columbus would show that he’s only given up two runs (both in the same outing) since he was optioned on June 10. It would be easy to assume that he’s seeing the results that the Guardians are looking for, but the team needs to see a little bit more than just zeroes on the scoreboard.

In three of his first four appearances with Columbus, he had one-inning outings. In those one-inning outings, he threw at least 20 pitches to get three outs – one of which was a 29-pitch appearance. The Guardians want to see him consistently in the strike zone.

“Obviously he needs to throw more strikes,” Columbus pitching coach Owen Dew said. “He needs to control the running game better. ... The velocity is a piece of that, as well. His velocity has gone down a little bit.

"He’s striking out 51% of hitters he’s facing in Triple-A, but obviously we don’t want to strike out Triple-A hitters, we’d like him to get back up here and strike out Major League hitters. So, doing those things that will help him come back up here and help the team win.”

Karinchak is starting to trend back in the right direction. In his first three appearances in July, he’s kept his pitch count at 18 pitches or fewer. And if he can keep showing improvements in controlling the running game, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him back in the Guardians’ bullpen at some point again this season.

“James is an incredible hard worker,” Dew said. “I mean, I can’t say enough good things about how he’s been in his time in Columbus. I know he wants to be up here, everybody wants to be in the big leagues. But he’s taken that role in Triple-A and understood that he has things that he needs to work on and we’re addressing that right now.”

Guardians’ Chris Antonetti, with the trade deadline nearing, talks deals and other things


Updated: Jul. 19, 2023, 5:36 p.m.|Published: Jul. 19, 2023, 4:27 p.m.


By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com


PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- The Aug. 1 trade deadline is approaching. The Guardians are still within a bloop single of first place in the AL Central and their offense is on the upswing.

But the rotation is battered with three starters from last year on the injured list in Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill. They need a starter for Sunday, and the bullpen has been getting worked over since the All-Star break.



Chris Antonetti, Guardians president of baseball operations, addressed those questions and a several more with reporters Wednesday morning at PNC Park.



Q. With the tepid state of the AL Central, is it hard to know if you should add or be a seller at the deadline?

A. “The way the division has played out has allowed us to stay in contention. It certainly has been helpful as we look at our opportunities in the second half. If we were in other divisions, we may be looking at things a little differently.”

Q. If you do add help, will it be short term or long term?


A. “That will always be a balance. How competitive are we now? What does the balance of the season look like? And how does that set us up for future years? That’s something we will always be mindful of in near-term and medium-long-term competitiveness.”


Josh Naylor


Q. Does Josh Naylor’s performance since late May lessen your need for a big bat?

A. “It certainly helps when guys go out and have the kind of performance Josh has had. Most importantly, it helps us win games. The more games we can win, keeps us in contention and bodes well for the second half.”

Q. When you acquired Naylor from San Diego in 2020, what were some of the traits that hinted that this kind of performance was possible?

A. “He’d always done a really good job of making contact in the zone and hitting the ball really hard. When we acquired him, a lot of his best and hardest contact was on the ground. We were hopeful as he matured at a hitter, his ball would start to get on a line more, maybe even in the air a little more, so some of that impact quality could transition to extra-base hits.


“First and foremost, he’s always been a really good hitter. When he swings the bat, he usually puts the bat on the ball and hits it hard somewhere.”

Q. Is the way Gabriel Arias is being used helping or hurting him? Would you rather him play every day at Class AAA?

A. “It’s really hard for any young player to succeed in a part-time role. It’s compounded by the fact we have a number of players who are in a similar boat. It makes it so difficult for Tito (manager Terry Francona) in trying to figure out which guys to play when.

“Then factoring in, ‘Hey, how do we win tonight’s game, but how do we also try to keep some of the young players developing?’ Those are the conversations we have often, and it’s a really hard thing to juggle.”


Guardians' Oscar Gonzalez.AP

Q. Does Oscar Gonzalez have a chance to be promoted to Cleveland?


A. “Oscar was really hot for a while (at Class AAA Columbus). Then he went through a stretch where he wasn’t having the results even though the work has been really good. He continues to make strides, and he’s been good against left-handed pitching. So, at some point he can be an option for us.”

