Guardians Proving An Old Baseball Adage

There is an old saying in baseball that momentum is today’s starting pitcher. There is no better example of that than the 2022 Cleveland Guardians.

On May 9th, the Guardians were trailing the White Sox 8-2 heading into the 9th inning. They scored six runs to tie the game, and then won it in 11 innings, with Josh Naylor being the hero. He belted a grand slam in the ninth to tie it and won it in the 11th with a three run blast.

It was Cleveland’s eighth victory in the last 10 games, and they headed into the Windy City after a very good series against Toronto, taking three out of four.

The next night, the Guards ran into a nemesis in Lucas Giolito, a pitcher the team has little success against, and they lost 4-1. That started a losing slide of nine losses in the last 13 games, and Cleveland now sits seven games out of first.

We are sure a lot of fans would have thought the huge comeback would be a springboard to more success for the Guardians, but after the loss to Giolito, the coaching staff came down with COVID, as did Naylor, the hottest Cleveland hitter at that point.

Naylor is back, but the offense has lost momentum and is the main culprit for the losing ways in the last twelve. In the nine losses, the Guardians have scored three runs or less in seven of them, the exceptions being a 12-8 loss at Minnesota in which the team was way down after the Twins scored nine in an inning, and 5-4 loss to the Reds at Progressive Field, in which they had just two going into the 9th until Owen Miller hit a two-run homer.

For the most part, the pitching staff has been fine. They’ve allowed more than four runs just three times, so the Guards have been in games, which makes the losing even more frustrating.

Adding to the angst is the schedule. Cleveland is in the midst of a period in which they play 20 of 23 games against the Reds, Tigers, Royals, Orioles, Rangers, and A’s. Not exactly a group of pennant contenders. The best record in that group is Texas’ 21-23 mark.

Unfortunately, the Guardians have started out 2-4 against this group, and they also lost two of three to Houston, one of the best teams in the AL.

Lately it seems the entire burden of the offense is on Jose Ramirez, who leads the American League with 48 RBIs. If the Guardians can climb back in the post-season race, Ramirez should be a leading candidate for the league MVP.

He’s had that kind of season.

However, if Terry Francona’s squad comes close to losing 90 games, we fear Ramirez’ season will lost in a statistical morass.

That would be a shame.

Naylor has stepped up in clutch spots and provided some pop at the plate, but frankly, that Franmil Reyes has been missing in action for much of the year, is a huge hinderance on the offense.

Reyes has just five extra base hits on the season, the same number as reserve catcher Luke Maile, and one less than starting catcher Austin Hedges. That’s simply mind boggling.

The Guardians need someone with some pop. Perhaps that player can be Oscar Gonzalez, who has started his big-league career with four hits in eight at bats, including two doubles.

If Cleveland can’t make some hay over the next three weeks, it figures to be a long season, If they can hit, they will be fine. Just hoping Ramirez gets some help.

On Offering Big Money In Sports.

With all of the big money in professional sports today, many of the people not working in front offices are in a big hurry to spend.

For some players, like LeBron James, it’s a no brainer to give them the most money they can get as early as they can get it. People like James are destined for greatness, and their teams should do what they can to tie them up for as long as they can.

However, for most of the players, there should be no rush to bestow huge contracts upon them. Why not get as much information as you can about the athlete before entering into a huge financial commitment for the team with the person.

We understand that sometimes the player takes the lack of the big deal as disrespect. However, remember, most athletes do not have the same loyalty as say, Jose Ramirez did with the Guardians.

The Cavaliers have a decision this summer with Collin Sexton and it has been debated on several fronts. Sexton is a restricted free agent, which enables the Cavs to match any offer he receives from other organizations.

Sexton averaged almost 25 points per game in 2020-21, but played just 11 games last season with a knee injury. So what should Koby Altman’s contract offer be? We know there are a lot of Sexton fans out there that would say he should get the most money Cleveland can offer.

That’s probably because it isn’t their money.

The max deal for a player after four seasons is around $30 million per year. Personally, there aren’t many players coming off a season in which they played just 11 games, that we would offer that kind of cash to. And we understand, there isn’t any reason Sexton shouldn’t be able to come back from his medical issue.

Last year, we wondered what would the market be for Sexton, and quite frankly, we still have that thought. Would any other team offer him anywhere near that kind of cash?

That’s way we would let Sexton go out and see what is available to him. Let him go and see what the market is for him, and the Cavaliers would still have the ability to keep him at a reasonable salary. Remember, the NBA is a salary cap sport, although we know there are many loopholes, and Altman could be creative to give the team room.

