Pulling in the same direction

 Those of you who read this blog probably know two things about me:

(1) I am a lifelong Cleveland fan

(2) I love prospects.

But there is one thing that people are likely to find out about me going forward.

If you don't attend the games I don't think you should voice your opinion.  And I am not talking about the person who attends 5 games a season and watches games on TV and feel that gives them a right to criticize the team.  

So, people, including media, who want to nitpick ANYTHING about this season.  Sit down, take a deep breath and, without playing armchair manager, cheer for your team.

If I have to read one more time how Francona should have removed Quantrill before the 6th inning I will barf.  

This is the same manager who pitched his starting pitchers EXACTLY the right amount in the playoffs up to that point.  It is the same manager who pitched Hentges 3 innings when I was screaming for him not to go back out for that 3rd inning with Plesac and McCarty available.

In fact, NO ONE criticized Francona about those moves because they worked.  Fair weather fans and trolls will nitpick when the team loses but are silent when the team wins.

So, as we go into tomorrow and for the rest of this series and, hopefully, beyond this series into the next one and then the next one, could every Cleveland fan just pull in the same direction? Root for you team, don't criticize your team.  Because, frankly, there are very few, if any of us, who should criticize ANYTHING about this season.  It has, so far, way exceeded expectations.   

So, even if we can't pull together let's pull in the same direction for the rest of this season and simply root on OUR Guardians.  There will be plenty of time for ridiculous comments about how the team and management should have done this or should have not done that.  And those comments, as I have said, should actually only be brought forward by people who have been at many games during the year and watched most of the rest on TV or listened to them on the radio.  I think there are so few people who fall into this category that their complaints should be drowned out by the noise of the rest of us applauding their team for a season well-done.  Until the point where the season ends, let's all root our hardest to help make sure it doesn't end.

Of Meda, Fans and Expectations

 Last week the Cardinals lost two straight to the Phillies at home.  Goldschmidt, a candidate for MVP and Gold Glove honors went 0'fer in these two games. Arenado, he of another Gold Glove season and 30 HR and 100 RBI, was 1-7.   Fire these two slackers.  They are paid to perform, now dance!  Ollie Marmol blew a 2 run lead in the first game allowing his closer and that guy's replacement to give up 6 runs.  First the bum, he should have seen it was going south and done gotten the closer out and put in a better reliever.

Last week the Mets lost at home to the Padres.  Francisco Lindor hit .200, with 1 HR and 1 RBI.   He clearly is not worth the 30+ million they are paying him as he couldn't even help his team out of the first round of the playoffs.  And fire the manager as he couldn't even keep his team out of this series and get them a first round bye.  I mean, one game.  He couldn't have helped his team wn one more game?  Plus, why did he let Scherzer pitch the 3rd time through the order when it was so obvious that he didn't have it that day, havng given up 3 runs in the first 4 innings?  Plus, knowing Bassitt was not a quality playoff pitcher, why did he go to him in game 3 and why did he leave him in so long.  I mean, hell, he ended up using 6 relievers anyway.  Why didn't he use a bullpen game?

I am a Guardians' fan.  Why am I bringing this stuff up?  Because of what I am hearing and reading this morning.  Francona needs to manage better.   Dolan is a cheapskate.   Our players are not good enough or they are chokers. 

Here's a news flash: going out and obtaining high-priced players doesn't guarantee you anything. 

I am going to say this once and be done with this thought:

GOING OUT AND GETTING HIGHLY-PAID PLAYERS HELPS TEAMS OVERCOME NOT PLAYING THE GAME THE RIGHT WAY.

As the Highlander says 'There can be only one".  Every other team except the one that wins the WS will have ownership that did not do enough to bring in good players.  Every other team will have a manager who didn't make the right moves.  Every other team will have players who didn't perform well enough when the spotlight was brightest.

I get the desperation.  You never know when you are getting back to the playoffs.  This franchise hasn't won a WS since 1948.  I get it all.  But just like when the 1994 Cleveland Indians became the 1995 Cleveland Indians by bringing in Dennis Martinez and Orel Hersheiser, I think the 2023 Cleveland Guardians will have added some key players who will make a difference.  

But that ain't happening right now so enjoy the ride and let's root for our team to win playing its brand of baseball.  Frankly, I really, truly, believe that if we play our brand of baseball it will take a Herculean effort for the Yankees to win.  Translated, I truly believe that we can win this series just playing baseball like we have for the last month.

And, for those of you who don't attend games and still want to bitch, get your butts out to games and support your team.  Then you can have a negative opinion if you choose.

One fnal set of thoughts:

• Last night was only one game
• We had our #3 starter going against New York's #1 starter IN NEW YORK!!!
• Ramirez and Kwan hit the ball well and Gimenez got a hit

These are things to build on.  