Q. Are Gonzalez’s challenges more about decision-making when he’s hitting?

A. “Part of the challenge he had up here is that he was getting so aggressive that pitchers didn’t have to throw competitive pitches to get him out. We want him to make sure that he’s within the zone where he can do damage, and when he can get a pitch to hit, he can put it in play hard.

“When he got a pitch to hit up here, he wasn’t doing damage. He was fouling it off or missing it. What we’ve worked with him on is controlling the zone a little bit better and when you get a pitch to hit, hit it hard somewhere.”


Q. Have you named a starter for Sunday’s game against the Phillies?

A. “We’re still working through that. Peyton Battenfield pitched Tuesday (at Columbus) and was able to get to his pitch total. That was helpful. Xzavion (Curry) did a really good job when he had to pick us up Monday against the Pirates.

“We’ll get through the off day (Thursday) before having a decision on that.”

Triston McKenzie
Guardians' Triston McKenzie.Diamond Images/Getty Images


Q. Can you give us an update on Triston McKenzie (right elbow)?

A. “We need him to be able to test his elbow at full intensity before the end of the season. That’s what we’re really seeking for him to do. To the extent he has issues before he gets to full intensity, that’s going to cause us to reassess.

“The real litmus test, I think, is when we get back to that full intensity, pitching in a competitive setting, how does his elbow respond?”

Q. What about an update on Shane Bieber (right elbow)?

A. “While we got good news in the grand scheme of things (Bieber won’t need surgery), it’s not going to be a quick return.”

Q. Will you look to add a starting pitcher at the trade deadline?

A. “They are really hard to acquire this time of year, especially if you want to get a guy who can help you win games. There’s a difference between getting someone who can just fill innings and finding someone who can help you win games.”


Q. Are there other areas of need before the Aug. 1 trade deadline?

A. “It’s probably easier to answer that as we look toward the future. One of the things we have to determine with the group we have is are we capable of scoring enough runs to win games and be a championship team?

“We saw evidence of that last year. This year it’s been a step back. It’s important to remember we still have a very young team that’s still developing. I not sure we have answers yet on how good this group can be.”

Q. What about adding help specifically for 2023?

A. “For the balance of this year, theoretically, yes, you’d like to find ways to get better offensively. But at what position, who does that displace and what impact does that have on us figuring out how good we can be in the long run?”


Cleveland Guardians vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, July 18, 2023
Guardians' Josh Bell.AP

Q. What has been your impression of Josh Bell this year?


A. “He’s such a great worker and teammate. There are times he wants to do so well, so badly, he’s always looking for the next thing. I think that may impact his consistency.

“Our continued communication with Josh is, ‘Hey, let’s find when you’re at your best and let’s just stay consistent with that.’ When he’s done that, he’s had stretches where he’s been really productive. What we want to help him with is how do we make those productive stretches last a little bit longer.”

Guardians trade deadline plans: What I’m hearing about Shane Bieber and others Aug 9, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) pitches in the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
By Zack Meisel
5h ago

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PITTSBURGH — If the Guardians resided in the AL East, they would have cemented their trade deadline plans a couple of months ago. If Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie were healthy, the Guardians would attack the trade market with more vigor over the next two weeks.

Instead, they’re stuck in a weird spot, the product of an unfortunate rash of injuries, an unsightly sequence of offseason transactions and an unspeakably dreadful division.

In a matter of weeks, they went from wondering whether they could trade from their surplus of starting pitching depth to address their offense to, well, wondering who’s starting for them three days from now.

One industry source had zero hesitation when answering whether the Guardians will deal Bieber in the next week and a half: “There’s no chance.”

There’s too much uncertainty about Bieber’s timetable to return and how he might fare on the mound whenever he ultimately does. As Guardians president Chris Antonetti acknowledged Wednesday at PNC Park: “While we got good news overall in the grand scheme of things, it’s not going to be a quick return to the major leagues.”

