Tag: cleveland-guardians

The Week Ahead in Major League Baseball July 22-July 28

I’ve been behind on my writing but I’m right on schedule with the happenings in Major League Baseball. The Atlanta Braves, at one time the clear #1 Wild Card team in the National League, has seen their lead shrink a little bit. The Houston Astros, thought to be dead at the beginning of May, are back on top of the American League West. The All Star Game, while not a truly memorable contest, still reminded everyone why it is far and away the best All Star Game in professional sports. The trade deadline arrives next week so the games coming up represent the final evaluation of teams considering to buy a playoff push or sell for the future.

Bryce Harper and the Phillies host the Guardians this weekend. Photo from the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Series to Watch: Cleveland Guardians at Philadelphia Phillies

It’s a tasty interleague matchup as the teams with the first (Phillies) and third (Guardians) best records in baseball meet for a weekend clash at the Bank. Both teams have lost two of their first three games coming out the break. Despite the stumbles early, each team enjoys a relatively comfortable lead at the tip of their respective divisions. The Phillies can actually do Cleveland a favor to start the week as they travel to Minnesota to take on the second place Twins. This is the Terry Francona mini classic as two of the legendary manager’s teams square off in a potential Fall Classic preview.

Player to Watch: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

The future Hall of Fame pitcher is set to make his season debut on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants. Kershaw isn’t the only Dodgers pitcher making a return this week as Tyler Glasnow will return on Wednesday against those same Giants. All eyes in baseball will be on Kershaw as the last time we saw him in a Major League game, he didn’t make it out of the first inning in Game One of the 2023 National League Division Series. His final rehab start was Friday night in Oklahoma City where he pitched four innings and gave up three runs on six hits. A patchwork LA rotation will certainly get a boost with both Kershaw and Glasnow coming back this week.

The White Sox are solid in the rotation.

The Chicago White Sox are heading for a historically bad season. They are 27-74 and are currently on a seven game losing streak. Their run differential is an unsightly 191. What is utterly confounding is that their starting rotation is actually pretty darn solid 1-3. Garrett Crochet was the Sox’s All Star representative and leads the American League in strikeouts with 150. Eric Fedde sports a 2.99 ERA in 19 starts. Rookie Drew Thorpe has a 3.02 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP through his first seven starts. Crochet is one of the hot names in trade talk and Fedde could be gone as well. It’s a shame that the efforts by these pitchers is being wasted by an offense that has scored 30 runs fewer than the next lowest team.

A star under the radar

Much has been made of Oakland A’s rookie closer Mason Miller. The big right-hander routinely hits 100 MPH and was the club’s lone All Star. However, the player you should watch is outfielder and designated hitter Brent Rooker. The 35th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Rooker is hitting .462 over his last 15 games. Oakland is his fourth stop in his career that started with the Minnesota Twins. He was given regular playing time last year and responded in a big way by clubbing 30 home runs and going to the All Star Game. Rooker has been even better this year, hitting .294 with 22 home runs and an OPS of .951. You don’t hear Rooker’s name much as a tradable part but any team looking for a right handed power bat should be looking in the A’s direction.

The Week Ahead in Major League Baseball June 24-June 30

Have you filled out an All Star ballot yet? While at my parents’ house on Sunday, my three kids fill out theirs and I assisted my sister with hers. With the Fall Classic coming up in three weeks, I’ll get mine in by Saturday morning. This is now the last week of June and the National League has 13 of its 15 teams with realistic chances of playing playoff baseball. Let’s see what’s coming up around the league as we close out the third full month of the 2024 season.

Steven Kwan is batting .390 in 200 at bats this year. Photo from the Akron Beacon Journal

Series to watch: Cleveland Guardians at Baltimore Orioles.

