Tag Archives: Cleveland Baseball Club

Cleveland not able to keep up with Texas, lose 7-3

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The Cleveland Baseball Club was outscored by four and outhit by nine in a 7-3 loss at home to the Texas Rangers.

The first game back from the Little League Classic did not go well for the the Cleveland Baseball Club. Texas totaled 15 hits compared to just six for Cleveland which contributed to the four-run loss.

Eli Morgan started for Cleveland and really was not fooling anyone. Morgan allowed four runs on eight hits with two walks in just 4.1 innings. The Rangers stuck early with as Nate Lowe hit a three-run homer in the 1st, the bulk of the runs scored against Morgan. A fourth run came across to score in the 5th against Morgan, eventually leading to his exit.

The Rangers did not do all of their damage against Morgan as they managed to score three runs in the 9th off of Bryan Shaw. Shaw allowed two singles while recording two outs in the final frame, but allowed a three-run homer to DJ Peters ending his outing.

Cleveland did get two homers from non-lineup regulars, Daniel Johnson and Yu Chang. Neither player sees the field all that much and it is more than likely they are not on the roster next season.

Wednesday presents an opportunity to even up the series with Texas as Game 2 is scheduled for 7:10 P.M.

Cleveland allows just four hits in 3-0 shutout of Angels

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The Cleveland Baseball Club held the Los Angeles Angels to just four hits in a 3-0 shutout in the MLB Little League Classic.

After two straight wins at home over the Angels, the Cleveland Baseball Club took their talents to Williamsport for the Little League Classic. Even a change of venue did not impact the final result as Cleveland completed the three game sweep of the Angels following a 5-1 win Saturday.

Cal Quantrill took over where Triston McKenzie left off the night before. Quantrill struck out nine while allowing two hits and two walks in 7 innings. Quantrill was rarely in trouble, and when he was he managed to get out of it. There is something to a pitcher working his way out of trouble and the fact Quantrill is showing that trait is encouraging in his progression as a pitcher.

On the other hand James Karinchak did not have the same success as Quantrill. Karinchak allowed three of four batters he faced to reach base via two walks and a single. It was a quick hook as Bryan Shaw came in to get a double-play on his second and last pitch of the game. Emmanuel Clase came on in the 9th for a relatively easy outing, only allowing an infield single to Jared Walsh while recording three outs.

Offensively things got started early as Amed Rosario continued his hot streak. After Myles Straw doubled to lead-off the inning, Rosario crushed the third pitch of his at-bat into left field to give Cleveland an early 2-0 lead.

The Straw-Rosario combo at the top of the order has been quite intriguing lately and could be the top two bats in the order next season.

Cleveland’s third run was scored in the 4th inning as Straw grounded into a fielder’s choice which allowed Austin Hedges to score.

Cleveland has an off day Monday and will return home to take on the Rangers Tuesday.

 

Triston McKenzie strikes out 8 in win over Angels

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Triston McKenzie struck out eight Angels batters in the Cleveland Baseball Club’s 5-1 win over the visiting Los Angeles Angels.

It is Triston McKenzie’s world, we are just living in it. In his first start since flirting with perfection, McKenzie faced the Los Angeles Angels and picked up where he left off. The 24-year old right hander was simply too much for the Los Angeles lineup as he struck out eight batters over seven innings, including three swinging strikeouts of AL MVP favorite Shohei Ohtani.

Triston McKenzie allowed just two hits in the contest, those hits coming in the 3rd and 6th innings. A leadoff walk of Jose Iglesias in the 8th led to Sticks exiting the game. Iglesias would eventually come around to score, the run being charged to McKenzie.

This was the second straight spectacular start for Triston McKenzie, an obvious good sign moving forward. While the level of competition has not necessarily been the best over the last two games (facing the Tigers in his last start), it is encouraging to see such brilliant pitching performances from someone who was borderline unusable earlier this season.

As far as the offense goes, the bulk of the damage came in the 3rd inning. It was the second time going through the order, Myles Straw and Amed Rosario would reach on back-to-back singles leading to a great opportunity for Jose Ramirez. Ramirez would step into the box and crush a first pitch hanging curveball into the bleachers in left field.

Amed Rosario would add on in the 7th inning with a long ball of his own.

Cleveland got one more run thanks to a Bradley Zimmer sacrifice fly later in the 7th.

The final two innings of the game were handled by Bryan Shaw and Emmanuel Clase. Shaw was on the mound when the Angels lone run scored and Clase struck out one in the 9th to secure the 5-1 victory.

Reyes, Ramirez homer in 9-1 Cleveland win

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The Cleveland Baseball Club took an early lead and did not look back as they collected 14 hits in a 9-1 win over the Angels.

When taking on the Angels, one would expect the fireworks in the box to come from one Shohei Ohtani. While the AL MVP favorite did manage a single, the long balls came from the Cleveland dugout.

Franmil Reyes clobbered a three-run bomb in the bottom of the 1st to give Cleveland a 3-0 lead, a lead which they would hold the rest of the game.