Bieber likely won’t begin a throwing program until at least the end of the month. Then, he’ll need a couple of weeks of catch and bullpen sessions before he can initiate a rehab assignment. That screams late August or early September for an optimistic timeline. And considering this is an elbow injury for a pitcher who has already endured shoulder trouble and a noteworthy velocity decline in recent seasons, rival teams will likely be too spooked to meet the Guardians’ lofty demands.

So, if it isn’t Bieber, would the Guardians consider dealing another starting pitcher to upgrade their outfield? They’ve kicked around the idea, but the scenario seemed more plausible before the string of injuries. Let’s size up the healthy candidates in their rotation. They probably aren’t motivated to trade their trio of rookies. That leaves … Aaron Civale.
Aaron Civale exited his outing in Texas last week after 79 pitches because of fatigue. (Jeffrey Becker / USA Today)

Civale has been Cleveland’s most effective starter this season, with a 2.71 ERA across 11 starts, but he’s been a Titanium Elite injured list member the last three seasons, including a two-month stint for an oblique strain this year. He exited his outing in Texas last week after 79 pitches because of fatigue, and he tossed 88 pitches Wednesday in Pittsburgh, but his velocity was down an average of 3-4 mph per pitch.

Even if Bieber, McKenzie and Cal Quantrill make hasty returns, the club figures to curtail the workloads of rookies Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen as the season unfolds. That makes trading a starter even more complicated.

Ah, but could they add a starter?

“It’s really hard to acquire (starting pitching) at this time of year,” Antonetti said, “especially if you want to try to get a guy who can help you win.”

That settles that.

The question for the Guardians to answer as the deadline approaches: What’s the ceiling for this team and is it worth chasing?

The injuries to Bieber and McKenzie have all but removed the club from pursuing offensive fixes in a prospect(s)-for-rental type deal. One executive noted, if Bieber and McKenzie returned to full strength by September, Cleveland’s pitching staff for a postseason series would be the envy of many teams. But their health is a giant question mark, and the Guardians’ other faults are readily apparent: a lack of power, an unproductive outfield, one of the league’s worst defenders manning shortstop, a group of relievers who treat every eighth inning like they’re walking across a tightrope in bowling shoes.

Though the club isn’t keen on sacrificing future value for short-term help, improving the lineup over several seasons appears to be the top priority.

“With the group we have,” Antonetti said, “are we capable of scoring enough runs to win games and be a championship team? We saw evidence of that last year, largely with the same group. This year, it’s been a step back.”

If there’s an outfielder who, one, can hit in the middle of Cleveland’s order, two, would allow the team to shift Will Brennan to center more often, three, is under control for several years, and, four, could be swapped for a starting pitcher and/or prospects, the Guardians will be interested. (They won’t be alone, of course.)

Expect to see Oscar Gonzalez at some point, though the Guardians continue to stress he needs to be more selective at the plate and understanding of which pitches he can obliterate and which are only tossed his way to induce weak contact. Mastering those swing decisions has helped to fuel Josh Naylor’s breakout season, for instance. Gonzalez, who slugged a grand slam for Columbus on Wednesday, has destroyed lefties since being demoted to Triple A in early May.

One other area to monitor is the shortstop position. Amed Rosario is bound for free agency at the end of the season. He’s been worth minus-0.1 fWAR this season, with an 83 wRC+ (meaning he’s been 17 percent worse than league-average on offense) and minus-17 defensive runs saved. Only Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber, a designated hitter moonlighting as a left fielder, has a worse mark (minus-19).

Rosario wouldn’t fetch much in a trade, but his departure would open up long-awaited opportunities for Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman. The Guardians haven’t learned much about either young player, and Brayan Rocchio is knocking on the door at Triple-A Columbus. Arias and Freeman have spent most of the season twiddling their thumbs on the Guardians bench.

