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Guarding The Corner Episode 13 – State of the Guardians: James and Bryan discuss where the Guardians stand now, short-term outlook, and trivia.
Tag Archives: Jose Ramirez
Guardians complete sweep of Royals, win 4-0
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The Cleveland Guardians were able to take care of business with a 4-0 win Wednesday in what was the final game of their series and brief home stand. This victory completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with wins of 7-3 and 8-3.
While not a blowout or seemingly dominant, the Guardians were able to keep the Royals off the scoreboard despite multiple scoring chances. Cleveland’s pitching staff was able to limit Kansas City to a 1-6 line with runners in scoring position, but with no runs allowed. This is in addition to stranding nine Royals baserunners over the course of the game.
Konnor Pilkington did find himself walking a tightrope at times, allowing five hits and two walks. Pilkington did find himself in a bases loaded situation with one out in the 4th inning, but was able to get a strikeout and groundout to dance out of trouble. It was a career-high 5 innings pitched and eight strikeouts for Pilkington. Eli Morgan would follow Pilkington allowing two hits and striking out four in 2 innings.
Offensively the Guardians got some help from the top of the order. Steven Kwan and Amed Rosario each had two hits. Rosario was able to get Cleveland on the board with a 3rd inning RBI single.
From the bottom third of the order it was Andres Gimenez going 2-4 with a double and his RBI single in the 4th allowing Owen Miller to come around to score.
Jose Ramirez did not collect a hit, but was still able to drive in a run with a RBI groundout in the 5th inning.
Another member of the bottom third, Richie Palacios, also had two hits on the afternoon. Palacios’ RBI double in the 8th allowed Gimenez to score Cleveland’s fourth and final run.
What’s next?
The Guardians have an off day Thursday before heading to Camden Yards Friday for a three game set against the Orioles. Cleveland will head into play sitting at 22-24 against a 21-30 Baltimore squad. There is a very real chance for the Guardys to get above .500 with a sweep of the Orioles. This is a great opportunity for a young team to stack successive series on top of each other for consecutive series wins for the first time this season.
Jose Ramirez AL Player of the Week
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After an extremely impressive run over the past week, Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez has been named the American League Player of the Week. Former Guardians shortstop Francisco Lindor is his National League counterpart.
As expected, Jose Ramirez was on another another level last week. Ramirez had eight hits in 23 at-bats with only one being a single. Ramirez had three doubles, three home runs, and one triple while driving in 11 runs, scoring five times, walking three times, and stealing three bases. these are the types of stretches that can lead to a player winning some big time hardware at the end of the season. Ramirez has come close before, perhaps this year is different.
Guardians manage 12 hits in win over Royals
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It was a hit parade down on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario as the Guardians tallied 12 hits in their 8-3 win over the Royals.
Amed Rosario, Ernie Clement, Andres Gimenez, and Oscar Gonzalez each collected two hits in the contest. Rosario would double and triple while Gonzalez managed another double. Gonzalez (2), Gimenez, and Clement would each drive in runs.
Austin Hedges may have had just one hit, but he made it count. Hedgey hit a three-run shot in the 3rd to increase the Guardians lead at the time to four. Owen Miller did manage a hit in four at-bats in addition to driving in a run on a groundout.
The truly interesting part of the Guardians performance is that Jose Ramirez had one hit in two at-bats. This is due to Kansas City intentionally walking Ramirez in his first two plate appearances in addition to a traditional walk later in the game. Considering that Ramirez is the current American League Player of the Week it is hard to question their thought process. Make any non-Ramirez player beat them, fortunately for the Guardians it worked out in their favor.
On the mound
Taking the mound for the Guardians was Cal Quantrill. Quantrill would allow three runs in 6.1 innings on six hits while striking out five. This was the third straight game which saw Quantrill pitch at least 6 innings while allowing three runs or less.
Sam Hentges would record the final two outs of the 7th, striking out one and allowing just one hit.
Enyel De Los Santos and Bryan Shaw would not allow a hit during the 8th and 9th innings with the latter walking two.
What’s next?
A potential series sweep awaits the Guardians as their three game set with the Royals wraps up Wednesday afternoon. A win in the series finale would bring Cleveland within two games of .500 and set them up nicely to eclipse it with their upcoming three game set in Baltimore.
Ramirez, Gimenez homer in Guardians win
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After a disappointing series in Detroit, the Cleveland Guardians came home to take on the lowly Kansas City Royals. Facing this opponent at home was what the Guardians needed as they came away with a 7-3 win.
Home runs from Jose Ramirez and Andres Gimenez drove in five of Cleveland’s seven runs. Ramirez hit a two-run homer in the 3rd to break a 1-1 tie. Gimenez broke a 3-3 tie in the 5th with a three-run shot.
