Cleveland Guardians on a roll this weekend vs. Blue Jays

Cleveland Guardians on a roll this weekend vs. Blue Jays

Welcome everybody to the latest edition of the ultimate Cleveland Guardian show. And while most of us are dreaming of a Guardians Championship, apparently Zach is dreaming about Terry Franona. Zack will explain what the hell happened with that and a good week for the Guardians. All coming up on today’s Ultimate Cleveland Guardian Show. [Music] All right, Zach. Uh, that was my bizarre open and like right before we went on the air, Zach says, “I had a dream because I mentioned the Reds. I was talking about the NL Central and I said, you know, I thought the Reds would be competitive and they have been and that’s when you mentioned that you had a dream about Terry Francona. Well, first of all, you weren’t talking inside your brain. You weren’t talking so much about the NL Central. You were gushing about your beloved Cubs and how That’s fair. That’s fair. They’re World Series bound or something. Uh yeah that I don’t remember my dreams very often but most of the time they relate to work and they come when I am just uh I don’t know most stressed about work and so this one was weird. It was we were at like a dirt bike track and Terry Francona was challenging people to ride his scooter on the dirt bike track and like whoever had the best time won or something. So, and I had I think Yeah, I don’t know why. I had ski poles, too, and those helped me win. It was bizarre. I don’t know. So, you weren’t covering the event. You were participating. Yeah, I think I won. But did you Let’s see. Let’s try to analyze your dream here. So, the the the the ski poles was some maybe some form of cheating. Yeah. Um, what does that mean? No one noticed. I I don’t know. I mean, this is better than the usual dream of I didn’t go to class all semester and now I’ve got a final exam. Oh, yeah. Like I have that one once a week. Yeah. Why do you think you have those dreams, Zach? What is going on with you that you are dreaming about that you are an accomplished author and writer and you’re so worried? I don’t know. Did you see the movie? This is a little out. Probably not. You’re not a big movie guy. No. Go ahead. There was a movie years ago. It might have been the 80s. Certainly, maybe the 90s called Summer School. No. Okay. So, I think Mark Mark Harmon, I don’t No, I know Mark Harmon was the star of this and Ally um not Ally Sheety Kirsty Alley was in it. Um and a couple of Well, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, there was this kid. It’s a bunch of kids who are, you know, fups and and they all have to go to summer school instead of enjoying the summer. It’s in California and this one kid on the first day of summer school goes to the bathroom and then he doesn’t come back into the movie or the classroom until the day they’re taking their final exam. So he misses the entire semester and then he, you know, gets like a 97. He gets the best grade in the class while all the fups who’ve studied for months and months, you know, do okay. There’s some improvement. And that’s I’m trying to correlate that to your dream that you I think it’s a pretty this is a pretty common one. Um, I haven’t done the research. It it I’m sure it translates to stress or something. I actually did I lived this out, though. I did this at Michigan State my first semester as a freshman. I had transferred to Ohio State during the semester. Yeah. And or or applied to transfer. I got accepted and I knew my GPA wasn’t going to transfer over, just the credits. So, all I had to do is pass the classes. I didn’t didn’t matter what my grades were. So, there were several classes that I like I had an 8 a.m. Yeah. journalism class. Yeah. And I didn’t go to it until until the end. Why are we talking about this? I didn’t go to it until the end. And so, I I lived out that dream that Yeah. so many people had. We have to talk about this because it it, you know, puts you in people see you as more of a human being instead of just an anonymous uh writer in the booth with all the hoyy toy writers. You know, Chris Oenheimer, he’s very hoidy toy. Oh, yeah. Uh, Poins is very hoyy toy. It’s, you know, his name is close to hidy. So, there you go. What a bunch. Anyway, I’m just kidding. Uh, we got a lot to get to today. The Guardians had a great week after not a great week last week and and it didn’t start well with that first loss to Minnesota on Monday. But, Zack, the the rest of the week went great. The Guardians end up winning three in a row against the Twins. They lose the first game to the Jays, but bounce back the last two days. Uh the pitching much better over the last week. Some clutch hitting. Um I got to say I don’t believe in jinxes or curses or reverse jinxes, but on UCSS last week, I started the week by saying it may be time to stop playing Bo Naylor. And then he hit two home run home runs in consecutive days. Um, and then later, uh, also last week on the show, I was like, you know, I’m sick of Daniel Schneaman. Let He’s not a he’s not a major league starter. Keep him on the bench. We need a starter here. And Daniel Schnean with the with the magnificent two home run game, including the the grand slam against the Blue Jays in the ninth. And they need another big hit yesterday. So, I’m trying to turn around somebody else. Yesterday, I just tweeted, “Roio stinks.” So, I don’t know if that’s going to do any good, but that’ll be your toughest test yet. Look, they with the with the going five and one after losing that first game to the Twins. Yeah. And you want to know the final scores of those five games? Yeah. One, four to two, four to three, five to three, five to four. Yeah. It’s a dangerous way to play. Oh, yeah. Going to win these one and two run games. But they kind of proved this last year. If you have a dominant bullpen, you can do it. Um they’re going to have to get more offense. They’re gonna have to get better starting pitching. Yes. But