“It’s really hard for any young player to succeed in a part-time role,” Antonetti said, “and it’s compounded by the fact that we have a number of players in a similar boat. It makes it so difficult for (manager Terry Francona), trying to figure out which guys to play when, factoring in both, ‘How do we win tonight’s game?’ but then, ‘How do we also try to keep some of the young players developing?’ So those are the conversations we have often and it’s a really hard thing to juggle.”

Just clipped this Oscar G comment from the above. It cleary does NOT sound like promotion is imminent. Meanwhile Oscar had a good day Wednesday with a homer and two singles, which may imply that he got some pitches to hit and hit them hard somewhere.

Q. Does Oscar Gonzalez have a chance to be promoted to Cleveland?
A. “Oscar was really hot for a while (at Class AAA Columbus). Then he went through a stretch where he wasn’t having the results even though the work has been really good. He continues to make strides, and he’s been good against left-handed pitching. So, at some point he can be an option for us.”

Q. Are Gonzalez’s challenges more about decision-making when he’s hitting?

A. “Part of the challenge he had up here is that he was getting so aggressive that pitchers didn’t have to throw competitive pitches to get him out. We want him to make sure that he’s within the zone where he can do damage, and when he can get a pitch to hit, he can put it in play hard. “When he got a pitch to hit up here, he wasn’t doing damage. He was fouling it off or missing it. What we’ve worked with him on is controlling the zone a little bit better and when you get a pitch to hit, hit it hard somewhere.”

How Josh Naylor became what Guardians envisioned and rose to the top of MLB leaderboards Jul 17, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) hits a two-run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
By Zack Meisel


PITTSBURGH — For 10 weeks, he has been the best hitter in baseball’s non-cyborg-who-also-pitches-and-does-stuff-no-one-has-seen-in-a-century-which-has-him-in-line-to-earn-more-than-half-a-billion-dollars division.

Ten weeks, at this blistering pace, isn’t merely a hot streak. It’s Josh Naylor’s arrival as the unquestioned muscle in the middle of the Guardians’ lineup.

For the past year and a half, teammates have said that when leadoff hitter Steven Kwan goes, the team goes. When Amed Rosario delivers an occasional four-hit barrage, teammates turn to the trusty refrain: When Rosario goes, the team goes. Over the last decade, hundreds of players have cycled through the Cleveland clubhouse and many have stressed that when José Ramírez goes, the team goes.

And now, with Naylor boasting a .378/.412/.647 slash line since early May, a nearly three-month stretch in which (half of) Shohei Ohtani is his only superior?

“When he goes,” pitcher Logan Allen said, “we go.”

The numbers tell the story best.
MLB leaders from the past 10 weeks

wRC+ leaderboard

1. Shohei Ohtani, 211
2. Josh Naylor, 186
3. Corey Seager, 178
4. Freddie Freeman, 178
5. Mookie Betts, 174

OPS leaderboard

1. Shohei Ohtani, 1.191
2. Josh Naylor, 1.059
3. Mookie Betts, 1.038
4. Nolan Arenado, 1.037
5. Freddie Freeman, 1.034

Batting average doesn’t offer anything close to full context, but maybe it’s worth noting the crater between Naylor, Luis Arraez and everyone else.

1. Josh Naylor, .378
2. Luis Arraez, .365
3. Corey Seager, .344
4. Freddie Freeman, .341
5. Masataka Yoshida, .329

Naylor also ranks 12th in the majors in strikeout rate in that span (13 percent), with three teammates ahead of him (Ramírez, Kwan and Will Brennan).

Naylor isn’t one to prattle on about his feats. He shifts the conversation to team camaraderie and effort and a grab bag of phrases from the yellow Athlete Clichés For Dummies paperback each player is handed on their first day in the big leagues.

Consider this sampling from Tuesday night, after he slugged a pair of home runs and tallied six RBIs to fuel a lopsided win in Pittsburgh. Naylor credited Kwan, Rosario and Ramírez for productive at-bats ahead of him in the first inning. Naylor homered off Pirates ace Mitch Keller to spark Cleveland to a 4-0 lead after only seven pitches.