We heard a few people the other day discussing locking up Guardians’ pitcher Triston McKenzie on a long term deal after he dominated Houston.

What’s the rush?

We think McKenzie is a very good young pitcher. He will be 25-years-old soon and might be the Guardians’ best pitcher right now.

However, he’s thrown less than 200 innings in his career and is under the team’s control through the 2026 season. And let’s face it, pitchers’ careers are more volatile than everyday players.

A few years ago, we advocated for Cleveland to sign Francisco Lindor at any cost. In his last couple of years here, Lindor seemed to embrace the “launch angle” movement and became less effective hitting. He went from a .280-.300 hitter to a .230-.250 hitter.

Is he reaching the value of the deal he signed with the Mets? We believe most would say no.

We know the owners of these teams are billionaires and none of them (not even the Dolans) are in danger of living in poverty. However, players and agents use what one person gets as the basis for someone else.

And for teams in a salary cap sport, overpaying a player can become an albatross. There is nothing wrong with getting as much information as you can before offering an athlete a boatload of money.

It’s the smart thing to do.

Some Questions On Guards’ Roster Makeup

Major League Baseball expanded the rosters to 26 players a few years ago, presumably because teams were keeping so many relief pitchers on the team, many managers were stuck with a three man bench.

When the rosters were expanded, part of the rule said a maximum of 13 pitchers could be eligible, although up until June 1st of this season, teams can keep 14 pitchers because of the shortened spring training.

It is a challenge for managers of all big league clubs to keep his reserves fresh, so if and when they are needed, they will be somewhat ready. It’s a difficult task, and is one reason many teams do not want to keep a young player on the roster if they cannot get regular at bats or innings.

Terry Francona is reported to be excellent in communicating with every player on the roster as to how he is going to be used and when. And we use the word “reported” because we aren’t in the clubhouse. But when was the last time a Cleveland player came out in the media and complained as to how he is being used?

Since Yu Chang came off the COVID list on May 13th, he has appeared in just one game, Friday night against the Tigers, because a lefty was pitching for Detroit, and Josh Naylor was just coming off the same list, and Francona didn’t want his first game back to be against a tough southpaw in Tarik Skubal.

With the latest defensive configuration of using Naylor at first because of the leg he injured a year ago, and thus Owen Miller moving to second base, if seems like Chang has no real place on the roster.

And both Miller (861 OPS) and Naylor (1044 OPS) are among the best bats in the lineup, so the Guardians want those guys playing for sure.

Perhaps the front office is working on a deal for Chang, but right now, his spot on the roster could be better used by someone else.

Detroit’s closer is a lefty in Gregory Soto, and Francona allowed Andres Gimenez and Steven Kwan, both left-handed hitters to bat. Chang didn’t even get a chance there.

You could probably make an argument that Ernie Clement isn’t benefiting either. He’s had just four at bats since May 7th, although he’s appeared in four games as a pinch-runner, so at least he is contributing there.

And if the organization views Clement as a bench piece, utility guy, then there isn’t a problem using him this way.

We don’t like wasting roster spots. There are only 26 of them, so why not have guys who can contribute.

And on another matter…

From a pitching standpoint, it will be interesting to see how the club handles Eli Morgan. The young right-hander made the team because they wanted length from some relievers due to the shortened spring.

Remember, in addition to Morgan, they also kept Konnor Pilkington and Logan Allen. But now that the starters are stretched out, is Morgan needed as a long man?

If Francona uses him that way, for say, three or four innings if a starter gets knocked out early, then fine. However, we wonder if he wouldn’t be better served going back to Columbus and getting stretched out so he is available as a starter?

Especially with the doubleheaders coming up later in the season with all the rainouts and games that were canceled due to the lockout.

Guardians Getting On Base More, Why Not Run More Too?

The hitting for the Cleveland Guardians has been a surprise this season, ranking third in the American League in runs scored to date. However, it has also sputtered at times.

The Guards have scored 10 runs or more five times this season, but they’ve also scored two runs or less 14 times, and it’s very tough to win doing that, and Cleveland is no different, going 1-13 when that occurs.

That’s not totally unusual. The league average per team is under four runs per game (3.97).

However, in the last week, the offense recently has reached a tough patch, with Josh Naylor out on the COVID list, and Jose Ramirez not being red hot.

We know the Guardians have embraced more of a contact approach this season. They have struck out less than any team in the AL, and rank 5th in the Junior Circuit in on base percentage.