yes, and I think we we keep saying this, but as they sort all this out and award playing time to the guys who deserve it, as you’re seeing with Schneean, as you’ve seen with Gabriel Aras, Anel Martinez, they keep winning. So, it’s like, you know, a lot of times when you’re figuring things out and you have guys struggling and you don’t know if you have the right people in the right places, you don’t win games. They are winning games. They’re finding ways to pull these out. And you hope then that as the right people earn more playing time and the guys with track records like Jose Ramirez can play better, Tanner Bbeby can pitch better, Emanuel Class A can pitch better, as those guys get back to their levels, you hope then you’ll continue to win. So, it’s it’s incredible. I mean, the pulling out all three of those against Minnesota and the way that they just continue to torment the Twins, honestly, it’s hilarious. Yeah. Um but then getting two of three in Toronto, which I I I don’t really know what to make of the Blue Jays. Like, they have they seem topheavy. They have some really good talent. Um the bottom of their lineup stinks. Their bullpen kind of stinks, but that’s a tough place to play. like if you can take two or three that’s a really productive weekend. Um it was a great week. You know, it’s so funny because last year we spent the first month, six weeks, whatever it was saying, are they legit? Are they legit? And now their record’s about the same as it was last year at this time. It’s not quite as good, but it they have the third best record in the American League. And we may not be asking the are legit question. Are they legit? But but there’s a lot of um data points that say this is not sustainable because their run differential is the fourth worst in the American League. To have the third best record in the American League with the fourth worst run differential, they’re only one better than the White Socks in run differential. I mean, think about this for a second. The Guardians are n are are 20 and 14. The White Socks are 10 and 24. Guardians are 10 games ahead of them in the standings. Run differential Guardians minus 23. White Socks minus 24. But now minus 20 of that minus 23 came in 27 hour span or 24-hour span last weekend, right? You had the back-to-back 10R run losses against the Red Sox and Twins. That’s not usually I would say that that’s not an excuse cuz that stuff all evens out. But this is not a team that’s going to go beat somebody else by 10 runs. They don’t have the offense to do that. No. So I to me it’s not are they legit? Are they not? Is this smok and mirrors? It’s can it eventually be legit when I can stop watching Brian Rochio every day? when I can stop watching um you know once they get Shane Bieber back, once they get David Fry back, once they get some answers on the infield, once they figure out right field um and look some of that like you’re not going to be able to address all of that internally. That’s correct. You’re relying on guys coming back from injuries. You’re relying on I mean probably Juan Breurto, Chase Lauder whenever they come back from injuries. So, like you’re gonna have to make some trades if you really want to make this legit down the line. But I guess my point is like we understand the foundation of this team and I think we’re starting to learn maybe who who the guys are who deserve to stick around, who can help you get to that point where you become legit when you look at the at the lineup. Um, to your point, uh, there’s who’s legit, who’s not. I I want to go through that on the lineup because like I I guess it depends what you’re looking for, right? You know, Anel Martinez has a real good OPS. His OPS is solid. He’s got no home runs. Um, how Let’s Let’s start there. Anel Martinez, are are you tying him? You feel like he’s solidified a spot or No. No. And it’ll get it’ll get complicated when Lane Thomas comes back with him. I’m just playing him until he stops hitting. Like I I can’t afford to not stick a guy who’s hitting 324 in the lineup. Even though he doesn’t walk, even though he doesn’t hit for power, I need that bat in there somewhere. And his defensive versatility is is helpful, too. I’m at a point like if you’re Steven Vote, you’re playing the guys who are performing. And it doesn’t matter necessarily what you expect to happen or what you hope. Like look, Brian Rochio, I think we all thought, hey, this guy can build off of October. It’ll be great. He just hasn’t done it. And doesn’t look like like is he showing any signs? Like look, I I’m I’m sick of mentioning Nolan Jones metrics and Kenzie Noel’s metrics, but at least I have something I can cling to to say like maybe those guys can can run into one or or maybe they’ll they’ll break out at some point. You know, with Bone Naylor, like I his metrics have looked good and he’s made tangible changes where he’s walking more, he’s striking out less, and I think you’re starting to see him emerge. You know, he had a great week. Uh, so it’s with like Rokio, I have nothing to point to. With Martinez, at least I can say the guy, I mean, at no walks, no home runs, but the guy’s hitting. Um, you know, Daniel Schneiman, like why would I take him out of the lineup? He should be playing every day right now. He’s probably hitting second right now. Um, so I I just I’m looking for a pulse. And if you have a pulse, you’re in the lineup. Speaking of a pulse, um, under the radar here is the struggles of Jose Ramirez. He has, I believe, four extra base hits since that three home run game. Um or m four or five. He’s hit one home run. I think he’s got three or four doubles. We’re talking a month now, Zach. I uh his OPS has tanked. What is going on with him? I know he plays through injuries, but every time he plays through injuries, he seems to play terribly. He He got a second injury this week, missed a game. Uh, how concerned should we be about like he’s the one of the very few guys is a sure thing, but