I feel like when we talk about the elite teams in Major League Baseball, the Guardians are not on anyone’s list. Yet, they enter this showdown with the same number of wins as the more celebrated Orioles. Since returning from a hamstring injury on May 31, outfielder Steven Kwan’s batting average is over .400. Josh Naylor has supplied 20 home runs and Jose Ramirez is continuing to be his magnificent self, ranking second among all players in RBI’s with 67. The O’s were just swept in Houston after taking two of three games against the Yankees. Outfielder Heston Kjerstad, the organization’s #4 prospect according to MLB.com, will be brought up this week (his third callup) to provide punch to a lineup that scored only two runs in 18 innings on Saturday and Sunday.

Player to Watch: CJ Abrams

The 23-year old shortstop, who came to the Washington Nationals in the Juan Soto trade with the San Diego Padres, is making a case to make his first All Star team. Abrams is hitting .344 over the last two weeks and he leads he Nationals in just about every offensive category. He was the 6th overall pick in the 2019 draft and had a breakout 2023 season with 18 hone runs and 47 stolen bases. Abrams’ career arc mirrors that of former Nat Trea Turner who also was a shortstop drafted by the Padres a decade ago and later was traded to Washington.

Sneaky Red Sox

Very quietly, the Boston Red Sox have had a solid 2024 thus far. Thought to finish last in the American League East, Boston sits at 42-36 and in the final Wild Card spot. They won two of three games against the Yankees last weekend and then went 5-1 last week, sweeping three in Toronto and winning two of three in Cincinnati. The most interesting aspect is that Rafael Devers is having, by his standards, a below average season. Catcher Connor Wong has been a revelation, hitting .330 and left fielder Jarren Duran leads the Majors with 10 triples. On the mound, Tanner Houck is bidding to be the the starting pitcher for the American League as he leads the league in ERA with a 2.14 mark.

Mauled Marlins

The Miami Marlins have had a terrible season. Injuries have played a huge role in the big step back after their playoff appearance in 2023. Miami has literally lost an entire starting rotation to various aliments. Sandy Alacantra had Tommy John surgery right after the Marlins were eliminated from the playoffs. Before the 2024 season began, Eury Perez was told he needed TJ surgery. Edward Cabrera hasn’t pitched since May 7 because a shoulder issue. To top it off, Jesus Luzardo was placed on the IL Saturday with a back problem and Braxton Garrett, who was on the IL until May 12, had to be scratched from his Sunday start with a stiff elbow. In all of my years following baseball, I don’t think I have ever seen an injury situation quite like this.

The AL Central is No Longer a Joke

What a difference a year makes.


Look at the 2023 Major League Baseball standings and turn slowly toward the order of the American League Central. The Minnesota Twins, the only team to finish over .500, captured the division crown with a mere 87 victories. The Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals each lost more than 100 games. In 2022, the Cleveland Guardians were the only club to finish over .500, winning 92 games. The division has long been derided for its lack of quality teams year in and year out.

Seth Lugo is the ace of the revitalized Kansas City Royals. Photo from Yahoo

Now?

The AL Central is the only division to have three teams with at least 30 victories. The Guardians are #1 and the Royals #2 in runs scored in the American League. Kansas City has been particularly impressive, stockpiling a group of veteran pitchers such as Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha to supplement their young, positional core, headed by Bobby Witt, Jr. Salvador Perez is as good as he was nine years ago when the Royals won it all. If Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton can remain healthy for the remainder of the year, the Twins’ lineup will give pitchers headaches all season. On the pitching side, Jhoan Duran is one of the most electric closers in baseball. Despite losing one of the best managers in Terry Francona, Cleveland has thrived under first time manager Stephen Vogt. More help will arrive for the Guardians in the near future as they own the #1 pick in July’s draft. The Detroit Tigers, though one game under .500, remain dangerous with two studs in the rotation: Reese Olson and Tarik Skubal. Only the White Sox will not figure into this discussion this year and next as they are literally starting from scratch.

The top four teams are set up for success beyond 2024. The vast majority of core players, both in the everyday lineup and on the mound are south of 30. The Baltimore Orioles receive much fanfare for their impressive collection of young talent. Teams like the Guardians and Royals do not have the names but they are just as prolific. The organizations in the AL Central generally are of smaller markets with lower payrolls. Drafting wisely and being smart in free agency is a must for the group, lest they revert to being nicknamed “Comedy Central”.