Tag Archives: Roberto Perez

Guardians pick up option on Ramirez, decline Perez

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The Cleveland Guardians have made some roster moves involving 2022 options.

A couple of unsurprising roster moves from the Cleveland Guardians have been made. The club has picked up the 2022 option on Jose Ramirez while declining the option for Roberto Perez.

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Picking up the option for Ramirez was a no-brainer for the Guardians. Ramirez is one of the best players in baseball and routinely finds his way into the MVP conversation in some capacity. Add in the fact that Ramirez will only make $12 million in 2022 making this decision much easier for the team.

Declining the option for Perez also makes sense. Perez was due $7 million next season and that is simply too much for what Perez brings to the table. Sure, Perez is excellent behind the plate but $7 million is a steep price to pay for someone who essentially is a pitcher batting ninth in the order with a bat in his hand.

Cleveland smashes Yankees in 11-1 win

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The Cleveland Baseball Club won their third and final game of their series with the New York Yankees by a very comfortable margin.

The unlikeliest of unlikely outcomes came Sunday afternoon in The Bronx. The Cleveland Baseball Club hammered Yankees starter Gerrit Cole as they came away with a 11-1 victory over New York. Cole allowed seven runs on 10 hits while walking one and striking out seven in 5.2 innings. What bit Cole was the long ball as he allowed home runs to Jose Ramirez and Roberto Perez in back-to-back innings before exiting the game. Prior to that it was three RBI singles which gave Cleveland the lead. Harold Ramirez came though in the 1st and 3rd innings, driving in four runs off just two hits while Perez singled home a run in 3rd as well.

Cleveland totaled 16 hits in all and scored 11 runs along the way while walking three times. Jose Ramirez was a perfect 4-4  and Yu Chang went 3-5, accounting for nearly half of Cleveland’s hits.

Eli Morgan started the game for Cleveland and he was impressive. Morgan struck out just three batters while allowing one run on six hits in 6 innings of work. The only run allowed by Morgan was a solo home run from former Cleveland baseball player Gio Urshela. After Morgan it was three scoreless innings form Trevor Stephan, Blake Parker, and Sam Hentges.

With the win, Cleveland is now 72-74 on the year while the Yankees are firmly in fourth place in the AL East. Cleveland returns home to take on the Royals for the beginning of their final home stand of the year beginning with a doubleheader Monday. 

Roberto Perez activated off IL, Lavarnway DFA’d

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The Cleveland Baseball Club made some moves at the catcher position Tuesday prior to their doubleheader with the Minnesota Twins.

A familiar face is returning behind the plate for the Cleveland Baseball Club. The team has activated catcher Roberto Perez off the injured list and designated Ryan Lavarnway for assignment in a corresponding move.

Lavarnway has been used a fill-in twice this season, for four games in June and five in September.

Roberto Perez has only appeared in 34 games this season due to injuries. Even when Perez has been available he has not been effective with a bat in his hands. Perez has a career low batting average of .136 and on-base percentage of .246 this season. While Perez is not in the Cleveland lineup because of his bat, this is not necessarily acceptable production, even though the catcher position is mostly barren across the sport. The rest of the season should just be about seeing if Perez can help develop the young pitching staff and hoping he does anything at the plate.

How should Cleveland approach the deadline?

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With the trade deadline rapidly approaching and the Cleveland Baseball Club pretty far out from contention, how should they handle the next few days?

At this current moment in time the Cleveland Baseball Club is nearly 10 games back of the AL Central leading Chicago White Sox and there are three teams in between ahead of them in the race for the second Wild Card. Considering their current spot in the standings and the fact they are still missing the majority of their pitching staff, it is time to consider selling at the trade deadline. Cleveland needs to reset their roster, get some answers on their younger players, and get ready for next season.

As far as trade candidates go, anyone not named Shane Bieber should be discussed. That does mean that exploring a trade involving Jose Ramirez should be on the table, but considering the high price they will be asking for it is unlikely to happen. However, if a team is desperate enough and offers a king’s ransom for Ramirez, those expirations better turn into serious considerations.

Another player that should fall into this category is James Karinchak. Cleveland has no reason to trade Karinchak, but if a team is looking to solidify their bullpen and offers a worthwhile package, they would be fools not to consider. Add in the fact of the volatility with relievers in general and the fact the team add more talent into their system, it is not out of the realm of possibilities.

Players that could/should be moved

Finally, the section everyone has been waiting for. Who could the team actually move? For starters Cesar Hernandez seems like a no-brainer. Hernandez has a team-option for next season and currently has a career-high 17 home runs on the year. Any contender would love to add someone who can hit from both sides of the plate and extend their lineup just a bit more.