he’s been terrible for a month. It’s tough to It’s tough to say because his like if you want to peek under the hood, his his metrics never really tell you what they should. Like he’s not a guy who’s going to hit the ball super hard. He’s not a guy, you know, he’s he’s a guy who just makes a ton of contact and hits the pitches he knows he can hit. And so, you know, like his his strikeout rate’s incredible. His maybe he’s chasing a little bit more. Like he finally took a walk on Sunday. I always think that that’s like the springboard to better things when you can show some patience and not chase those pitches because he makes so much contact. If you’re going to chase out of the zone, you’re just going to hit a popup, hit a roller, like it’s it’s you’re going to make weak contact. um as opposed to just drawing walks and then make them come into the strike zone and and that’s when he can do damage. So I mean if you look at his total numbers like he’s still been above average and you know you wouldn’t think anything of it but you’re right like since that three homer game where I think we’re all saying like oh man maybe this is the year he wins MVP and he’s never going to slow down and um you know he certainly has. So I I’m assuming we look up in a couple months and his numbers are where they always are. But you do wonder more once you get into your 30s just if your production is going to start to decline. I think it’s a fair question. Yeah. I mean that I mean listen if he’s if his if he starts to decline this year if that becomes a serious thing that’s a disaster. Well and that’s that’s the key is that they’ve built this lineup around him and Steven Quan being all world players. There’s no margin for error. So that’s that’s why it’s more glaring. They need him to be MVP caliber. Yeah. Our title sponsor today is Epicor. We’ll hear more from Epicor later. Um couple other guys I wanted to hit on on the lineup. Obviously, um you know, Kyle Manzardo has been great at OPS at 821, third best on the team behind only Schneean and and Steven Quan. leads the team with eight homers, leads the team with 20 ribbies. Um, he was he was a guy we weren’t sure about before the season, but I think he’s the guy clearly that hadn’t proved it that you felt most confident in. And uh, you know, I you got to I have ton of confidence in him going forward. He looks like, you know, he he could be an all-star in the next couple years potentially. Yeah. You know, I I liked I don’t know about you, but boy, like their at bats Sunday reminded me of like the old school Red Sox when they had like Trot Nixon and Bill Miller and Mark Bellhorn and Kevin Malar and those guys who would just grind out at bats and make you throw so many pitches and if you’re a pitcher, it was just a slog. You didn’t have the pitch clock, so those games were all going four hours because those guys just worked counts and you know, Manardo’s done that really well. Obviously, Quan excels at that. Schneean’s been good at that. Santana when he’s when he’s working well, he can do that. Ramirez, um, and it just like a big thing like when you can be patient and you can be selective, obviously it allows you to then hit the pitch that you want to hit. And we’ve learned with Manzardo that that’s, you know, something inside that he can pull. And so, what have you seen lately? You’ve seen pitchers just attack him away, away, away. So, I thought it was nice on Sunday. He had two hits. I think at least one was to like left center. Um, one off a lefty. He had two walks. And it’s just like you have to understand how pitchers are going to approach you and then react to that. And if you can make adjustments and prove you can handle it, that’s when you go back to getting the stuff that you love to crush. So for him and and like people point to the batting average being low and it’s like well this is why cuz he’s a young hitter and the first couple weeks of the season his batting average everything was off the charts because pitchers were didn’t know how to pitch him and they’re throwing him pitches inside fast balls and he’s crushing everything and lately you’ve seen pitchers throw junk away and so once he proves that he can he’s fine hitting a single to left center which he did on Sunday um I think that’ll leave him back out but He’s, you know, he’s been great. They need that power in the middle of the lineup and the guy’s on pace for like almost 40 home runs. Like it or not, it’s funny. I hadn’t really thought about his b like I wasn’t even sure what he was batting. I just looked at it before right happened to look at it right before you said it that he wasn’t, you know, people were talking about his batting average. He’s hitting 219. Uh I it it used to be, you know, when I was a kid, when you were a kid even, uh you know, batting average was such an important and I’m not saying it’s not important at all, but we I just I always look at OPS now more than batting average. Um and he’s doing what they need him to do. Yes, obviously you’d like him to be a 260 hitter in this day and age of baseball as opposed to 220, but uh he’s hitting for power. he’s getting on, you know, to have a three a 325 OPS is not great, but considering he’s hitting 219, it’s it’s it’s pretty good. So, yeah, 17 walks is great. And I, you know, I think people also lose sight of the fact that the league average the the b the batting average leaguewide. Yeah. Is 242. Like, it’s it’s not 280 anymore. This is not your your grandfather’s Major League Baseball. No, it’s so different. Um, again, I you know, some people like it, some don’t. I’d love batting averages to be a little higher only. Not because I care about the batting average itself, just because there’s more action and you know, I like to see that, but but like it makes me appreciate Steven Quan more. I mean, the guy’s hitting 333 and he is that old school hitter who can just just irritate the hell out of any pitcher because there’s no pitch he can’t get to. He didn’t have bat against Kevin Gosman on Saturday that was like I was blown away. Um I think it was like seven or eight pitches and he was just spoiling splitter after splitter. 