Cleveland Sports Forum

Guardians had 6 occasions in the nightcap where they had runners on second and third with 2 or fewer outs and couldn't score. Twice in extras. The 11th with the bases loaded an 1 outs. Houdini on the mound squirmed out of 3 of those situations out of the 4 innings he worked. Deservidly so, picked up the win. The sox will play the spoilers role in the second half.

Spoilers for what ?

Rodriquez and Wilson need to be on the bus to Columbus ! Immediately ! Rodriquez can only hit ground balls which is why he could not make it last year !

Agree! J-Rod has been a major disappointment for me and Wilson has not clue.

Winning sure is nice. During this streak we picked up 4 games on the Tigers. At one point, their lead was 16. It's down to 12.

Still 4.5 games back in the wild card hunt. Tied with KC. The Twins are 4 out.

Gotta keep winning these division game to have any chance at all.

Nice effort by the White Sox.

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Good bet that we see De Lauter after the break.

Guardians prospect Chase DeLauter out of Triple-A lineup to have sore wrist evaluated

Maybe I spoke too soon.

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DeLauter, the Guardians’ first-round pick in 2022, did not start Saturday night and was out of the lineup again Sunday in the Clippers’ final game before the International League All-Star break.

DeLauter has been dealing with the soreness in his wrist for the last couple of weeks. The symptoms increased before Saturday’s game, causing him to not play.

Might be a good reason why De Lauter wasn't promoted earlier.

RHP Shane Bieber (right elbow): He threw a bullpen session on Sunday and will throw a two-inning rehab game Tuesday in Goodyear, Arizona.

RHP Trevor Stephan (right elbow): He’s scheduled to throw one inning in his rehab assignment Sunday at Columbus.

INF Gabriel Arias (left ankle): He’s doing full baseball activities and full-go running. Will start running the bases later this week.

OF Lane Thomas (plantar fasciitis): Doing some light baseball activities.

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Don't put any major hopes on DeLauter. if he ever helps out it will be a pleasant surprise and probably only briefly.

Twins as of this morning have 17 on their roster. They'll try to find 9 more to fill the dugout and the bullpen.

Schneeman had 3 hits on Saturday and 3 hits on Sunday. Reward is sitting on the bench tonight. Before you say facing a left hander I need to remind everyone that banjo hitting Nolan Jones is starting.

Nolan had a single!! [and by the way struck out 3 times] He is unquestionably of no value whatsoever. They have a surplus of LH outfielders now that Kayfus is up in lieu of jrod.
Might as well re-try Noel or pick up some veteran who may be available on waivers. [if he weren't yet another lefty I'd be OK giving Petey Halpin a look]

That was an entertaining although not altogether artful game. Cecconi was excellent again, one bad pitch following a wild-pitch strikeout and ground ball error put two on base. The bullpen was 3/4 successful: newish comers Sabrowski and Enright were very effective; Smith got himself into a big jam and impressively worked out it. Gaddis eminently hittable.
Arias had a big day at bat; he and Rocchio are both hitting much better after time away [although Rocchio error at 2ndBase setup the 3 run homer.
Nice to see the team manage 7 runs on a day Ramirez went hitless.

Impressive tenth inning rally for the Gs featuring a walk, a big league quality error, and a sac fly.

I totally agree on bringing someone up or picking up someone to replace Jones. Weak hitting (no power) right fielders do not last long in MLB !

Jones had that highly impressive 2023 season which wound up with him ranking on lists of the top 100 players in pro ball. There will be a few more teams that will think they can resurrect that season so he'll hang around the edges of the majors for a couple more years. Then he can take his strong arm and try a second life as a pitcher like Naquin and Gose.
He's gone from CLE to COL to CLE maybe COL would like him back since they are the only team for whom he actually has shown any offensive ability. Not that we will get anything like Freeman in return; in fact I don't imagine any of us on the forum care if we get anything at all back.

a bit of jones background although it makes no difference now:
2023: Breakout Season with the Rockies
- Stats: .297/.389/.542 slash line, 20 HR, 20 SB, 137 wRC+
- Defensive Impact: 9 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) in left field
- Accolades: NL Player of the Week in September, 4th in NL Rookie of the Year voting
- Historical Note: First rookie in MLB history with 20 HR, 20 SB, and 19 outfield assists


AI summarizes:
1. Launch Angle Collapse
- 2023: Average launch angle was 13.2°, ideal for line drives and home runs.
- 2024–2025: Dropped to 7.8°, resulting in more ground balls and fewer extra-base hits.
- - Impact: A lower launch angle means he’s hitting the top half of the ball more often, killing lift and power.
2. Barrel Rate Decline
- 2023: Barrel rate was 12.7%, among the top third in MLB.
- 2025: Down to 8.0%, indicating fewer well-struck balls.
- Cause: His bat path is flatter and less upward through the zone, likely due to compensating for back pain.
3. Bat Speed and Squared-Up Contact
- Bat Speed: Averaging 72.5 mph, which is decent but not elite.
- Squared-Up %: Just 22.8%, ranking in the bottom quartile of MLB hitters.
- Interpretation: He’s making contact, but not with the optimal part of the bat or at the right angle.
4. Groundball Surge
- Groundball Rate: Rose to 52.4% in 2025, up from 39.1% in 2023.
- Fly-Ball Rate: Dropped to 27.4%, down from 37.5%.
- Result: Fewer chances for home runs or deep extra-base hits.

Kayfus at 1st today with Manzardo DH and Santana a rare day off. Bo Naylor a somewhat surprising No. 5 hitter; although Bo has been rather hot, since the All Star game his line is 243/356/541. Jones in the dugout.