If any team actually comes to the table and offers anything for Eddie Rosario they should take it. Rosario has been a disappointment in Cleveland this season and if they can flip him or anything they should take advantage of that opportunity.

Bryan Shaw is another name that could be on the move. Contenders are always looking for relief help and Shaw is in the middle of a renaissance season after three unsuccessful seasons elsewhere. Shaw’s 2021 ERA of 2.84 is the best since the 2014 season while his 1.331 WHIP has not been bested since his last season in Cleveland (1.213 in 2017).

Bargain options for contenders

Much like what their approach to Eddie Rosario should be, they should apply that same logic to Bradley Zimmer. If a team is looking for someone to be a pinch runner late in games, Zimmer is their guy. From Cleveland’s perspective they need to clear some room in the outfield to get better looks at other options in their system.

Blake Parker is another relief arm that could be on the move. Parker has been steady in his limited role this season (2.70 ERA and 1.260 WHIP in 16.2 innings). Even if Parker is a moderate upgrade over lower end relievers, teams should be interested in some capacity.

The catchers

Cleveland should explore trading one of their catchers. Roberto Perez is making $5.5 million this season with a team option worth $7 million for next year while Austin Hedges is making just under $3.3 million and is entering his final year of arbitration next season. Considering the offensive limitations of both players and the dollar figures the team is spending in this area, moving one of these salaries prior to the deadline should be considered. Hedges has four home runs and 14 RBI in 49 games with a .159/.204/.245 slash line while Perez has six home runs and 15 RBI in 30 games with an uninspiring .153/.272/.357 slash line. To be blunt, the catcher position has been a black hole this season and that is being nice. Moving on and trying to find someone else to man the position beyond this season should be an option for the front office.

Clase blows save as Cleveland loses 5-4

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Emmanuel Clase gave up a walk-off two-run homer to Jed Lowrie as the Cleveland Baseball Club lost by a score of 5-4 in Oakland.

Not a great start to the second half of the season for Emmanuel Clase. The Cleveland Baseball Club reliever came on in the 9th to close the game and promptly allowed the game-tying run to reach four pitches in. After inducing a line out to potentially set up a game-ending double-play, Jed Lowrie came to the plate and hit a walk-off two-run home run to hand Cleveland the loss. It was the fourth blown save of the season for Clase as he only threw a total of eight pitches in this outing.

Cleveland was in a position to win due to a competent start from Eli Morgan and some timely home runs from surprising sources. Morgan would allow three runs on seven hits while striking out six and walking one in his 5 innings of work. Phil Maton, Bryan Shaw, and James Karinchak would all keep the Athletics off the scoreboard for the following three innings before Clase’s less than stellar performance.

Half of the runs for Cleveland came on solo home runs from Roberto Perez, his sixth of the season, and Bradley Zimmer with his first of the year. The other two runs came on a Franmil Reyes RBI single and a sacrifice fly from Harold Ramirez.

With the loss Cleveland is still 8 game back of the division leading Chicago White Sox while the gap between themselves and Oakland grew to 5.5 games. Decision time is rapidly approaching for the Cleveland Baseball Club with a minor selloff the most likely scenario.

Cleveland Baseball Club at the All-Star Break

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Where do things stand with the Cleveland Baseball Club as they trail by eight games in the division?

Looking at the injured list for the Cleveland Baseball Club one would think that this team is without a doubt a below .500 team, but somehow the Fighting Francona’s are 45-42 on the year despite a rash of injuries and underwhelming offense. So, where do things stand with the Cleveland Baseball Club at the All-Star Break?

Injuries

Josh Naylor is out for the season after suffering a gruesome injury not too long ago. That is only the most recent major injury for the team. Cleveland has also dealt with injuries to two other prominent outfielders on the roster, Eddie Rosario and Jordan Luplow. Additionally, the club was without both Roberto Perez and Austin Hedges for a time, forcing them to rely on the combo of Rene Rivera and Ryan Lavarnway. That is before even discussing the injuries to their pitching staff. Shane Bieber has been shelved for quite some time as well as Aaron Civale. Cleveland just saw the return of Zach Plesac after he got hurt in a strange series of events.

The key players who have played a role in the team staying afloat

This conversation obviously starts with Jose Ramirez. Ramirez is having a down year from the slash line perspective up to this point (.260/.346/.524/.870), but the counting stats seems to be right on track. The 2021 All-Star has 19 home runs, 18 doubles, 1 triple, 52 RBI, 8 stolen bases, and 35 walks in 82 games.