98 mph fastball and finally flicked a a splitter off the it was not a strike. It was like a foot outside and he probably would have been mad at himself for swinging at it, but he was able to hit it into left field for a single. And it’s like if you’re a pitcher, what are you supposed to do against that guy? And I think in today’s day and age where, you know, we just talked about no one hits for average. No one no one hits like he hits. It’s like there’s like two guys who are like him, right? Um him and Louis th Yeah. And it’s it’s he’s incredible. Like this guy could be a perennial allstar. No doubt. And uh and he it wasn’t a slouch pitcher either either. As you mentioned, Gossman, you know, pitched well. He’s the only hit for seven innings. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, he he did an excellent job. All right, one other guy I want to hit on the lineup, then we’ll switch to the pitching. Gabriel Aras, not a great week, but he capped it off nicely with three hits and a couple of ribbies yesterday after he had cooled off. I mean, listen, we’ll see how it goes the rest of the year. Uh, but it feels like Gabriel Arus is a legit member of the lineup now because he was a top prospect. I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt as bad as he’s been the last few years. But, uh, who knows? Maybe they found their answer at shortstop with him after all. That would be great. Yeah, look, metrics and data and everything that can help you give you context, try to figure out what might happen, but it does not guarantee anything and it doesn’t tell the full story. And if you look at someone like Nolan Jones who hits the ball harder than anybody else, yeah, uh you would think, oh well, this guy’s going to run into a bunch of home runs at some point, but he hasn’t. And at some point, you just you have to prove it. And metrics are right just that. They don’t count towards wins and losses. And with Gabriel Arias, you look and you see he’s got like the worst whiff rate in the league and he chases everything and he strikes out a ton. Um, so what like it’s Beggars can’t be choosers and he’s produced so he’s got to be in the lineup and look eventually if you had to predict you would say the numbers will regress and all those bad habits will catch up to him but they haven’t yet. So ride that while you can, especially with Rokio struggling and looking just lost. Um, it would be Schneean and Arius in the middle of the infield for me. Yeah. And and there have been players that strike out a lot, have a terrible whiff rate that have had success in the league. May maybe maybe not forever and they, you know, I think about Jav Bayz, right? and and he’s had after some bad years, he’s having a little bit of a renaissance with Detroit this year. He’s playing better. You know, he’s been I don’t know if I’d want to be compared to him, though. He he was like the worst hitter in baseball for three years, right? But what I’m saying, Right. But he was also But there’s those extremes. Yeah. He was also an all-star, you know. I mean, it’s just so we’ve seen it. Um, you know, another former uh another former Cub with Tampa Bay, Christopher Morurell, is kind of that kind of hitter, too. I I listen but there there have been guys who Alfonso Soraniano was another guy and I don’t know if he’s going to be any of those players at the at their best Sorano and Bayz were allstars you know Soraniano was a 4040 guy so again I don’t know that but there are guy and but the thing with those guys is and and if he’s as good as those guys at his best my god that’d be amazing but the thing with those guys is they’ll go 40 50 at bats where they look like the worst player in baseball and then they’ll go 40 and 50 at bats where they look like the best player in baseball. And that’s something you got to put up with. And I think you can, you know, and and eventually when they start their skills start eroding, they go down quickly. Um but but you know, maybe that’s what he becomes where their stretches are like, “Oh, this guy stinks.” But you got to stick with it because he’ll he’ll make it pay off with some good stretches, too. And they have no they don’t have better options. That’s that’s the key. Yeah. So, I’ll take the inconsistent guy over the consistently bad guy. Play who’s producing that. It’s It’s that simple. All right, folks. I want to talk to you about Epicore. Let’s get into Epicor. Um, if you are Every team knows the value of hard work, of taking pride in what you build when it comes to sports, of course, and practicing every detail to get the best results, but no one player, no matter how amazing, can do it alone. Working together makes getting the win easier. At Epicor, the all-stars are the hardworking manufacturers and distributors who create and deliver the things we all need. 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FanDuel makes it easy to stay in the game before tip off and live. With player props, performance trends, and same game parlays, fans have more ways than ever to play smart and win big. Look, maybe maybe you thought that the Cavs might drop game one and and you said, “Hey, maybe I’ll wait till that that series line drops from I think they were like minus 550 when it opened to now down 01 minus 225. Maybe you want to jump on that. Maybe you think Ty Jerome will rebound from a rough game one and and you like his his over on his point total in game two.” Whatever it is, if you’re new to FanDuel, it’s the perfect time to sign up. Head to fanduel.comuss. Place your first $5 bet. If it wins, you’ll get $200 in bonus bets. Make every moment more with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. B. Where were we on the Cavs? You do you did that rock your confidence at all? Uh, no. No, no, no. It’s one