“And then it trickles down from there,” Naylor said. “We continue to have good at-bats for each other, continue to get the next guy up and good things happen after that.”

When it’s relayed to him that few hitters across the league have tattered as many baseballs as he has the past few months, and that his teammates have dubbed him the catalyst for the offense, he’s quick to downplay his influence.

“I just try to provide as much as I can,” he said. “I try to be the best player I can, on and off the field, on defense and offense. I just try to provide the best game I can provide. I’m thankful for these guys here. They know I am. I try to be a leader, especially to the young guys, just try to encourage everyone and breed positivity to everyone and I feel like if I do that, everyone’s gonna have a good game. They all know I have their back. I’ll be the guy to give them positive reinforcement.”

But, really, here’s how to sum up just how productive Naylor has been. How would Allen approach an encounter with Naylor?

“I’d probably walk him, if I’m being honest with you,” Allen said.

Credit Naylor for three factors that have fueled his breakout.

First, he rebounded from a devastating leg injury that could have altered the course of his career. He spent much of the winter ahead of the 2022 season lying in a bed, swatting balled-up socks his mother tossed to him to maintain his hand-eye coordination. He finally benefitted from a normal winter regimen prior to this season.

Second, he has silenced the motions to limit him to a platoon first baseman role. During this recent offseason, he worked on his approach to lefties, hitting off a machine that presented a variety of left-handed angles and spin.

“The biggest thing for him is keeping his front side closed,” said hitting coach Chris Valaika, “and holding on to good direction that last year might have gotten exposed a bit with the lefties, where he’d get too big and fly open and now the sliders or secondary pitches away could get exposed. He’s done a really good job holding onto that direction this year and it shows the work he put in this winter directly translating to him hitting that ball out to left-center, him driving the ball that way. The pull side is always going to be there, but those are things we didn’t necessarily see last year.”

Naylor has hit the ball to the opposite field more this season than he ever has as a big leaguer. He’s also hitting the ball in the air more frequently.
Josh Naylor hits a double to left field against the Royals on July 8. (Ken Blaze / USA Today)

Against lefties, he has registered a .774 OPS, and since an 0-for-17 start against southpaws, he’s hitting .338 against them.

And, finally, he has grown to understand his profile as a hitter and how to maximize it.

“If there’s a mistake pitch,” Valaika said, “he’s hammering it.”

Naylor has boosted his hard-hit rate to a career-best 45 percent. He has lowered his strikeout rate to 15.2 percent. He ranks in the 98th percentile in expected batting average and the 92nd percentile in expected slugging percentage, a couple of metrics that reflect his elite quality of contact. His advanced numbers sparkled in April and May, too, but he ran into a lousy stretch of fortune. Now, the results (a .310/.350/.522 slash line) line up with the peripheral numbers.

Naylor still offers at pitches out of the zone — he ranks in the fourth percentile in chase rate — but he makes enough contact and is flexible enough with his approach to seek out pitches he can pulverize.

“There’s a double-edged sword with high contact,” Valaika said. “It can also be your Achilles’ heel when you end an at-bat just because you can make contact with a pitch. Josh has understood he has the ability to make contact and he’s also OK swinging and missing, taking a chance where, later in the at-bat, he can still make contact with tough pitches. But early in the count, situations he wants to dictate, he knows he can take that chance and look to impact the ball and back it off for the rest of the at-bat.”

Naylor has increased his barrel rate and his launch angle each season since the Guardians acquired him in the Mike Clevinger trade in August 2020.

“A lot of his best and hardest contact was on the ground,” said team president Chris Antonetti, “and we were hopeful that as he matured as a hitter and (he started to hit line drives) more, maybe even in the air a little bit more, some of that impact quality could transition to extra-base hits, whether that was doubles or home runs. We thought maybe there was an opportunity that he’d grow into that.”

In fact, he has grown into one of the better hitters in baseball in 2023.

“We always hoped he was a middle-of-the-order bat,” manager Terry Francona said. “But when you start to see it, it gets exciting.”