Zach Plesac was the Guardians starting pitcher and had a bounce back performance on the mound. Plesac allowed one run on hits and a walk while striking out five in 6 innings. This is the polar opposite of his last outing which saw Plesac surrender seven runs on nine hits in just 4.2 innings.
Eli Morgan, Trevor Stephan, Nick Sandlin, and Emmanuel Clase. Morgan and Clase were spectacular as they combined for four strikeouts while the latter allowed one hit. Stephan failed to record an out while allowing two runs on three hits. Sandlin did not allow a hit or run, but walked three batters.
Other Guardians of note
Oscar Gonzalez keeps chugging along with another 2-4 day. Gonzalez is currently hitting .438 in four games this season.
Steven Kwan was 1-3 with his second triple of the season. Kwan’s steal of second in the 2nd was his second stolen base of the year.
What’s next?
The series at home continues as the Guardians look to secure a win before the final game of the series. Cleveland’s starter is Cal Quantrill while Kansas City will start Daniel Lynch.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 P.M.
Guarding The Corner Ep. 12 – Rocked in Detroit
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Guarding The Corner Episode 12 – Rocked in Detroit: James and Bryan discuss the Guardians dropping two of three to Detroit, the upcoming series with Kansas City, and trivia.
Ramirez, Bieber lead Guardians past Tigers
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It was the combined efforts of Jose Ramirez and Shane Bieber that propelled the Cleveland Guardians over the Detroit Tigers with an 8-1 win.
Ramirez went 2-4 with five RBI thanks to a bases clearing triple and a two-run homer. In addition to what he did at the plate, Ramirez scored three times, walked once, and stolen base. Josh Naylor also had a productive day at the plate going 2-5 with a double, two RBI, and a run scored.
Bieber struck out five Tigers in 8 innings. The Guardians starter scattered eight hits while allowing just one run. This outing combined with Cleveland’s offense taking advantage of Detroit’s pitching led to a much needed win Saturday.
The early success of Oscar Gonzalez also continued. Gonzalez again went 2-4, one of those hits being a double. Another young outfielder, Richie Palacios, joined Gonzalez in the quest for playing time. Palacios got two hits in four at-bats with an RBI and a run scored. Both Gonzalez and Palacios have found playing time due to Franmil Reyes landing on the list. So far they have taken advantage as they may push another outfielder off the roster considering how the unit has performed so far.
The third and final game of the series (thanks to Friday’s’ postponement) will take place Sunday at 1:40 with Triston McKenzie starting for the Guardians while Elvin Rodriguez will be Detroit’s counterpart.
Guarding The Corner Ep. 11- Space City Blues
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Guarding The Corner Episode 11 – Space City Blues: James and Bryan discuss the Cleveland Guardians performance in Houston, their upcoming series with Detroit, and trivia.
Guardians lose to Astros 7-3
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The same kind of success was not there for the Cleveland Guardians Tuesday night as they lost to the Houston Astros by a score of 7-3. This comes following Monday’s comfortable 6-1 victory at Minute Maid Park.
Zach Plesac was Cleveland’s pitcher and was able to keep things close until the 5th inning. Houston would add four runs to their total as they managed to chase Plesac before he could finish the inning. It was a rough night for Plesac as the seven runs allowed were more than his two previous status combined (six). The nine hits in 4.2 innings was just two fewer than the 11 allowed over 12 innings against the White Sox and Reds. This is the long way of saying it was not his night.
The Guardians did manage to get on the board first thanks to a Jose Ramirez solo shot (surprise, surprise). Ramirez battled Framber Valdez for 11 pitches before depositing the 12th into the Crawford Boxes in left field for his 11th big fly of the season. Cleveland’s third baseman would drive in another run via a groundout in the 6th with the game already all but over.
After splitting the first two games of the series a rubber match awaits the Guardians and Astros Wednesday night. Cleveland will turn to Cal Quantrill while Houston sends Cristian Javier to the mound.
With Tuesday’s loss Cleveland is now 18-21 on the season, seven games back of the first place Minnesota Twins.
Guardians come out on top in Houston, win 6-1
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Getting a win against the Astros is not easy, especially if the game is in Houston. That is just what the Guardians did Monday night. Cleveland came into Minute Maid Park and handed the AL West leaders a 6-1 loss.
Propelling the Guardians offense was none other than Jose Ramirez. With Cleveland clinging to a 2-0 lead, it was Ramirez who doubled that with a two-run shot in the 5th. The perennial MVP candidate would finish the game 2-5 with four RBI.
Triston McKenzie was dominant on the mound, allowing just three hits while walking one over 7 innings with one run coming across to score. Nick Sandlin, Sam Hentges, and Emmanuel Clase would handle the final two frames.
This was a much needed win for the Guardina as they are coming off a 1-3 stretch against two of the worst teams in baseball (Reds, Tigers). While a series win should not be the expectation against Houston, winning one and being competitive in the other two is a realistic outcome. So far so good as one game has already gone to Cleveland’s way.