game people are are and I’m an emotional guy as you know obviously but I you know I’ve been around long enough to know in these series you know happens in baseball happens in basketball you have bad I mean I think about it this way the Pacers cannot play better than they did yesterday. They played probably true not only in a game they nobody had a bad game for them. Nobody every player on that team shot well. Their starting lineup was phenomenal. The Cavs, who have been the best three point shooting team all year, couldn’t make a three to save their lives. Donovan Mitchell was one of 11 from three. So, they were terrible in that. They played terrible defense in this game. Some of it’s obviously Indiana’s a real good offensive club. So, in my mind, the Cavs played their gave their C effort and the Pacers played their best game they could possibly play and it was still in doubt with three minutes to go. So, I was very impressed with Indiana. How could you not be after that game? But I don’t think they can play at that level again. And hopefully Darius Garland will be back. That will help. But, uh, no, I’m not panicking. I still think the Cavs is going to win the series. I think it’s pretty important they win game two tomorrow. But, no, I’m not panicking. Are you? I’m not panicking, but I’m curious to see how much of I mean, you said the Pacers played an A game, the Cats played the C game, but how much of that is the other the opponent kind of inflicting their will on them to make them play that level of game? Like, I’m just curious to see the adjustments. I mean, I think the Cavs are 10-point favorites in game two, and it’s Yeah, it’s for all the reasons you just said. Um, but it’s going to be it’s going to be tough. Yeah, in the end good. It’s like Yeah. I’m very well could be 2-2 through four games. No. Yes. Right. But you know what? If it is, the Cats are in good shape because then they’ll last three at home. It it it was just interesting, you know, and obviously we’ll have to see what Garland status is, but Mitchell and Jerome combining to take 50 shots is not how this team typically operates. And so, how much of that is how Indiana was obviously their pace and everything and how they were defending the Cavs? And like what changes do you make? Like do you have to mix up the lineups and not go with two bigs more? Do you Yeah. Are there things you can do to apply pressure defensively? Are there ways you can disrupt the Pacers from playing at a break neck speed? But obviously like the Cavs like to play up temp. I don’t know. There’s a lot of This is It’s one of those interesting like I’m glad we have seven games here to Oh yeah. see how this es and flows. Uh Donovan and Ty Drum combined to go one of 15 from three. I can’t imagine that’s going to happen again. Yes, they need I thought in the late in the third quarter, early in the fourth quarter, they did a much better job of playing defense and moving the ball and they were really working the ball into the paint because the threes weren’t working and they were scoring baskets with Mobley and Allen and even Jerome and Mitchell getting to the basket and they went away from that I thought late in the game. All right, we gave you a little ultimate Cavs. I just want to say the Pacers are the weirdest team because I love One of my favorite things is I always look at NBA box scores. Um, yeah, like every couple nights and and I swear the Pacers always I always click theirs first because they’ve scored like 158 points or something. Oh my god, like how did they and it’s always against the Hawks and I I’ll click but like their leading scoreer had 21. They had like eight guys with 15 to 20 points because they’re just so balanced. And it was the same in game one. You know, Nemhar had 23 to lead them. Yeah, Cavs uh need to take it up a notch. No doubt. play much better in in game two. Let’s get to the the um the pitching here in a minute, Zach. By the way, the Guardians start today’s action. Uh as I said, the third best record in the American League at 20 20 and 14. The two teams that bet are better, the Mariners at 20 and 13 and the Tigers, who have the best record in the American League, and they are tied with the Mets for the or tied with the Mets are the Giants for the fourth fourth best record in all of baseball at 22 and 13. Their run differential, by the way, is plus 16 uh excuse me, one plus 63. The Tigers, that is the best. Their pitching is incredible. That’s best in baseball. Cubs are second plus 62. Then the Mets plus 56 and the Yankees plus 52. Plus, yeah, they’re they’ve allowed 116 runs on the season. Uh only the Mets have given up less at 108. The Padres’s have only allowed 95 runs. Holy moly. Ruben Yabla working his magic. But the Tigers have played two more games than the Padres’s. But yeah, and then and they have 179 runs scored. That’s the surprising thing. They’re tied with the Red Sox for the second most runs in the American League. I didn’t have that, but uh but still the Guardians in a good position at 20 and 14. Royals have rided the ship as well. They’re now over 500. Even the Twins have played better after a terrible start. They’re 15 and 20. Um, so let let’s get but let’s get to the pitching now, Zach. And and let’s start with in the bullpen with Emanuel Claw, who after losing his job for a day, got it back. Um, and he’s pitched very well here. I know he gave up a run yesterday. Uh, he got a bad his first batter in the ninth was a two- two pitch that was that should have been strike three. What’ you think of the umpire on Sunday? I mean, I I got to say this. Overall, for all the complaints, I think the umpires, for the most part, do an excellent job. Sure. You know, it’s so easy now because we got the box on the screen and and and it’s so easy. I thought the strikes zone was very inconsistent on Sunday. Um I don’t like when announcers complain about it. Well, here’s what I don’t like. I don’t like when announcers only complain