Josh Bell Still Has More To Give The Guardians

By Tommy Wild | Last updated 7/22/23

It's a story we've heard time and time again at this point; the Cleveland Guardians needed power and slugging so they went out and signed Josh Bell in free agency to fill that void.

Bell hasn't lived up to those expectations this season while not looking comfortable at the plate.

But the full story is much more complicated than that.

At face value, Bell's numbers don't look great. He currently owns a slash line of .240/.330/.403 with an OPS of .773 which is comparable to his 2020 season. There's no denying that fans and Bell were hoping that'd he be able to contribute more at the plate. At this point, he has 11 home runs and 47 RBI.

However, the advanced statistics suggest that Bell hasn't been as bad as it may appear.

Bell's expected stats from Baseball Savant are comparable to a hitter who's been getting on base at a high rate this season. He currently sits in the 81st percentile in xwOBA, 76th percentile in xBA, and 75th percentile in xSLG.

The former Silver Slugger currently has an xBA of .271 which is tied with Nick Castellanos (.271), better than All-Star J.D. Martinez (.270), Juan Soto (.262), Corbin Carroll (.258), and Francisco Lindor (.246) just to name a few.

Bell's xSLG of .457 is also similar to Yandy Diaz (.457), Adley Rutschman (.455), and Julio Rodriguez (.433).

So, when we're taking into account factors such as exit velocity, launch angle, sprint speed, contact, and the other components that go into advanced stats, it gives us a clearer picture of where Bell could and should be at this point of the season.

This is a similar story to what happened to Josh Naylor at the beginning of the season. Another slugger was hitting the ball just as hard as anyone in the Big Legues but just couldn't get hits to fall.

Naylor had a batting average of .250 in March and .208 in April. But he didn't let himself get too deep into the numbers since he knew he was making hard contact.

Since then, Naylor has become the Guardians' best hitter this season and one of the most consistent batters in all of baseball. He holds an OPS of 1.059 and a true (not expected) batting average of .378 over the last 10 weeks.

The same turnaround that Naylor had at the beginning of June may be on the horizon for Bell too. In Bell's last 15 games, he's hit three home runs, has more RBI (10) than strikeouts (9), and is slugging .481 with a batting average of .278.

The results have not been there for Bell this season which of course is frusterating. However, if Josh can take the lessons of another first baseman/DH named Josh, it's that if he keeps hitting the ball hard and making contact, he'll come around to be an important piece in the Middle of Cleveland's lineup.

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Guardians battered rotation could be full force by September

Jeff Schudel, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio

Sat, Jul 22, 2023, 1:46 PM CDT·3 min read

Jul. 22—That versatile hurler, To Be Determined, is slated to start for the Guardians on July 23 in the series finale with the Phillies because Triston McKenzie (elbow), Cal Quantrill (shoulder) and Shane Bieber (elbow) are all on the injured list.

None of the three required surgery, and as bleak as it is now, all three starters could be back in the rotation come September. This means the Guards would have one of the most formidable rotations in the playoffs if they can outlast the Twins to win the AL Central. The division is so mediocre a sub-.500 record could be good enough to win it.

Quantrill is the closest to returning. Quantrill was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 6 with right shoulder inflammation for the second time this season. He was scheduled to throw a bullpen session July 22.

"We're trying to give him milestones to progress more and more," manager Terry Francona said. "We did that last time and we thought he was ready.

"By his own admission, he feels pretty good. We just want to give him a foundation so when he comes back, he can stay back."

Quantrill gave up eight runs on May 30 and then was shut down for a month with shoulder inflammation. He made only two starts before the injury flared and he had to go back on the shelf.

Bieber last pitched July 9. He was placed on the injured list on July 15 when the Guardians returned from the All-Star break. He was told not to pick up a baseball for two weeks. He will be examined on a "week to week" basis after that, the Guardians said.

McKenzie missed more than two months with a shoulder injury to start the season and then made only two starts before he was back on the shelf with a sprained right elbow.