The second homer came in the 8th with Jose Ramirez connecting on a home run pitch to make it a 9-1 game.

It was the 28th home run of the season for Ramirez. 

In all Cleveland scored nine runs on 14 hits while the Angels could only muster one run on four hits.

Sam Hentges started the game for Cleveland, allowing three hits and the only run for the Angels. Hentges would strike out two and walk one in his 4 innings of work.

Trevor Stephan would follow, allowing just one hit and striking out two in 3 innings.

Blake Parker and Justin Garza handled the final two innings, not allowing a base runner.

 

Twins too much for Cleveland in extras again

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The Cleveland Baseball Club ended up facing the Minnesota Twins in extra-innings again and it was a familiar end result.

Perhaps mortal enemy is a bit harsh, but extra-innings and the Cleveland Baseball Club are not getting along currently. It was just earlier this week that Cleveland lost to the Twins in extras and things played out in a similar manner this time around. The one difference is that this time it was not Minnesota forced extras.

Cleveland found themselves down two runs in the top of the 9th. Jose Ramirez doubled home Myles Straw to bring Cleveland within one, they were still alive in the game. Ramirez would advance to third on a Franmil Reyes groundout, bringing them 90 feet closer to tying the game. Bradley Zimmer would step into the box and proceed to walk, the fourth ball ended up as a wild pitch allowing Ramirez to score to the tie the game at 7,.

Cleveland was unable to drive in a run with runners on second and third with just one out in the 10th. The bottom of the inning was not any better for Minnesota as they failed to score as well. The top of the 11th did not provide Cleveland with any better luck as a fly out and two line outs were the batted ball results. A fielding error in the bottom of the inning provided Minnesota with extra life. Due to only having one out in the inning with runners on the corners, Jake Cave was intentionally walked to set up the force at any base. Unfortunately Jorge Polanco was not interested in a 12th inning as he drove in the winning run with a RBI single giving the Twins a 8-7 victory.

Daniel Johnson homers in 3-1 win over Twins

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The Cleveland Baseball Club outfielder provided just enough for the team to come out on top over the Twins Tuesday. 

Called up the day before and in need to prove that he has a spot on the big league roster, Daniel Johnson stepped up to the plate in the 5th inning already 0-1. Eager to get a hit after flying out in the 2nd, Johnson took a hack at a first pitch curveball and missed. Opening an at-bat with a off speed pitch, particularly a curveball is a risky endeavor as it can lead to a batter keying in on a fastball since it is unlikely he will see two curves in a row. That is just what happened as Johnson took a middle-in fastball on the very next pitch and hit it on to the concourse in right field.

This was one of two hits on the day for Daniel Johnson, the second of which was a lot less exciting, an infield single. However, the important aspect of his first hit it was enough to give Cleveland a win. Minnesota could only muster one run in the contest while Cleveland scored three, two of which came on Johnson’s home run in the 5th. The third run came in the 6th with Amed Rosario scoring on a Wilson Ramos sacrifice.

The story of the game was not all about Daniel Johnson and the offense. Eli Morgan took the hill to start the game and delivered an impressive performance. Morgan would allow just three hits and two walks over 6 innings, keeping the Twins off the scoreboard along the way.

Minnesota did have a chance to do some damage thanks to a shaky outing from Trevor Stephan. Stephan walked the bases loaded while failing to record an out in the 8th. James Karinchak was called into action and managed to keep the damage to a minimum, just one run scoring on a fielder’s choice. Emmanuel Clase would come in the 9th, striking out two batters to earn the save.

Cleveland falls in extras to Twins 5-4

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The Cleveland Baseball Club was not able to come through with a clutch hit as the Minnesota Twins won 5-4 in extra-innings.

Ultimately the result of a game can come down to whether a team is able to get a timely hit. Cleveland had multiple chances with the game tied, but was simply unable to do so. While Minnesota squandered an opportunity prior to extra-innings, a RBI double from Jorge Polanco in the 10th was the difference in what ended up as a 5-4 loss for Cleveland.

In the 8th inning Bradley Zimmer, who hit a two-run homer earlier in the game to give Cleveland a brief 2-1 lead, reached on a walk with one out in the inning. Zimmer would proceed to steal second and eventually reach third on a wild pitch. This was the perfect chance for someone to drive in Zimmer to reclaim the lead. Unfortunately all Oscar Mercado and Owen Miller could muster was a strikeout and groundout respectively.

In the 10th with Amed Rosario on second, it was a Jose Ramirez groundout followed by consecutive strikeouts by Franmil Reyes and Zimmer which led to the Twins coming through in the bottom of the inning.

Cal Quantrill was Cleveland’s starter and pitched well enough to possibly earn a win. Quantrill danced around eight hits and one walk in 5 innings, allowing just three runs while striking out four. It was not the best outing for Quantrill, but it kept Cleveland in the game and at one point allowed them to take the lead. 