when it’s bad for their team. That bothers me because there’s no cheating. Guys make some some mis calls. I I thought the umpire was inconsistent to be nice, but that that big Claus was was pissed because that that should have been strike three and he usually gets that call because he’s as we’ve talked about to his detriment to some degree. He’s too much in the strike zone. But um and and then of course he makes an error on the next play and they got one hit. Bobio got a hit. Uh not Bio, Bishette got a hit. Confusing my uh legacies. Um and uh you know then the then the sacrifice fly but but I think it was a good week for Class and I I’m feeling really good about where the bullpen’s at. The the four guys from last year Gatis got himself in and out of trouble uh yesterday. Obviously Kate Smith continues to be great. Heron who had some struggling moments earlier is doing well. And I’m feeling very good about you know the big four in the bed. How about you? Yeah, I think they came into this season obviously those four guys got late starts in spring training just because the workloads last year I was looking this up the other day those four I believe I wonder if I still have it ranked at the no one made more appearances if you include the playoffs than those four in baseball right I mean they were all up in like the low to mid 80s and yeah it was Gatis 86 heron 84 4, Smith 83, Class A 81, and then Klay Holmes 80. So they had no one made more appearances in baseball than those four pitchers. So you just assumed there was going to be a little regression and so they signed Paul Seawald. They knew that they’d have at some point Franco Alamon, who they really like, Andrew Walters, who they really like, Nick Enright, who they really like, Eric Sabrowski, who they really like. All four of those guys are hurt. Although a few of them are are working their way back now. But the incredible thing is those four dudes who pitched every freaking day last year, aside from class A, the other three have been just as dominant. So Gatis is the one who I think everyone expected to regress. Yeah. A bunch because he was a failed starter and his stuff is like good but not great. And it’s he’s been the one who’s I mean Kate Smith is just looks like a robot and automatic every time. But Gatis has been incredible. That was the first time really that he all season that he just like didn’t look sharp and he still got out of it thanks to Miles Straw with the game on the line. Well, but what I don’t understand is hunting for him. What I couldn’t believe that was I’m beyond stupid. I wonder if that’s why I had the Terry Franka dream last night. It’s making sense now. How if you’re the Blue Jays do you allow Miles Straw to hit in that situ? Why would you bunt with Miles Straw on deck? He is the last guy in baseball. I’d rather have Austin Hedges up in that spot than There are some pitchers that I’d be more confident could lift the fly ball to the outfield for a second. I’d rather have CC Sabathia come out of retirement today and have that at bat rather than Miles Straw. Yeah. So, that that helped Hunter Catis’ RA a little bit. Um, but those guys have been great and it’s it’s critical because the starting pitching hasn’t been good enough and as we laid out like you’re winning all these close games because they can hold a one-run lead for four innings. Mhm. Yeah. I mean, it it’s really unbelievable and that’s going to skew some other numbers sometimes because of the dominance of the pen. Do you feel like Claus is all the way back, most of the way back? How you feeling about him right now? No, I mean he’s he’s on the road back. He was definitely hitting the corners as you said better throughout the week. Uh yesterday’s outing was a little 2023 class A-ish where there was just there’s just always fluky stuff like every ground ball with him is an adventure because one he’s terrible defensively and two, you know, you’re like chopping these 99 mph cutters and there’s funky spin and stuff and it feels like he gives up more infield hits or or broken bat bloops than anybody. Um, like I give Bo Bashette credit for taking a 99 mph cutter like kind of inside and at the letters the opposite way for a single. Like there’s what are you going to do about that? So, um, but they need the bottom line is they need him to be you don’t have to be as good as you were last year, but they need those four guys to be like Cade Smith was able to pitch the seventh against the top of their order because you knew you had Class A in the ninth. you have to have all four of those guys. And so you see the difference it makes for the team when they are uh starting pitching pretty solid this week overall. The final game of the series yesterday, Tanner Bbeby leaves with cramps. He uh went five innings, five hits, two walks, three runs, two earned, three strikeouts. I you know, listen, he he hasn’t he he didn’t pitch great. It was well enough, but he overall hasn’t looked as sharp as we’d like him to look so far. Yeah. And and I mean, they need him to. I I think he’ll be fine. He He had a bunch of I I never talk about the strike zone. He had some like poorly timed misses by the umpire on Sunday that, you know, caused him to p throw more pitches or whatever. He he wasn’t his sharpest and I feel like he gave up hits at the wrong time that led to that three run inning. But um I’m not worried about him. Gavin Williams, it’s you see the stuff. It it is so reminiscent to me of Danny Salazar in 2014 where like I feel like Danny Salazar had 10 starts like that. Yeah. Where he goes four innings, he strikes out everybody, but he walks everybody, gives up hits, and he throws 100 pitches in four innings. And it’s like the stuff is incredible. Why can’t you just throw strikes consistently? It’s just it’s it makes you shake your head. I think he faced um I want to say 24 batters in four innings and 21 of them either walked, struck out, or got a hit. I mean, it was like every batter he