The Guardians have set no timetables for any of the three starters to return. But if they are back in time to make three or four starts in the last month, the playoffs could be interesting, because the Guards are no longer swinging the bat like they're lugging a strand of overcooked spaghetti to the plate. Home run power, though — that's still missing.

—The Guardians have outhit their opponents in 30 games since June 1. They have done so at least four more times than any other MLB team. They won 21 of those games, which means they lost nine times despite out-hitting their opponent. That also is the most often that has happened.

The Guardians are still last in MLB in home runs by a wide margin. They have homered 71 times — 13 fewer than the 29th-ranked Washington Nationals.

The Guardians were 29th in home runs last year with 127. The Tigers were last with 110.

The Guards are on pace to hit fewer home runs than in 2022. A year ago they hit .783 home runs per game. This year they are averaging .732 a game.

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1948 Indians' longest win streak featured 26-run game, four straight shutouts

Chris Lillstrung, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio

Sat, Jul 22, 2023, 4:02 PM CDT·6 min read

Jul. 22—On Aug. 12, 1948,

The Indians sat in their clubhouse at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, between games of a doubleheader against the Browns and following a loss.

Little did they know what was to come — their most prolific game of the season and in American League history, a run of shutouts, their longest win streak in that campaign and, of course, World Series hardware when it was all said and done.

To mark the 75th anniversary of 1948 world champion Indians, here is a look at that eight-game win streak, which ran from Aug. 12-20.

The reason the Indians were in a twinbill in St. Louis in the first place was because the teams' July 4 encounter had been postponed by rain.

Following an 8-4 loss in Game 1, the bats were alive and well in the nightcap, as player-manager Lou Boudreau shuffled around his lineup.

The Indians plated nine runs in the first inning to buoy Gene Bearden's cause before he even stepped on the mound.

Bearden did his part to help himself as well, going 4-for-6 with a home run, four runs and four RBI. Hal Peck doubled twice, scored four runs and had three RBI.

Bearden allowed one run on four hits in seven innings before giving way to Bob Feller with a 26-1 lead.

By that point, Boudreau had a different reason to tinker. After six, he removed most of his starters, and 14 players logged an at-bat, combining for 29 hits.

It was one run short of the AL record held by the 1923 Indians in a 27-3 win over the Red Sox and one hit short of the major-league standard set by the 1929 Cardinals.

Despite the lopsided win, the Indians were still percentage points behind the A's.

As the Indians made their way to Chicago, excitement was high in the Windy City because the visitors were sending a familiar face, Satchel Paige, to the mound for the opener. Paige was making his second major-league start.

A crowd of 51,013 packed Comiskey Park, to date one of the largest ever seen for baseball in Chicago. An estimated 15,000 were turned away.

Paige didn't disappoint, tossing a five-hitter in a 5-0 win over the White Sox. He retired 12 straight at one point, then 10 more in another stretch.

Before the game, Paige was honored by the Chicago Herald-American with a trophy for being "one of America's most famous athletes."

"I am deeply honored," Paige said. "I want to thank you very much."

In a strange twist, the umpiring crew had to work in dress suits after their uniforms were mistakenly sent from St. Louis to Cleveland and not Chicago. Home plate umpire Art Passarella borrowed a White Sox cap and catcher shin guards.

A much smaller crowd, around 8,000, turned out for Game 2 of the series, with the Indians plating all their runs in the first in a 4-2 win. Joe Gordon provided the key hit with a two-run double, and Steve Gromek came within one out of a complete game to improve to 7-2.

The sweep was completed in Chicago in a doubleheader on Aug. 15, a Sunday before an off day Monday. Bob Feller and Bob Lemon combined to yield two runs over the two games, wins by scores of 6-2 and 8-0. Lemon's victory in the nightcap was his 16th of the season, including his seventh shutout of 1948.

Boudreau went 7-for-10 over the twinbill to raise his average to .361. Dale Mitchell had five hits, including a double and triple.

Lemon's gem was the first of four straight shutouts, as the Indians returned to Northeast Ohio to face the Browns.