Franmil Reyes has been another key factor for Cleveland as he seems to have finally become comfortable since being traded in 2019. The slugger has 14 home runs, 10 doubles, and 2 triples with 38 RBI and 14 walks in 47 games. Reyes did miss some time due to injury so considering that into the mix his production is fairly impressive.

The one player that everyone has been clamoring for, Bobby Bradley. Bradley finally has been given his chance and seems to performing as expected. Bradley has 10 home runs, five doubles, and 20 RBI in 31 games. The one issue that everyone was aware of prior to his call up was strikeouts as Bradley has struck out 36 times in 119 plate appearances. As long as Bradley is hitting the ball over the fence and into the gap the strikeouts are palatable, if not it is a different story altogether.

While Cesar Hernandez has struggled in areas that he is usually proficient in (batting average, on-base percentage), the unexpected power production has been a welcome sight. Hernandez has 15 home runs and 13 doubles with 38 RBI in 85 games. The 15 home runs from Hernandez ties a career-high from 2018, a season which also saw the second baseman focus on power.

Opponents after the break will dictate what the team does

There is a lot that will be learned after the All-Star Break as the Cleveland Baseball Club embarks on a tough schedule. Cleveland will travel to Oakland and Houston before returning home to face Tampa and St. Louis with two games in Chicago against the White Sox taking place before the trade deadline. If Cleveland is going to actually stay in contention they will have play above expectations during this stretch. Closing the gap between themselves and Chicago and Oakland will be crucial if they are going to avoid selling.

Trade candidates

If things do not go their way and Cleveland needs up selling, there are some pretty obvious names the team can move at the deadline. As far as position players are concerned, Eddie Rosario and Cesar Rosario come to mind. Both players are on one-year deals and could be of interest to contending teams looking to add another bat to their lineup. It would also give Cleveland the chance to get a good long look at some of their younger players in their farm system at those positions.

Also worth noting is that there are a couple of relief arms that could be moved as well. When it comes to the trade deadline teams are always looking to add another arm to the bullpen. There are three names that Cleveland could end up moving if things do not go their way. Those arms would be Bryan Shaw, Blake Parker, and Nick WIttgren. While none are elite arms by any means, teams are always looking to add to their bullpen and adding one of these three could make a huge difference for a contender.

Rest of season outlook

This is really tough to predict considering the wide range of outcomes that could occur for Cleveland. The team has mostly overachieved considering the talent level of some of their players and the injuries that have occurred. Somehow they are not completely out of it in the division, but that is mostly due to the White Sox dealing with their own rash of injuries. One bad week could send the team from contention to selling while one good week could keep the team in the playoff hunt. Their best bet is most likely a soft sell of sorts, moving pieces that would provide the biggest return and see how the rest of the season plays out.

Cleveland uses 17 hits and 14 runs to top Royals

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The Cleveland Baseball Club pounded out 17 hits en route to a 14-6 win over the visiting Kansas City Royals.

While the Cleveland Baseball Club did not win via the walk-off home run for the third straight game, they did manage to come away with a comfortable eight-run victory over the Royals. The Cleveland batters were all over pretty much everything that the Royals pitchers had to offer. Mike Minor was Kansas City’s first pitcher and he surrendered six run on nine hits in just four innings. It was the 4th inning which gave Minor the most trouble as Bobby Bradley drove in the first for Cleveland on a RBI double. Cesar Hernandez would come up later in the inning and add three more to the scoreboard with a three-run shot.

In the 6th it was Roberto Perez taking Erving Santana deep for his fifth of the year.

Santana would give up another run as Amed Rosario drove in Bradley Zimmer on a RBI double.

The homer-fest did not end in the 6th as Oscar Mercado crushed a three-run homer for his first of the season.

Jose Ramirez would cap off the 14-run effort in the 8th with a solo shot. It was Ramirez’ 19th home run of the year.

Cleveland pitching did just enough

Cal Quantrill got the start for Cleveland Saturday and pitched admirably. Quantrill did have two mistake pitches which resulted in two home runs, one to Salvador Perez in the 4th and another to Andrew Benintendi in the 6th. Quantrill would finish the game allowing just the three runs on rive hits while striking out and walking one.

Nick Sandlin would follow Quantrill with three runs coming across to score, although none of them were earned.

With Sunday’s game postponed due to rain, Cleveland enters the All-Star break with a 45-42 record. Cleveland is 7.5 games back of the Chicago White Sox entering Sunday and four games back of Oakland for the second Wild Card spot. A trip to Oakland after the break should provide some intrigue in regards to the playoff hunt.