The late innings were not kind to Nick Wittgren as his performance was symbolic of his season long struggles. In 1.2 innings Wittgren would walk three batters and allow three hits, the final one being the game-winning RBI double from Polanco. Ultimately it is losses like this one which show just how far away Cleveland is from being an actual contender. 

Triston McKenzie spectacular vs Tigers

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The Cleveland Baseball Club pitcher dominated the Detroit Tigers as he struck out 11 batters in 8 innings with 7.2 of them perfect.

Absolutely dominant, that is the way to describe the performance from Triston McKenzie Sunday afternoon. McKenzie faced the Detroit Tigers on the road and all eyes were on someone else who happened to be in the other dugout, Miguel Cabrera. The fans who swarmed Comerica Park were expecting to see a historical moment from one of the best sluggers in the game, his 500th career home run. While Miggy still is waiting to achieve that notable feat, the fans in attendance nearly saw a different historical moment, a perfect game.

Triston McKenzie was mowing down batter after batter in Detroit. There was not a batter in the Tigers lineup who could touch anything that McKenzie hurled over the plate. McKenzie displayed a level of confidence that is usually seen from players who are 5-10 years his senior. There was one distinguishable difference from McKenzie in this outing when compared to his earlier appearances, his command. 73 of his 106 pitches went for strikes, a stark contrast to when he was walking just about anyone who stepped into the batter’s box.

Perhaps a factor that played into Triston McKenzie’s confidence was the fact he did not have to seriously worry about the final outcome of the contest. Cleveland had tallied 11 runs by the 3rd inning, essentially securing a victory early in the game. Not having to worry about whether the team would win or lose could have played into just how spectacular his performance was Sunday afternoon.

While the outing was incredible, it was not perfect. Triston McKenzie allowed his first baserunner, a single into right field off the bat of Harold Castro, in the bottom of the 8th. McKenzie would finish the game with a career-high 11 strikeouts in a career-high 8 innings pitched. Almost perfect will be how this game will be remembered as Cleveland still waits for their next no-hitter or perfect game, the longest active drought in baseball (40 years).

 

Cleveland loses to A’s in extras 4-3

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Extra-innings were not kind to the Cleveland Baseball Club as they lost to the Oakland Athletics by a score of 4-3.

A two-out RBI double from Jed Lowrie in the Top of the 10th gave Oakland the lead and that would be just enough to hand the Cleveland Baseball Club a loss Tuesday night. In the bottom of the 10th it was a groundout from Amed Rosario, a line out from Jose Ramirez, and a strikeout from Bradley Zimmer which ended the game in three straight at-bats.

Cleveland actually had a chance to win this game prior to extras, but James Karinchak was not able to hold the lead in the 8th. Karinchak allowed one run on two hits in just 1 inning. The concerning aspect for Karinchak is that he failed to record a strikeout. Karinchak has not quite been himself for several months this season leading to speculation about why he was so much better earlier than later in the season.

Myles Straw and Rosario both went 2-5 with a run scored in the contest, the only Cleveland batters to collect multiple hits. Jose Ramirez and Franmil Reyes combined to go 0-6 with three walks between them (Reyes walking twice). Harold Ramirez and Owen Miller were the only other batters to collect a hit as both went 1-3 with a walk.

Two of Cleveland’s run came on infield singles, Harold Ramirez in the 1st and Rosario in the 2nd. Straw’s RBI double, also in the 2nd, was Cleveland’s only extra-base hit in the contest.

Bradley Zimmer on an impressive hot streak

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Bradley Zimmer has been plagued by injuries and poor performance throughout his career, but the recent streak at the plate could result in a roster spot next season. 

Through the first 34 games of the 2021 season, Bradley Zimmer was not impressive by any means and it certainly appeared that his time in a Cleveland uniform would certainly end at the end of the season. With a WRC+ of just 83 and a slash line of .207/.361/.241 and an OPS of .602, there was not really a whole lot to like about his performance. Only two of Zimmer’s 18 hits went for extra-bases and striking out 40 times in 87 at-bats was not necessarily all that impressive. But something has happened since those first 108 plate appearances.

Bradley Zimmer looks like a different player in the box and the numbers prove it. The once highly regarded outfield prospect has seven extra-base hits (four home runs, three doubles) in 70 at-bats. Zimmer has 21 hits and four walks in 76 plate appearance with a WRC+ of 134 and a slash line of .300/.351/.514 and a OPS of 865. Additionally, 11 of his 20 RBI and 11 of his 22 runs scored have come during this span.

While it is only 21 games (July 7 – August 9), this is the type of promise that has not been seen with Bradley Zimmer in quite some time. Injury after injury derailed any potential growth and when he was able to play the results simply were not there. It is certainly possible that this is merely a simple hot streak, but it could also be signs of finally figuring things out at the plate.

As far as the future is concerned, Bradley Zimmer doesn’t have to be a superstar or even above average starter. As long as he does not completely crater down the stretch while providing something close to average play in the outfield it could make a difference in the front office’s plans for Zimmer. Being able to provide some level of consistency in the outfield would go a long way for a club that has struggled to find answers for quite some time.