One curious thing missing from the Cleveland offense is the stolen base, as the Guards rank just 10th in the league with 20 thefts. Tampa Bay, another low spending franchise, leads the league with 31.

Myles Straw has eight steals meaning he has 40% of the Guards’ stolen bases. But he is far from the only Cleveland player who can run.

They do use their speed in other ways. They are tied for the AL in triples as a team with 10 and are in the middle of the pack in doubles, ranking seventh with 62.

They need to have the stolen base arsenal in their back pocket when they aren’t getting doubles and triples. Otherwise, they need to get three singles or walks to push a run across.

As we said, they have very good team speed.

Amed Rosario has exceptional speed, although he isn’t an accomplished base stealer. He led the league in being caught stealing in 2019. Andres Gimenez, on the other hand, has only been caught once in his career, stealing 22 bases in 23 tries. He’s 14 for 14 in a Cleveland uniform.

We understand the organization may not want Jose Ramirez to run as much, but he’s stolen 20 bags or more in four different seasons.

We notice Ramirez has been more aggressive on the bases following the times he is pitched around by the opposition.

It doesn’t just have to be stolen bases either. With the contact rates of some of these players, why not use a play that most team eschew in today’s game: The “hit and run”.

Maybe Terry Francona will do more of that when he has more confidence in guys like Steven Kwan and Gimenez.

You don’t want to run into outs, but with the speed the Guardians’ have, it should serve to enhance the offense. Why not put more pressure on the opposition defense? Lately, the hitting hasn’t gotten into it early in games, but maybe running early would get the Guards on the scoreboard early.

The Guardians aren’t a team that can sit back and wait for the long ball, and to that end, they’ve embraced a more contact-oriented approach this season.

Why not take a further step and start stealing bases too. They have a roster that can pull it off.

Big Summer For Many NBA Teams, Cavs Included

Well, it’s now official. The Cleveland Cavaliers will have the 14th overall pick in next month’s NBA Draft, although it would have been an extreme long shot for them to have moved up.

The Cavs are the best team, record wise, in the league that didn’t make the playoffs, and with a young core of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, this is an important off-season for GM Koby Altman and his staff.

However, it’s also an important summer for some of the league’s big market teams, and could anything those teams do influence the wine and gold?

What will the Los Angeles Lakers do? Yes, they have LeBron James, but their roster looks like one of a good team, in 2012. What do they do to surround James with the right kind of talent and can Anthony Davis ever stay healthy?

What of the Brooklyn Nets? Will they run back the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving show or totally restructure their roster, even moving the recently acquired Ben Simmons. They could be looking for a rebuild this summer.

The New York Knicks made the playoffs in 2020-21, but returned to their normal lottery spot last season. Are they satisfied with a Julius Randle and RJ Barrett combination going into the ’22-’23 season? And will they continue to hold Obi Toppin hostage?

What does this have to do with the Cavaliers? If those teams make big moves, cap space will probably be needed and perhaps Altman can pick up a nice piece for the Cavs because salaries do not match up.

Remember, that’s how Cleveland got Allen, a 23-year-old seven footer, who became an all star last season.

If you didn’t know, by rule, the Cavs cannot announce a trade of their first round draft pick before the selection is made. That pick is an asset though, and may be used to bring in a veteran player. We say veteran because we believe there is plenty of youth on the roster, so another young guy could be superfluous.

On the other hand, you might get an experienced college player who gets bypassed early in the draft because every team looks to project on players.

We have seen the Cavs linked to Kansas senior 6’5″ guard Ochai Agbaji. He could probably make a contribution right away, and at least one draft website compared him to Desmond Bane of Memphis. If he wound up being close to the player Bane is, that would be great.

The other player who seems like a good fit and may be available is Ohio State G Malaki Branham, also 6’5″. Just a freshman, he may take longer to be a contributor on a team that should have playoff asperations.

Altman also needs to decide on some bench players. It seems clear they don’t have a good handle on what to do with players like Cedi Osman and Dylan Windler, so it’s time to cut bait.

And no more roster spots for guys who can’t play, like Ed Davis, or bringing in someone like Kevin Pangos.

And make no mistake, barring injuries, the Cavaliers need to qualify for the real playoffs next season, meaning a best-of-seven series. No more play in games.

They made the giant leap to contender in 2021-22, and this young core of good players needs to get in the playoffs.

Can Reyes Change? A Big Question For Guardians’ Offense.

