CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians have a problem – a gaping black hole in right field that’s been draining their offensive production all season. But Wednesday’s 7-4 comeback win against the Dodgers may have revealed the solution that’s been there all along: Nolan Jones.
Jones, who didn’t even start the game, came off the bench in the fourth inning to replace an injured Stephen Kwan and proceeded to go 3 for 3, including a crucial two-run single in the eighth inning that tied the game during Cleveland’s five-run rally.
“Jones, talking to him after the game, you could hear in his voice how frustrated he is about the start that he’s gotten off to this year,” Joe Noga explained on the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. That frustration is understandable, especially considering the opportunity that sits before him. The Guardians’ right field production has been historically bad this season.
“They are getting absolutely nothing out of right field,” Paul Hoynes emphasized on the podcast. “Cleveland’s right fielders went into this game hitting .162, lowest batting average in the American League. The lowest batting average for right field in the big leagues.”
These stark numbers create both pressure and opportunity for Jones. While he’s struggled to find consistency, his talent and potential remain tantalizing for a team desperate for production from the corner outfield spots.
“It’s a void out there and there’s a job waiting to be won,” Hoynes continued. “That’s why you can hear the frustration in Jones’ voice when he talked to us after the game.”
Jones’ 3 for 3 performance couldn’t have come at a better time. With Lane Thomas sidelined by plantar fasciitis and Stephen Kwan leaving Wednesday’s game with wrist inflammation, the Guardians’ outfield is in flux. Jones has a perfect opportunity to stake his claim to regular playing time.
The alternatives aren’t plentiful. Will Cleveland look to Triple-A Columbus for options like C.J. Kayfus or the recently promoted Chase DeLauter? Neither seems like an ideal immediate solution.
“I don’t know if they’re ready to pull the trigger on making a move,” Hoynes said regarding potential call-ups. “I think Kayfus would be the guy ahead of DeLauter. He just got to Triple-A. This guy needs to play some games.”
For Jones, the path forward is clear – build on this performance and leave the frustration behind.
“He has to take a deep breath and just kind of close the book on the first two months of the season and go from this game forward,” Hoynes advised. “And you know, just have a clear head and positive thoughts.”
If Jones can’t capitalize on this opportunity, Cleveland will likely be forced to make a move. As Hoynes bluntly put it: “Or else they’re going to dip down into Columbus. They have no choice. They’ve got to do something about right field.”
After Wednesday’s breakout performance, the job appears to be Jones’ for the taking. Now comes the hard part – proving he can deliver consistently.
Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.
Podcast transcript
Joe Noga: Foreign. Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. I’m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes here in the WTAM booth in Progressive Field following the Guardians 74 comeback win in the series finale against the Dodgers. Hoynsey it was a game that the Guardians really needed to win. They, you know, they had struggled in the first two games of the series, just didn’t look like themselves really on Monday and Tuesday and really for the most part during the game on Wednesday up until the later stages where again, they proved that they can score runs in bunches late in the game and they put up a five run eighth inning and hold on to win the game. 74 salvage a win in the series. Just what’d you think of what it said about the Guardians that, you know, they held on to win that game?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, that was really a nice comeback. I thought, you know, they really never lost contact with the Dodgers in this game. You know, the first two games, kind of the Dodgers, you know, really kind of controlled from the outset. I felt they kept Ohtani in the ballpark. He didn’t hit another home run. And then they, you know, they worked a rally of their own with Angel Martinez coming through with the big hit in the eighth inning, Joe.
Joe Noga: Yeah, and it was a five run, eighth inning. Nolan Jones, who did not start the game, came in in the fourth inning off the bench to replace Stephen Kwon. He goes 3 for 3. And Nolan Jones had had really, you know, talking to him after the game, you could hear in his voice how frustrated he is about the start that he’s gotten off to this year. You know, what, 172 batting average. Something, something in that range. Just, he could have been the answer to the guardian’s problems in right field. He wants to be the answer to the guardian’s problems in right field. You can tell just, you know, what he’s feeling and it’s coming through and what he says. He’s just frustrated and disappointed. The results haven’t been there. He’s been hitting the ball hard, not scoring or not producing runs at the level that they really, you know, thought that he would just, you know, what do you take away from NOLAN Jones going 3 for 3? And could this be a point where he moves forward from things, you know, for the rest of the season?
Paul Hoynes: Let’s hope so, Joe, because they are getting absolutely nothing out of right field. They went into this game Cleveland’s right fielders hitting.162, lowest batting average in the American League. The lowest batting average for right field in the Big leagues. So it’s a void out there and there’s a job waiting to be won. And that’s why you can hear the frustration in Nolan Jones voice when he talked to us after the game. I mean, this was his best game of the season. And this is a guy saying, you know, all he’s doing is talking about what a poor start he’s off to. I mean, I think he has to take a deep breath and just kind of close the book on the first two months of the season and go from here, go from this, this game forward and you know, just have some, a clear head and a positive thoughts and. Or else, Joe, they’re going to dip down into the, to Columbus. They have no choice. They’ve got to do something about right field. Well, they’ve got to do something about the whole outfield situation.