Bearden sparkled in another 8-0 triumph, delivering a four-hitter for his 12th win and fourth shutout.

The flags at Cleveland Stadium flew at half-mast in honor of Babe Ruth, who had just died.

Ruth was interviewed shortly before his death by Sport Magazine's Cameron Shipp. In that interview, he predicted the Indians would win the AL pennant.

It should probably be noted, as this win streak plays out here, that it would have been ideal to hear what Boudreau and his players thought of the hot streak. Unfortunately in that era, media accounts were anchored in play-by-play narrative, and only in rare instances was anyone quoted, even if there were news conferences following a game.

Sam Zoldak blanked the Browns next, 3-0, scattering nine hits against his former team. Allie Clark scored all three runs.

The final part of the shutout string — and of the eight-game win streak — came Aug. 20 as the Indians edged the White Sox, 1-0.

Before a crowd of 78,382, the largest for a night game to date in baseball history, Paige tossed another gem. He struck out five and allowed three hits, none after a double in the fifth, as the Indians pushed their overall shutout run to 39 innings. The four straight complete-game shutouts tied the club record to that point set in 1903.

"Just threw fastballs out there," Paige said. "When a pitch is working, I keep using it.

"Came up with my first curveballs in the eighth and threw three in a row for that strikeout."

After the game, a teammate was told to turn to Paige and state, "Looks like you're the rookie of the year."

The Negro League and barnstorming pitching legend smiled and responded, "You may be right, man. But 22 years is a long time to be a rookie."

Not including relief appearances, in three starts, Paige had drawn 201,829 fans to the ballpark in which he was pitching.

The win streak and the shutout streak ended Aug. 21 with a 3-2 defeat to the White Sox.

By its conclusion, the Indians had gone from a half-game back in the American League pennant race to up by three. It should be noted, though, that a 2-6 slide followed to temporarily put them back as a chaser.

The Indians later had a pair of seven-game win streaks in September, but not quite with the intrigue and variety of that run in August.

They would go on to capture that pennant in a tiebreaker game against the Red Sox, then secure the World Series crown in six games, also in Boston, against the Braves.

Little did they know what was in store between those doubleheader games in St. Louis, a wild ride in August that may have shown a future world champion its capability.


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AP Was There: Indians win the 1948 World Series

The Cleveland Indians had won their only World Series appearance in 1920 when they returned in 1948.

The Indians made it 2 for 2 when the defeated the Boston Braves to win the 1948 championship in six games. The Indians defeated the Braves 4-3 in Game 6 on Oct. 11, 1948. The Indians would go on to win three more American League pennants but not another World Series championship.

Here's a photo gallery of the 1948 World Series from our archive.

https://apimagesblog.com/blog/2016/10/2 ... rld-series

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Thanks for the memories Joey!

You are welcome Dennis

I was 4 years old at the time. The only memories I have was sitting on my mom's lap as she was listening to the game. That was my first introduction to Indian baseball and I believe that's why I am an Indian (Guardian) fan.

Not born yet for 48; I was alive in 54 and blamed my Dad for not making me a fan at age 3. He was a teen for the 1920 World champs and taught me that despite Jim Bagby's 30 victories, Stan Coveleskie was the real star pitcher for that team. I knew the lineup as if I had been there.

Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
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51m
#Guardians transactions

LHP Daniel Norris recalled from Columbus

LHP Tim Herrin optioned to Columbus

Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
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14m
Corresponding move:

RHP Shane Bieber placed on the 60-day IL

Mandy Bell
@MandyBell02
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16m
The Guardians have called up LHP Daniel Norris and optioned LHP Tim Herrin.

To make room on the 40-man roster, Shane Bieber has been moved to the 60-day IL.

that keeps Bieber out until Sept 12 I thought he wasn't hurt that badly.
They could've dumped Chris Vallimont with no tears shed but apparently Bieber is in worse shape than previously suggested

Apparently also that Hentges has no more options left. No question Herrin is an appropriate demotee but Hentges would be more so
And once again Karinchak remains where he is.