When the Cleveland front office acquired Franmil Reyes during the 2019, no doubt they loved his raw power. He belted 37 home runs that season between his time here and in San Diego, hitting 10 long balls in 51 games with the Indians.

Yes, Reyes was prone to strikeouts, the same as most young power hitters. He fanned 156 times against 46 walks, a 28.5% whiff rate with an 8.6% walk rate.

He was just 23 years old at the time, and we are sure the organization felt it could work with him to improve the contact and they might have a middle of the batting order force.

The COVID shortened year of 2020 seemed to bear that out, as his walk rate increased to 10% and his batting average jumped to .275 with an on base percentage of .344. He was previously getting on base about 31% of the time.

Keep in mind, that was a 60 game season, and the big man had just 241 plate appearances.

Last season, Reyes pulled an oblique muscle early in the season, but his strikeout rate increased to 32% and the walk rate dropped back a bit to 9.2%. It is concerning in that you would like to see both ratios decreasing, but it still wasn’t a cause for concern.

While it is still early in 2022, Reyes’ strikeout numbers are getting near Joey Gallo and Mark Reynolds’ territory.

His strikeout percentage has jumped to 41.1% and while that is troubling enough, the walk rate has also dipped to 5.7%. Reyes had an 0 for 26 slump earlier this season in which he was basically swinging at everything and obviously has an affect on these numbers.

He has hit better since the calendar turned to May, going 14 for 42 (.333) and an 833 OPS, but he still has fanned 16 times, walking just four times.

He got out of the slump and into a nice hot streak but hitting the ball where it was pitched and used the entire field, usually a panacea for ending a dry spell at the plate. It wouldn’t hurt to stay with that approach going forward.

Reyes is a big man, and strong enough to hit homers the opposite way without a lot of difficulty, if he can make contact.

And if he can get back to where he was in the shortened 2020 season, he would be a great hitter to bat behind Jose Ramirez, someone who might make you think twice about pitching around the Guardians’ #3 hitter.

If he can’t, he’s a lower third of the order hitter, and more than likely doesn’t have a long future in Cleveland, particularly because the organization doesn’t have a lot of confidence using him defensively.

He’d be a threat in the 7-8-9 hole because if he connects, there’s a chance the ball will sail over the fence. But he can’t be counted on to hit in the middle of the order.

Terry Francona can’t afford to protect his best hitter with a guy who opposing pitchers know they can strikeout if they make their pitch.

The bigger question is can Reyes change his approach as a hitter. The two week stretch where he was red hot say he can, and we will see in the next couple of weeks whether or not he can sustain it.

Otherwise, Reyes might wind up on the list of all or nothing power guys. The Cleveland front office thought it was getting something better than that.

Plesac, Civale Need To Pick It Up In Guardians’ Rotation

When the 2022 baseball season started, most people figured the iffy part of the Cleveland Guardians would be their hitting. If they could muster enough offense, maybe Terry Francona’s squad could hang around and contend for a playoff spot.

To date, just the opposite has been true. The hitting attack currently ranks second in the American League in runs scored, trailing only the New York Yankees, while the pitching staff is 14th, second last, in ERA.

The starting pitching has been a disappointment.

The shortened spring training has made it difficult to evaluate the performances of the rotation, but right now, we would say the most consistent starting pitchers have been Cal Quantrill and Triston McKenzie.

Quantrill has a 3.93 ERA in six starts, allowing more than three earned runs just once (his last start in Chicago), and has given Francona at least 4-2/3 innings in each of his half dozen appearance.

McKenzie has made five starts with a 2.76 ERA. He’s allowed just four earned runs just once (vs. the Angels) and his lowest inning total was four, in his first start. His last two outings have had him giving Cleveland at least six innings.

While there have been concerns about Shane Bieber’s velocity being down about 2 MPH, up until his last start vs. Toronto, he’s been just fine. In his first five starts, he gave his team at least 4-2/3 (that was the season opener) allowing no more than three runs.

He also has the longest outing by a Guards’ pitcher this season, firing seven innings against Oakland. And he’s still allowed less hits than innings pitched, while striking out 29 against just nine walks.

The problems have been Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale.

Plesac started strong, throwing 5-2/3 scoreless frames in his first start against the Royals, and in his first three appearances, he went 17.2 innings allowing just three earned runs. However, in his last three outings, he has thrown 15 innings, giving up 14 runs, an 8.40 ERA. In those games, he has fanned just 10 hitters and walked eight.