Joe Noga: Yeah. You know, getting the news heading into the game that Lane Thomas was down with a plantar fasciitis flare up. Apparently this is something that Thomas has dealt with throughout his career in St. Louis and in Washington. So he wasn’t available at all today to play anywhere. You know, he would have been in the lineup against a right hand, a left hander like Clayton Kershaw, but he wasn’t available then. You had Stephen Kwan leave the game after the third inning with right wrist inflammation. Sounds like, you know, knock on wood. The, the Guardians think that, you know, he might be available to play on Friday, but it’s going to take 48 hours before they know for sure. There, there might be a flurry of moves. You also had John Kenzie Noel in this game, you know, hit the ball hard but, you know, not really have a lot to show for it. Had what, 0 for 3 with or 1 for 4 with with a strikeout? Just. He hasn’t been producing in right field either. But his, his playing time has been so limited. I just think they’re, they’re just sort of all over the map there in right field. Options at aaa. Is CJ Kaifas really a real option? How quickly can Chase Dilaudor make himself an option at AAA if they decide to go that way. Or do you just try and stick it out with Nolan Jones and see if he can come around?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I think. I don’t know if they’re ready to pull the trigger on making a move. I think Kaifus would be the guy ahead of Dilaudar. Dilaudo just got to Triple eight. This guy needs to play some games. He needs to prove he can stay healthy at the Triple A. Level and then, you know, make the jump to the big leagues. But Kaifus is an interesting guy. I think they like him, Joe. He’s been working out in the left and right field. He’s a first baseman by trade and he’s just tearing the COVID off the ball so at AAA and at double A. So you know, I, if this continues, it kind of this like black hole out there in right field and they don’t get any production from it, I think. And they want to stay in a race. I think they’ve got to, they’ve got to try different things, Joe. And they’ve never been hesitant to, you know, to try to try something that might doesn’t look good from the outside looking in, but makes sense to them.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And they just got through just a brutal stretch. Stephen Vogt talked about it in his post game comments how this, this last 13 day stretch was, you know, just, it was hard on everybody and I think a day off is going to do them really good. You know, vote in his comments away. Walking away from the podium, he’s like, he said, he said, hey guys, enjoy your day off. He goes, I know I sure will. I mean you could, you could tell that it’s, it’s wearing on him. The, the competition over the last, you know, three series has been just really good, really good close games for the most part. And I just, I think there’s going to be probably a move with Lane Thomas ahead of the game. I can’t see them trying to wait out plantar fasciitis feeling any better. You and I both know how that feels and it’s, it’s nothing to fool around with. You know, get him walking on a golf ball and try and knock that, knock that out as quickly as possible. But in, in the meantime, you’ve got Angel Martinez. He comes out 2 for 5, double scores the game’s first run on, on Jose Ramirez’s single in the first inning and then comes up in the eighth inning with the score tied right after Nolan Jones, you know, two run single and, and he really delivers in a situation where the Guardians were desperate for a big hit and Angel Martinez came through.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, just, you know, hits a 20 fastball into the left field bleachers. Just a great at bat. Joe, he’s been playing very well. He, you know, it still amazes me that the way they use these guys. You know, one day Martinez is playing second base, the next playing he’s playing right field. You know, you really, I mean to, to be able to show that versatility to make the different kind of throws you have to make to play those. Different position, you know, those. He is really, you know, into this. He’s into bouncing around. He’s enthusiastic. He’s a young kid still looking to improve. I mean, to establish himself. Just. He can run. He can, you know, pit for average. So just a really exciting player. And, you know, Joe, is he the center fielder of the future?
Joe Noga: Yeah. Stephen Vogt talked about how he likes him in center field. He envisioned a scenario where Martinez would be playing center and Lane Thomas would be playing right field to maybe give them some. Some more punch there. He’s. He’s taken well to the position. He did have one. One bad route today with the ball that dropped, but he also, you know, made up for it with an outfield assist. He threw out Freddie Freeman trying to stretch a single into a double, and, you know, that’s his third outfield assist of the season. The Guardians have 18 outfield assists to lead Major League Baseball. But, yeah, I mean, you asked him, do you think, you know, the guys, you know, teams are. Have. Have a book on you in terms of, you know, trying to run on this guy because he’s a converted infielder, and he’s proving that that can’t be the case. The thing I like about him is when he bats in the number two spot in the order, and this is something we’ve talked about before on the podcast, is connecting Stephen Kwan to Jose Ramirez. That home run that he hit in the eighth inning was the first home run from a number two hitter in the. In the Guardian’s order since April 4 at Los Angeles the Angels. And that was Jose Ramirez that hit that. So, I mean, that doesn’t really count, I guess, in my mind. But, yeah, he’s the only other player besides Jose Ramirez to hit a home run in the number two spot in the order this year. Maybe you just leave him in center field and leave him at number number two in the order and you see what happens.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I don’t know if Vogt is capable of leaving anybody but Jose Ramirez and Kwon in their own spots. You know, I think he’s just got an itchy trigger finger. He’s got to move people around. He’s got to play the whole bench. But, yeah, I agree with you, Joe. Let’s see what this guy can do. Put him in one spot in the defensively and offensively, and let’s see what he can do.