Shane Bieber strikes out 13 to stop skid

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The Cleveland Baseball Club ace stepped up when he was needed most by striking out 13 batters in a much needed 6-3 win

After losing Saturday under some less than desirable circumstances, the Cleveland Baseball Club needed a win in the worst way. Enter Shane Bieber. Bieber was absolutely dominant as he mowed down batter after batter for the Cleveland Baseball Club. Shane Bieber was so good in fact that he tied Nolan Ryan for the most strikeouts by a pitcher in their first four appearances.

Whenever a player is mentioned in the same breath as Nolan Ryan that is some elite company and that is Shane Bieber. This was not the only notable accomplishment for Bieber in the game. By striking out 10+ in his fourth straight game, Shane Bieber is the first pitcher with 10+ strikeouts in his first four starts since 1893.

One more fun fact for Shane Bieber in his dominant start. Bieber’s 8 games with 10 or more strikeouts is the most in baseball since the start of the 2020 campaign.

How about some offense?

In order for the start from Shane Bieber to matter, the offense was going to have to do their part. Good news, it did. The Cleveland bats were able to launch three home runs in the contest to give Bieber the run support he needed. Jose Ramirez struck in the 1st inning.

Roberto Perez would club a three-run shot in the 4th to extend Cleveland’s lead to four.

In the 7th it was Jordan Luplow’s turn as he hit a two-run shot to give Cleveland a few insurance runs.

With the 6-3 win in Cincinnati, Cleveland stopped a two-game losing skid and was able to get back over .500 on the year. Monday is an off day as they will return to action at home when they host the Chicago White Sox.

Shane Bieber dominates in 2-0 Cleveland win

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The Cleveland Baseball Club pitcher shut down the Chicago White Sox with 11 strikeouts over 9 innings in a 2-0 victory.

Looking for a bounce back victory, the Cleveland Baseball Club turned to Shane Bieber and it paid dividends. Bieber was one half of an incredible pitcher’s duel with Chicago White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito. Fans of excellent pitching definitely sat back and enjoyed themselves over the course of this game.

Shane Bieber was absolutely dominant in his third start of the season and was able to secure his first victory of the season. Bieber struck out while allowing only 3 hits and 1 walk in 9 innings of work. The reigning Cy Young Award winner basically threw a complete game shutout while adding to his major league leading strikeout total.

The only real problem for the Cleveland Baseball Club was their offense was just down by Lucas Giolito. Giolito lasted 7 innings and kept Cleveland in check with 3 hits, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts. As mentioned above, this was a great duel between two great pitchers.

Things changed when the game went to extra-innings. In the top of the 10th things got started with Josh Naylor reaching on an infield single. This would allow Franmil Reyes to go to third on an error. With 1 out in the inning, Roberto Perez would also reach on an infield single, allowing Reyes score and giving Cleveland a 1-0 lead. Amed Rosario was up next and came through big time. Rosario roped a double into center field which was enough for Naylor to score.

James Karinchak came on in the 10th looking for his first save of the season. Karinchak was able to get the job done. Striking out Nick Williams, including a Yasmani Grandal ground out, and a Jake Lamb fly out to secure the 2-0 win for Cleveland.

Game 3 of the series will take place Wednesday at 8:10 P.M.

Cleveland pummels Detroit with five home runs

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The Cleveland Baseball Club won their third straight game against the Detroit Tigers thanks to five home runs in an 11-3 victory.

The long ball has come a theme for the Cleveland Baseball Club when facing the Detroit Tigers. It was two home runs in Friday’s 4-1 victory, both from Franmil Reyes. Cleveland slugged five home runs in their 11-3 Saturday night as they secured a series win against Detroit.

Roberto Perez got things started for Cleveland in the 2nd inning with a two-run shot.

A bat in desperate need to break out, Cesar Hernandez, launched a solo shot for his first home run of the year in the 3rd.

One of the more divisive players in the lineup, Jordan Luplow, blasted a three-run jack in the 4th inning to blow the game wide open.

Luplow actually hit a second home run in the game, but it was incorrectly called a double by those in charge of the review process in New York.

Building upon his hot Friday night, Franmil Reyes hit a solo shot in the 7th to increase the Cleveland lead back to eight.

With an eight run lead in the 8th, Andres Gimenez came up to the plate and hit his first homer in a Cleveland uniform. This home run gave Cleveland a temporary 10-run lead.

As far as pitching goes, Aaron Civale was dominant on the mound. Civale kept the Tigers in check, allowing 1 run on 3 hits over 7.2 innings of work. Cleveland could not have asked anything more from Civale and he delivered.

Oliver Perez and Trevor Stephan handled the final 1.1 innings for Cleveland. The Tigers actually got to Stephan when it did not matter and added two more runs for their side.

Cleveland has a chance to sweep Detroit when they take on the Tigers Sunday at 1:10 P.M.