Civale has given Tito just one good outing all season in six starts, that against the Blue Jays, and even in that one, he allowed four earned runs, although Francona admitted he probably left him in a couple of batters too long.

Friday night, he gave up two homers in the first inning against the Twins.

He has pitched into the sixth inning just once this season and has allowed at least four runs every time he has taken the mound. His defense has hurt him at times, in his first start, two of the four runs he allowed were unearned. But he needs to pitch longer in games, and better yet, keep opponents off the scoreboard.

The Guardians could give him some extra time between starts with two off days coming up, but will they?

We understand the trend in the grand old game is for starters to get through the batting order twice, but the Guards don’t set up their staff that way. They want starters to go at least six if at all possible, and quite frankly, we still think that’s the right way to do it.

The Guardians need to get Plesac and Civale straightened out if they want to be a factor in the playoff hunt. Konnor Pilkington acquitted himself very well in his first big league start against the Blue Jays.

He could be getting another chance soon if the incumbents don’t start putting up some zeroes.

Browns’ Schedule Game? Not Interested.

Tonight, the NFL will announce their 2022 season schedule, and it is a reflection of the giant place the league has in the sports’ consciousness that there is a prime time show based around telling fans who will play who and when on a weekly basis.

Another reason the NFL is the king.

Of course, the “unveiling” if you will, affects sports talk radio programming for Friday, because virtually every show will have a version the “schedule game”, in which everyone looks at the slate of games to determine what their favorite team’s record is.

Quite frankly, we would rather listen to recordings of William Shatner singing.

A bonus in Cleveland is it one less day spent discussing what the Browns will do with Baker Mayfield and/or how many games Deshaun Watson will be suspended. Although, if the Browns get several nationally televised games late in the year, people will take that as an indication that Watson’s suspension (if there is one in 2022) will be finished by then.

First of all, no one playing the game has any clue about injuries, when they will happen, and which players will be affected on any given week. Wouldn’t any Cleveland fan call the game against say, Buffalo as a loss, but if Josh Allen were to be out that week, it would certainly change the prediction for that contest.

Another thing not factored in is how the either team is playing. Let’s say you have a game early in the year against a team that struggled the prior year, but started out winning its first two or three games. That team is now playing with confidence and it becomes a more difficult task.

And add in if say the Browns lost the week prior. Teams that loses sometimes take a while to get going the following game. Remember how the Browns struggled in their week two game against the Texans a year ago after they lost the opener to the Chiefs? It took Kevin Stefanski’s crew about a half to start playing as expected.

We know that every year a team comes out of nowhere to make the NFL’s post-season. Last year it occurred in Cleveland’s own division, where Cincinnati went from 4-11-1 in 2020 to 10-7, a division title, and a Super Bowl berth in ’21.

Conversely, Seattle went from 12-4 to 7-10 from 2020 to 2021. Heck, the Browns themselves went from 11-5 to 8-9. Wonder what the schedule game people though about games against this trio of teams heading into last season?

We get that the schedule is fun to talk about and it fills a day of programming for the hosts who play a yearly game of the event, but let’s face it, there won’t be any surprises tonight. The Browns will play the same opponents it was announced they would face at the conclusion of the ’21 season.

The NFL schedule is formulaic, we can already tell you Cleveland will play the teams from the NFC West in 2023.

So, count us out on trying to analyze a group of games that won’t be played for at least four months. We can tell you this though. Roger Goodell thanks you for playing the “Schedule Game”.

Credit For The Ramirez Deal Should Go Only To Jose

They have been a lot of stories written about the negotiations between the Cleveland Guardians and Jose Ramirez as spring training was ending, and the resulting contract extension for the all-star third baseman, which will keep him in town through the 2028 season.

First, let us say we are thrilled Ramirez is staying. He is one of the top ten players in the game, with a trio of top three finishes in the AL MVP voting over the last five seasons. Baseball fans around northeast Ohio deserve to see someone play the majority of a great career in a Cleveland uniform.

We have brought this up before, but the last player to spend 10 seasons in the big leagues and only wear an Indians/Guardian jersey was Al Rosen, and he retired in 1956.

Other smaller market teams have their icons: Milwaukee has Robin Yount, Kansas City has George Brett. Colorado has Todd Helton.

Jose Ramirez can be that guy for northeast Ohio baseball fans.

And the credit for this is all on one person, and that is Jose Ramirez.