Joe Noga: A couple of times during the game, as the Guardians were trying to make their way back in this, in the ball game, you know, they trailed what, four to four to two. They had the bases loaded and, you know, two outs in the sixth inning, it was Austin Hedges at the plate.
Paul Hoynes: Twice.
Joe Noga: Yeah, yeah, it was twice. But the first time it happened, Austin Hedges in the sixth inning, bases loaded, two outs, Hedges pops up to shortstop to end the inning. And then in the game later in the eighth inning, during the, in the middle of the rally, actually, he came up again with the bases loaded, nobody out, wind up striking out. And that really didn’t hurt them because it got them to Nolan Jones who delivered the, the two run single. You know, but in that situation, he could have grounded into a double play and it would have been disastrous. Just for. You mentioned Stephen Vogt and, you know, having that itchy trigger finger and we’ve seen him pinch hit in situations where, you know, we kind of scratch our head but it works out. And, you know, he seemed to be the master of it during the playoff run last year and all that. In those situations, I asked him, was Bo Naylor available off the bench if you pinch hit for, for Austin Hedges? And he said, yeah, he just said he believed in Austin Hedges in both of those instances. And, you know, I think Angel Martinez sort of bailed Stephen Vogt out with that three run home run because we would be making much bigger deal out of this right now if, you know, if Martinez hadn’t come through. And Hedges stranding a small village on the base paths was, you know, the big sort of point of the day.
Paul Hoynes: No doubt about it, Joe. And that was a good question you asked in a press conference. You know, sometimes questions like that get washed away in a victory, you know, in a defeat. You know, that’s the first question asked. But that was a good one. And, you know, I guess it just shows votes, confidence in his players, his trust in his players, especially a guy like Hedges, a veteran guy. But Joe, I mean, sometimes the brain has to overrule the heart in those situations. You know, you’ve got to, you know, you’re trying to win the game and you, you don’t get many opportunities like that.
Joe Noga: Yeah, particularly with, you know, a lefty like Alex Veccia on the mound and you had Kyle Manzargo on the bench, who hits lefties better than he hits righties. You know, I’m not sitting here. I don’t want to sound like I’m questioning every move because, you know, that’s for, that’s for the fans to do. This is, you know, we’re supposed to be you know, more analytical about it. But the analytics in that situation say pinch hit for Austin Hedges if both, if Bo’s available to come in and strap on the gear after, you know, after the at bat. So, yeah, everything seemed to work out. Angel Martinez, you know, sort of the hero of the day. But don’t overlook Kobe Allard and what he did in this spot start, you know, not the first time he’s come in and given Cleveland big innings. You know, he went four innings, gave up what I believe two runs, two runs over four innings, struck out three, and early on just had that confidence and looked really good against the top of a tough Dodgers lineup, you know, facing, you know, striking off Shohei Ohtani to start the game. And what he finished with, I’m sorry, he finished with three strikeouts, allowed four hits. But, you know, I think Colby Allard and Steven Vogt pretty much thinks this guy’s invaluable in what he can provide in a variety of different situations.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, they considered a lot of different options on how to handle this game because Slade Sacconi wasn’t available because of a groin pull. And they, and Vote said, we always came back to Kobe. You know, they talked about bringing somebody up from the minors, they talked about, you know, different guys in the bullpen, but, you know, it came back to Allard and he, you know, just a great emergency start for them. You know, spot start, emergency start, whatever you want to call it. It was longer than an opener because he went four innings and he really kind of set, set up the rest of the bullpen. And like you said, Joe only gave up two runs and he kept Ohtani in the park, got Ohtani out and that, that was impressive in itself.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And you know, he handed it off to just a, a whole bunch of relievers, Cade Smith, Andrew Walters, Tim Herron, Matt Festa, and then Manuel, Class A, comes in with the three run lead in the ninth and gets his 11th save just all around. Good day for the bullpen. And I, I, I, I really gotta think, you know, he, Allard set the tone there. He did everything that he was asked. Vogt said, you know, I’m going to let him go as far as he, as deep as he can go. And I think he stretched out to that four innings and that’s exactly what they needed here to get this wind to sort of stop that little skid that they were on after, you know, back to back tough days in Detroit and against Yamamoto and the series opener and then just sort of a big letdown on, on Tuesday, Jose Ramirez extends his hitting streak. What is it? It’s 21 games now. It’s a, it’s a career high every time he gets another one. But it’s the first 21 game hit streak by a Cleveland batter since Michael Brantley hit in 22 in 20 in 2012. So he’s what, one game, one, one, one game shy of tying Bobby Witt Jr. For the longest hitting streak in the majors this year. 25 game on base streak. And don’t overlook the fact that he moved into eighth place, sole possession of eighth place on the Guardians all time hit list, breaking a tie with Ken Keltner. 