I I think he had it was like 12 base runners, but he only gave up two runs because he would get the strikeouts. And yeah, you watch him and and there was Yes. And that was like that with Danny Salazar, too. You watch him like, “This guy should be dominant. This stuff is nasty.” And and Williams can figure it out. But send him to Triple A because we just watched him blow away people in spring training. Like that’s what made us think that this guy was destined for a breakout season. I think if he went to TripleA, he would just do this. Like those hitters aren’t going to touch his 100 mph fast ball. Um, but it’s about location, especially the secondary stuff. And he just he hasn’t had it. And, you know, I I do wonder how much two starts in a row, he’s the first pitch of the game has been hit over the fence. So, yeah, I don’t know how much that shakes your psyche, but they need him to get it going. The starting starting rotation, I mean, it’s just been so inconsistent. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, Ben Lively pitched a really good game this week against Minnesota. Logan Allen was solid against Minnesota and what they really need is like Logan Allen’s got a 402 RA. I I can’t I can’t ask for more than that. No, that’s what I’m getting. Let’s face it, the Guardians are getting what they should be out of Logan Allen and Ben Lively. Those guys, it’s BBY and Williams that need to be consistently good. Consistent. That’s the key. And you need those guys to throw six innings. Like that’s you can’t have Williams throw. I mean he he threw he made two starts this week and he went six innings total. You can’t have that. Can’t have that. No. Um you know Bobby would have gone six if he didn’t cramp up there. So you can’t blame him. But they like it just feels like especially with Williams just like it’s painful. It’s just it’s so he labors through everything and it every hitter is 32. Um and that burns out your bullpen. I mean, they’re the the guy that deserves the most credit is Kobe Allard, who Oh, great job. saved their bullpen Saturday and allowed them to to set things up the way they did Sunday. So, yeah, he did an excellent job and good for them for letting him go along. All right, the the Guardians continue their road trip in Washington. They will play today 6:45 Ortiz and Irvin. Jake Irvin has been fant his last start was not very good. He got roughed up by the Phillies. Before that, he had been pitching great for Washington. tomorrow 6:45 Lively and Lord and then uh on Wednesday it’s a 1205 start Logan Allen and Mitchell Parker the the the the Nationals have had some like Parker’s pitched well for them Irvin’s pitched well for them obviously McKenzie Gore they won’t face him because he pitched yesterday but they they’ve had some some good pitching there and then the Guardians will come home later in the week after a day off Thursday they have a three-game series with the Phillies it’s a six-game home stand total including Milwaukee the Sunday night game on uh ESPN some some big hitters coming in. The Phillies uh overall haven’t played great this year, but we know they got a good lineup, good pitching staff, they’re a good team. Um so anyway, that’s the the upcoming schedule. We’ll get to the fans comments in just a second. But first, folks, I want to talk to you about Menu RX. If you’re tired of trendy diets that don’t deliver real results that are impossible to stick to, check out menurx.com, menu-r.com. Uh my guy Dr. Jake May, who runs the program, he’s fantastic. He will design a program for you specifically. This is not a situation like some of these big box weight loss companies where it’s like you have to fit this program. You got to keep your points. You gota blah blah blah. No, this is for people. So, if you’ve struggled like I have, talk to my guy Jake and the people at MenURX. Uh they will help you. Or if you’re someone who just wants to get in better conditioning, you’re dealing with nutritionists, scientists, people that know what they’re talking about, real professionals in the industry. So whether you’re chasing peak performance, building your dream body, or seeking optimal longevity, MenuRx will help you reach your goals. Go to menu-rx.com to get your consultation today. Also want to talk to you about Buckeye State Credit Union. Uh today’s episode is brought to you by Buckeye State Credit Union. If you’re unfamiliar with them, let me introduce you to the financial friend you didn’t know you needed until now. Buckeye State Credit Union is a local brand that offers a wide range of products from checking accounts to home equity lines of credit and auto loans. They have some of the lowest rates around and are committed to serving Northeast Ohio. The Cleveland location is in Shaker Heights, but there are five brick-and-mortar locations across the state. Buckeye State Credit Union is here to help make your life easier. They make banking more convenient. Always putting the customer first so you leave feeling cared for, valued, and respected. Connect simply, and adapt. These are the core values that make Buckeye State Credit Union the right choice for you. For more information, head to bucku.org. Uh, that’s Buckeye State Credit Union. your money simplified. All right, Zach, let’s get the comments from the fans before we wrap things up here. Uh, let’s see. Derek says, “Oh, uh, can’t wait to see the guys play Wednesday. Day baseball is goated, especially when you get out of work early. Also, think we’d be better off pinch hitting Bull to pull off a Zack Bunt.” I was I was actually um We saw the video. Yeah. of me not being able to get up at first. I’m in terrible shape now. But when I played baseball in high school before making the lifealtering mistake of quitting before my senior year, which I still regret to this day, where would you be now? Where would I be now? Maybe I’d be playing professional. No, I’m too old for that. And I wouldn’t have played professional baseball, but