There is no question in our mind Ramirez could have received much more on the open market, figure between $25 and $30 million per year for seven or eight seasons. Texas gave Marcus Semien, who is two years older and not as good as a player, $175 million over seven years. You have to estimate Ramirez would have received over $200 million on the open market.

But he wanted to stay.

According to the stories by national writers, had Ramirez wanted to be paid commensurate with other players with his resume, he would have returned to Progressive Field this past week as a member of either the San Diego Padres or Toronto Blue Jays. The front office was fully prepared to trade him now in order to get the best return.

The Guardians management learned from the Francisco Lindor situation that moving a potential free agent prior to his walk year doesn’t yield the same market value.

However, Ramirez took a “discount” and wanted to remain in a Cleveland uniform, stating he wanted to retire here, go into the Hall of Fame as a Guardian, and win a World Series with the organization.

That’s the perfect news fans want to hear.

Mark Shapiro’s father, Ron Shapiro, who was an agent, said he told the athletes he represented there was a value in playing your entire career in one city. You become a part of that city and can tie yourself into that community.

Even though Bernie Kosar finished up in Dallas and Miami, look at how many local businesses want Bernie speaking on their behalf.

It seems like Ramirez felt the same, and we would bet we will start seeing Ramirez used in advertisements around this area soon.

Unfortunately, this signing isn’t going to make us feel any better about the ownership of the team. They simply did what any owner would do, keep a great player who made it very clear he wanted to stay, even taking less money to do so.

If you can’t do that as an owner, why are you even involved in professional sports.

Fans here should be thankful for Jose Ramirez. He is the reason this deal got done. No one else.

Early Season For Guards? You Have To Be Encouraged

It seems like yesterday that the Cleveland Guardians opened the delayed 2022 season in Kansas City, but after yesterday’s doubleheader against Toronto, the Guards have hit the 1/6th point in the ’22 campaign.

What have we learned? The biggest takeaway is what we knew going into the year. This is a very young team and therefore prone to streakiness, so a close to .500 record (13-14) makes sense. Our guess is that will stabilize as the year goes on.

The offensive has improved, or has it? Cleveland ranks 2nd in the AL in runs scored per game at 4.68, trailing only the Yankees. However, remember the streakiness we discussed? Terry Francona’s squad has been held to two runs or less in 11 of the 27 games, and have scored 17 runs, 11 runs, 10 runs twice as well.

They are 1-10 when they score two or fewer, so when they get to three, their record is 12-4. Pretty good, eh?

In the off-season, we said the ability to get on base had to improve for Cleveland, and to date it has. The Guardians are 3rd in the league in on base percentage.

Last year, only Jose Ramirez and Myles Straw had OBPs of over .350. So far this season, there are five players with over 50 plate appearances (beside Ramirez and Straw, Owen Miller, Steven Kwan, and Andres Gimenez) who are getting on base 35% of the time or more.

Miller has already walked more this season than he did in all of the 2021 season.

And though we doubt Miller can continue to hit .353 or Kwan can hit .319, we also don’t think Franmil Reyes will continue to hit .204 even though his strikeout to walk ratio is an unsightly 43 to 3.

To be fair, we also don’t think Andres Gimenez will stay over .340 and Josh Naylor won’t hit over .300 either, but both should be in the lineup everyday.

The organization has shifted from the big swing players to guys who can put the ball in play, and we think that is a great move in the right direction.

They started scouting players with good contact rates in amateur ball a few years ago, figuring they can develop power easier than teaching players to make contact.

Surprisingly, the Guards’ team ERA is third last in the American League at 4.03. They have held opponents to three runs or less 11 times, going 8-3 in those games.

Part of the problem has been the slow start of Aaron Civale, who has a 9.45 ERA, but did turn in his best outing of the year Thursday night against Toronto. Zach Plesac has also struggled in his last two starts, allowing 10 ER in 8-2/3 innings.

The bullpen has stabilized. Emmanuel Clase had a bit of a struggle early but has looked like himself in the last week or so. Trevor Stephan and Nick Sandlin have emerged as the bridges from the starter to Clase.

Lefty Sam Hentges, pretty terrible last year as a starter, has thrived as a reliever, pitching 13 innings and allowing just one run. Most of his outings have been in low leverage situations, but that could change soon.

This is a fun team to watch for the most part, and we are intrigued to watch these young players develop. Also, there is no curious veteran playing for the most part, unless you are not an Amed Rosario fan (and we aren’t, really).

Hanging around .500 will keep you in the mix for a playoff spot for a while, and that’s what you want from the squad.

So far, so good for the Guardians.