1562 hits for Ramirez. We’ve written ad nauseam about, you know, just where he is in terms of what kind of hitter he is, what kind of player he is. Vogt just went on and on about him playing the game the right way in today’s postgame comments.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, just he’s hitting 393 during the streak. 33 for 84, eight doubles, one triple, four homers, 12 RBIs. You know, this guy isn’t just like, you know, keeping the streak going by getting a little, you know, a number down, down to third baseline. He’s, he’s stroking the ball, he’s running hard. Just, just really fun to watch. And you know, you just wonder how far these things can go. You know, sometimes they take on a life of their own and this one is kind of taking root here. We’re going to have to see just how, you know, how far Jose can take it. And you know, he’s doing it at critical times. He’s helping a team win and what the franchise record is 31 by Lajuie Knapp. Lajuie, I think in Sandy, Alomar’s right behind him at 30. You know, Jose’s got some big shoes to fill here.
Joe Noga: Yeah, we’re gonna have to talk to Sandy about it once he starts getting up there by that 30 mark, we’ll see. Just a lot of fun. Yeah, I thought it was interesting. He hit a ball down the third base line that sort of caromed out and you know, would have been a double had it gone all the way into the corner. But you know, he was kind of frustrated with him, frustrated that the, the ball bounced the way it did. But you know, he smoked that ball past the third baseman and just, just to watch him run the bases and continue to do the things he’s doing, it’s been, been a lot of fun. It’s been a lot of fun for a long time, but, you know, I don’t expect any of that to change. So a day off now for the Guardians. They come back, they’ll get Luis Ortiz on the mound against the Angels on Friday. Just 15 hits in this. This game was season high for hits. You know, they hadn’t lost a game that they had at least 12 hits in, you know, this season. So it was looking pretty bleak there for a while. But, you know, they sort of came around. Just, is, is this team going to figure things out offensively or is this what we’re going to have to deal with, is, you know, them sort of coming on late again and again and again, getting, trying to rely on these big innings to win games? Is this a formula that they can sustain?
Paul Hoynes: You know, probably not, Joe. I mean, I think all teams go through this and you just don’t have, you know, the 95 that. The 95 Indians, you know, that was a team that could win late because, you know, they had Jim Thome, they had Ramirez, they had, you know, Bell.
Joe Noga: By Eriga and Lofton.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, they had everybody that could hit home runs. These guys don’t hit the ball out of the park. They have to do it, you know, by. By five hits instead of two. You know, they’ve got to beat out singles, they’ve got to steal bases. So eventually, I think that catches up to you. But, you know, and this is hopefully, you know, this is such a young team and, And I think, you know, you’ve got to be able to sustain some offense from at the bottom of the lineup. You know, Schneemann has done a good job with that. They’ve got to get Noel going or Arias going again. You know, they need some. Some balance there. And I, you know, I just don’t know if, you know, they’re capable of that. And perhaps they bring Dilaudor up, you know, in a month or so. Perhaps Kaifas is a guy that can fit into that lineup down in the lower third and help. But. But, you know, right now it seems like every game is, like a struggle for them.
Joe Noga: Daniel Schneemann did get his first career intentional base on balls today. They walked him to get to Austin Hedges with the bases loaded. So, yeah, I agree that they need somebody in the bottom third of that lineup to start producing at a consistent rate. And Stephen Vogt knows this, and he said as much, you know, in his pregame. You know, they know that they’ve been been struggling lately. It’s. It’s a matter of finding the right formula and they’re going to keep working at it. But you could tell he was, he was proud of his guys today coming off the the field after winning a game that it, it looked for, you know, seven and two thirds innings like they were done. Yeah, they were done. So Oinsi, it’s always a pleasure to have to tear up your game story halfway through and go from writing, you know, these guys are terrible to what an amazing comeback. So we got to see that today. All right. That’s going to wrap up today’s edition of the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. We will check in on an off day probably later on in the day a little bit. Give us a chance to sleep in and we’ll be back with you on Thursday and we’ll have another one on Friday ahead of the the angel series to preview that. We’ll talk to you later.
Paul Hoynes: Good deal, Jo.