Go Guardians!

Into the belly of the beast

 We will now be playing the worst ranked division champion still in the postseason.  That is the good news.  The bad news is that it is the Yankees and they won 99 games this year and we will be facing one of the best pitchers in baseball at least twice, unless we happen to sweep the Yankees.

Plus, as my daughter says, we have 'beef' with the Yankees fans.  

It will make for an interesting series.

Let's talk about the roster that we put together for this series:

• We will, once again have 12 pitchers and 14 positions players.   This is an interesting choice given that the extra inning rules changed for the playoffs meaning that it is highly likely games going to extra innings would last longer.  Someone probably has stats on this but my guess is that this could be significant, like 2+ innings longer, something significant in the playoffs where every pitch matters.  Plus, in making the selections we now have only one lefty in the bullpen. While McCarty is not an overpowering pitcher he does have the potential to go all Ryan Merritt on the Yankees as sort of an x-factor.
• We have decided to go with three catchers.  Normally that would not be an issue, especially when you consider that our third catcher is such a good hitter with great pitch recognition.   That is, he could be used as a DH or pinch hitter.  But there seem to be issues with the logic:
• Bo Naylor, our 3rd catcher, has 8 major league ABs and has struck out 5 times with no hits.  Yes, he had a very good season this year but it is coming off a season last year where he was terrible.  Yes, he was very young for AA last year and appeared overmatched just due to lack of experience which he corrected this year as he became more age appropriate for AA and then AAA.  That's the issue, really.  Last year he was overmatched at AA and it stands to reason that he might be overmatched this year in the majors due to his young age.
• The injury rules would allow us to add him to the roster if one of our catchers got hurt badly enough they couldn't finish the season.  Even a concussion would probably preclude a guy from returning this season.
• The odds that we have to pinch run for our catcher are low as our catchers are both subpar hitters and not very likely to get on base, especially in a playoff game where the pitching is tougher than the regular season
• Naylor is inexperienced with our pitchers.
• Out pinchhitting options, if Brennan starts as the DH, are limited.and, at this point, don't look a whole lot better than our backup catcher, Maile.

So, basically, we have Naylor on the roster just in case we pinch hit for our starting catcher and then our backup catcher gets hurt or we want ot pinch hit for him, although our pinch hitting options are limited.  Sure, we could have Bo Naylor pinch hit for one of the catchers but that doesn't make sense.

I am still amazed we are doing this.

• Rhetorical question: How many of you remember the last out of the 2016 World Series made by Michael Martinez?  I remember sitting there thinking that there had to be someone better that Cleveland could have placed on the roster in case we needed a hit in a particular, isolated situations.  This year we decided to keep Gavriel Arias and Will Benson on the roster for the last series and this series.  Neither of them are legitimate hitters at this point.  Frankly, I would rather have Richie Palacios and Tyler Freeman.  Both, in my opinion, give you better offense with passable defense (if Kwan plays CF and Palscios in LF).  Keeping Benson in case one of your FOUR outfielders gets hurt makes no sense to me.  You don't need his defense and he doesn't provide any offense, with 1 XBH and 3 BB in 55 ABs so far (with 19 Ks).  Keeping the currently defensively-challenged Arias makes no sense in the playoffs.  Not that Freeman was much better but I like his offense better than Arias right now.  I think Arias's home run and current ML walk rate are aberrations to his expected performance this series.  Freeman's offensive performance so far in the majors is very projectable to this series.  So, you have the choice to throw Arias out there and hope for a miracle IF he has to come off the bench and pinch hit in a tight game or desparate situation or put Freeman in and hope that he extends the game and keeps the line moving.  In that case the odds favor Freeman.  Heck, if you wanted the possibility of something miraculous happening, bring in Nolan Jones, George Valera, Brayan Rocchio or even Jhonkensy Noel!  Much better chance of miracle production out of those guys when compared to Benson or Arias.

So, as we head into this series I think we have hamstrung ourselves and created potential late game or extra innings disadvantages that might be, in the end, the edge the Yankees need to win this series.

Going into any series without all the weapons you could have makes no sense to me.

Onward to NY. What our roster should look like.

 OK, through to the next round.  

Let's look at who the Guardians might roster for this round.  

First, let's look at the Yankees pitching.  It appears they have 1 starter and 2 relievers who are left-handed.  Most of the rest of the roster is likely to be right-handed now that Britton is out and Chapman is not likely to be rostered.  

Plus, in this round, given our experience in extra innings in the wildcard round, I think we have to go with at least 13 pitchers, although, if it is legal, 14 is not out of the question. 