I I think I could have played division three baseball. I was good enough for that. And I don’t know. I’m very s I’m very happy with my career. So, I really Where were you going with this? You could have you would have hit a sack fly. Uh I was No, I was not. I never sack bunted. But every once in a while, I did it like three or four times. I was successful every time. I’m a right-handed hitter and left-handed thrower. Very unusual combination. But every once in a while, I would get up left-handed. There was no scouting reports. Teams didn’t know you. This is high school in Brooklyn in the 80s. I would get up left-handed and lay down a bunt. I did it probably I say three or four times, maybe not even that much. Maybe I did it once or twice. I don’t know. But I did it a couple of times and I could bunt left-handed every time. I put it in the right spot. Perfect. And when I was 17, I had solid speed and I was a good base runner. Those days are long gone. Uh Mark says, “Zack looked like looks like the kid from 3:00 high. I don’t know anything about the kid from three.” You know who that is? Zack TV movie guy. Just gonna put on blinders and take that as a compliment. Okay. I hope it’s a compliment. Uh Phil Strubble can’t be man at 20 20 and 14 with how little offense we are getting. Reminds me of the team two years ago that just won games. However, uh Diesel the Guardian strategy each year seems to be let’s see how good we are then try to make a penny pinching move for a marginal hitter at the deadline. Who are we going to target this year? Speaking of which, Lane Nothing like that guy by the way. Oh, you don’t look like him? No. Who’s the kid from 3:00 high kid? How do you How do you know which kid is it? Kid from 3:00. Hi, uh, Casey Shamashko. I don’t know. No, you don’t look like him. I don’t know where he’s coming up with that. Uh, Zack, where uh what’s his feel? Is Lane Thomas coming off IIL today, you think? No, he’s got to do a rehab assignment for a few days, but I maybe this weekend. Okay. Uh, so yeah, I mean they’re going to target target a Lane Thomas type of player. Maybe I think it’s too early to say cuz right now I would say that they need like two bats, a starting pitcher, another reliever. They need everything. Yeah, they need a lot. They we know they’re not going to get all that those things, but I guess you never know. Maybe they’ll shock us this year. Uh, Benjamin says, “Gritty team.” Nathan says, “Clas looks like he’s gained his confidence back.” Uh, Diesel also, why is everyone assuming David Fry will be good again? Had a career year last year, at least in the first half. Well, I added that part, but it’s hard to repeat that magic. Yeah, I I’m not I agree, but you’re also like he’s not going to play every day. No, he’s also has to DH. I I honestly it’s I don’t really know how he fits because I don’t want to take it bats away from Menardo. Oh, no. So, he’d have to take a bats away from Santana. But so that’s what I mean is like you’re probably just gonna play him against lefties I guess. Yeah. Um and you know he’s he’s he’s always crushed though. So yeah, low expectations but a bat who like wouldn’t you feel okay with him hitting in the upper half of the lineup? Absolutely. Especially against lefties. But yeah, absolutely. Uh Nathan says Fry will be a great DH as a p or a pinch hitter. Uh Nathan also says Kyle Manzardo looks like the actor Steven Zhan. I can see. See, that’s one I know. Yeah, you believe that? I don’t see it. I guess I guess I understand where they’re coming from. The mustache is pretty bad for Manardo, but whatever. He’s hitting. I like the guy. Uh Taylor says, “I want to believe in Jones because the Savant page is so tantalizing, but I’m not certain it isn’t false hope in similar ways to how intriguing Zimmer felt with high EVs walk percentage is his saving grace.” I mean, Nolan Jones has proven something in the majors, but yeah, and I I keep clinging to the fact that Jones like he was better on the road than at Coursefield in 23. So, it wasn’t just that he actually hit lefties that year, so it wasn’t just feasting on righties. But again, like you got to see it and we just haven’t. Yep. Uh Mike Lucas says, “Bull, call me when you rap. G just called out sick. We need you to come in.” Well, I’ll get back to you soon, Mike. I’m not sure I can, but I’ll let you know soon. Uh, Luke, is Will Brennan a viable option? I’m done with Will Brennan. I know he’s doing well in TripleA. I don’t really care, but I don’t know. Where does he fit? He doesn’t be replacing Nolan Jones. Jones is out of options, though, so I think they’re I got to stick with Jones longer than this. There’s too many guys struggling. He’s I I believe in him more than I believe in Rochio because he’s he’s actually had success in the big leagues. Christian says CJ Kus is hitting everything in the minor. Could he be called up sometime soon? He has been great. And he’s been playing a little bit of outfield, too. Uh because he’s blocked to first base obviously this year. But yeah, I think you’ll see him at some point. Yeah. And finally, Ethan says, “When do we send Rokio to the moon? What blackmail does he have on vote that he is still up here?” The moon. That would be far for if that’s where your AAA affiliate is and every single time he had to fly a spaceship. I mean, that seems, you know, a little harsh to be saying the guy’s gonna die if he goes to the moon. You know, Ethan, I understand. Probably he’d probably hit the ball farther, right? How And but he’d make more errors, too. Have terrible base running. All right, thanks everybody for joining us today, Zack. Great stuff as always. We’ll talk to you’all next week. Where else? But right here on the Ultimate Cleveland Guardian Show. See you everybody.

The Cleveland Guardians took 2 of 3 in Toronto and have on 5 of their last 6 overall leading them to the rd best record in the American League.

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