So, looking at our roster, here is who I think we should go with:

HITTERS

C - Hedges

1B - Naylor

2B - Gimenez

SS - Rosario

3B - Ramirez

LF - Kwan

CF - Straw

RF - Gonzalez

DH - Brennan

Utility: Arias (1B/2B/SS/3B, OF), Palacios (LF), Maile (C), Frean (INF)

NOTE: With 13 pitchers I don't think we can carry 3 catchers.  The only way we could do that is if our extra catcher could DH and so pop in to catch from his DH role in an emergency situation.  Naylor is 0-8 with 5 Ks. I don't think he is an option.  As far as Benson, looking how he has been used and his production there is not reason he is on the playoff roster.   I will post later today about some small mistakes the Guardians have made in the preparation of their minor leaguers for the post-season but, for right now, I think Palacios is a better choice for this roster than Benson who is not effective at the plate right now. and, with Brdennan, is not needed as an extra outfielder   I also think that we gamble that Arias can play 1B in an emergency.  I think Miller has proven unreliable and so we don't carry him because I think Freeman would add more value.   I think we go with an iron 9 as I like Naylor's chances to play every game at 1B and his chances against a lefty like Cortes more than I like Miller's chances against anyone at this point.  Maybe we even gamble that Arias could come in and get a hit or two against Cortes as other teams might not have a book on him yet.

PITCHERS

SP - Quantrill, Bieber, McKenzie, Civale (if needed for game 5)

NOTE: Given the schedule, Quantrill would start on 7 days rest on Tuesday,  Bieber would on 6 days rest on Thursday, McKenzie on 7 days rest on Saturday and Quantrill would come back on 5 days rest on Sunday.  The issue is Monday.  None of our starters would be able to come back on Monday on normal rest meaning we would have to do a bullpen game with maybe some mixture of Civale, Plesac and McCarty. I see some reason to start Civale on Tuesday but I think the way it makes the dominos fall in the rest of the series AND leading into the next series is not optimal. The thing is, you try to play to end it in 4 and if it comes to game 5 you roll with it.  

Closer - Clase

Bullpen - Stephan, Karinchak, Hentges, De Los Santos, Morgan, Morris, Plesac, McCarty

NOTE: I think it makes sense to sit Sandlin this coming series.  If you do that he can play in the next series.  I think if you put him on the roster for this series you can only remove him due to injury and he wouldn't be able to play in the next series.  For me this gives us two lefties in the bullpen and I could see us using McCarty in a long extra inning game or even against some left bats starting in bases empty situations.  I like Morris here because I think his future is in the bullpen in the short term, he has shown he can work in the short tints multiple times in his career and not many teams have a book on him yet.  

So, there are my thoughts.  More later!

Thoughts for a Saturday Night

 Wow, that was exhausting and exhilarating at the same time.  Random thoughts:

1. I can't believe Francona sent Hentges out for that 3rd inning. It almost backfired but, in the end, it worked out. 

2. Ramirez to Naylor. I hope that play never gets lost in all the talk about this season, this series and this game.  It is the stuff legends are made of.

3. Oscar Gonzalez - A lot will be written about the how the Guardians almost lost him, first as a minor league free agent then by not adding him to the 40-man ahead of the Rule 5 draft that never happened.  This kid has a long way to go and may flame out like so many before him but, for this moment, in this year and all the dreaming on his improvement going forward, I hope we have found our right fielder for the next 5 years, at least.

4. Can't say enough about Francona and the front office.  Looking back over the season, they played as if they were trying to get ready for the post-season.  I can't stress strongly enough that, in my opinion, this is how you have to manage your team no matter what team you are given.  By that I mean that you have to manage your team like you KNOW you are going to win the championship and you just want to keep your guys healthy and get them mentally and physically prepared to reach that goal AND be effective in the playoffs, while winning enough regular season games to get there.  People can dispute my opinion on this but, from where I sit, that is exactly what Tito did.  He never panicked and, to his credit, did not overuse his guys.  

In order for this strategy to work you need to avoid injuries (which is partly what you do by using this strategy) and you need to get performances from EVERYONE on the roster, especially in the last half of the season.  Francona and his staff got that out of his players.   We had one of the lowest rates of IL time in the majors this year and I don't think that is an accident.  I think Francona gets some of the credit for that.  What is amazing to me is that this team could play as hard as they did every day and STILL avoid a lot of injuries.

5. What may be lost in this is that this team won this wild card series while not doing much on offense.   By that I mean that the Guardians said, once again, 'this is the hand we have been dealt and we are going to play this hand until the end'.  When we had the bases loaded and no outs and Ramirez and Naylor couldn't get it done, some teams might have folded.  Not these guys.  You cannot put a dollar value on that.  They just kept their heads down and kept playing.

6. For those skeptics out there, of course there is a little luck.  Look at the Cardinals who were, essentially, in the same spot as the Guardians going into the playoffs.  One bad inning in the first game doomed their playoff run.  We didn't have that inning or the bad luck they had with their closer in that inning.  But the point is that we had to battle for 15 innings and never gave up.

7. To be a little negatve here.  I am listening to the game at mlb.com.   Every inning they lag behind on the broadcast.  One time Rosario was in the 5th pitch of an at bat by Gameday and the radio broadcast was still on commercial.  Then, when Gonzalez hits the HR, they come out of the commercial during the celebration.  First time all game where they didn't start the inning coming out of the break.  Unbelievable MLB.  Now, maybe it was just my device that had an internet glitch but, if so, it was the first and only time in these two games that the inning did not start from the beginning on the radio broadcast.

8. I will talk more about what is coming next tomorrow and Monday but I can almost hear the disappointment in our radio and tv announcers' voices when Miller comes up and fails to deliver an important hit or screws up a simple play in the field.  I was screaming when they didn't put Benson in to pinch hit instead of Miller today. I can almost see the disappointment in the faces of the players when Arias makes a bad play in the field.   The veterans KNOW there is no margin for error here and as much as they want to be good teammates and friends, you don't have room for that type of bad or ineffective play on the field during the playoffs.  There will be changes to the roster for the next round but, outside of the pitching roster changes I think will happen, I see us going with an iron-nine the rest of the way, despite who is pitching, with the bench players staying on the bench except in the case of emergencies.

9. Anyone who thinks that the ownership groups owes us ANYTHING at this point should rethink that position.  I, personnally, want to thank the ownership group for sticking with this city even when people weren't coming to games.  I mean, since 2013 we have had one losing season and like 6 playoff appearances and yet, after opening day and discounting when the Yankees come in town, PEOPLE JUST DON'T ATTEND GUARDIANS GAMES.  It is embarrassing to me as a lifelong fan to see the apathy that has existed in Cleveland during the Francona era.  When I hear people railing against the name change I want to stand up and say that they don't deserve a voice in the matter if they are not attending 40 games a year.  People, you are in a golden era of Cleveland baseball.  Get off your rear ends and go see this team play.  Every game.  Every year.  

10. Finally, I want to thank the players and all those who support them for giving us one of the most enjoyable seasons in my over 60 years as a fan of this franchise.  It has been a great ride and the ride continues this year.  But, beyond that, looking at the young talent on this team and the young talent on the cusp of being on this team next year and in 2024, for the first tme in my life I see the possibility that what we are seeing this year could become a common scene for the next two years with this team being this good or even much better, top to bottom in the roster, for the next 5 years or more.  

Wow, that was history!

 Bieber was outstanding.  Clase was outstanding.  Ramirez dd it again and was the team leader he had been all year.  The players made all the routine plays and avoided giving Tampa Bay extra outs and avoided giving them infield hits.

There's not much else to say about this great first game that broke the Guardians' post-season losing streak.  

Looking forward to game 2 and seeing what Will Brennan can do and whether Kwan can rebound and get the offense going and seeing McKenzie pitch in the post-season.

Playoff Keys

 There aren't any new ones.

There are a whole bunch of them.

As I sat down to do this post those are the two thoughts that rattled through my head.  So many 'experts' are talking about the keys to this series that it struck me that none of us know. The keys to any post-season series, in my opinion are:

(1) Your stars/high level players performing to or above their levels.  Likely that will require these guys to elevate their games.   By this I mean that Bieber will have to pitch near-flawless baseball and avoid that one inning where he and Hedges brain fart and he gives up 3-4 runs.  In addition, Jose Ramirez will have to elevate his game and become the guy in April and in the last game of the season who just dominates at the plate.  Guys like Rosario, Kwan, Gimenez, Gonzalez and the bullpen will have to perform at the same high level they have during the season.

(2) You need some unexpected heroes to step up and give you great performances.  Remember Ryan Merritt in 2016?  Maybe that is Kirk McCarty in another extra inning game, holding the fort until the Guardians find a way to score the winning run.  Maybe it is Oscar Gonzalez going all Randy Arozarena on us and unleashing the power we saw in the minors.  The symmetry and poetry of that in a series against Arozarena and his team would be stunning.  Maybe it is Myles Straw continuing on and exceeding his September hitting and looking more like last year and this year in April. Maybe even hitting a HR!  Maybe it is Will Brennan being up in crucial situations and delivering almost every time and every time that TRULY matters.  

I am not sure what it will take for them to win in the playoffs but the Guardians deserve our support for their great season this year.   Let's hope that everything aligns and they can have a deep run in the playoffs this year.  And that the guys who we need to exceed expectations continue to do so, playing at their highest level yet and they do it in a way that keeps them safe and healthy for this and future seasons.

Go Guardians!