Latest news with #GuardsBall
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Steven Kwan brought 'Guards Ball' to the All-Star Game, but wrist injury has him sidelined
CLEVELAND — All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan brought some "Guards Ball" to the All-Star Game, and the brand is officially going mainstream outside the Cleveland clubhouse. Kwan stepped to the plate as the American League's last hope with two outs in the ninth inning and the potential run on third base. In typical Guardians fashion, Kwan made contact that just so happened to find the right spot to drive in the tying run in with an infield RBI single before the National League went on to win via the first ever Home Run Swing-Off. As Kwan returned to the dugout for the bottom of the ninth, a few New York Yankees coaches jokingly gave him a hard time for it. "The Yankee staff knew about it [Guards Ball], which was funny," Kwan said before the Guardians-Athletics game on July 19. "They're all looking at me, shaking their heads, saying, 'Guards Ball,' and I couldn't help but laugh at that. I think [Guardians manager Stephen Vogt] was whispering in their ears as well, but the words came out of their mouth, which was funny." Steven Kwan injury update Kwan was out of the lineup for the first two games after the All-Star break as he deals with a right wrist issue, the result of a slide on which his hand was caught and dragged along the base and dirt. He sustained the injury before the All-Star break, though it appeared to be a day-to-day issue. It then flared up again in Houston just a few days before the All-Star Game. Kwan discussed the situation with the Guardians, and it was agreed upon he could play in the All-Star Game itself, although Kwan was careful about not doing anything beyond the actual swings needed for the game itself. "Yeah, I talked to them, obviously want to play with the best in the world," Kwan said. "They fully supported me on that, which I really appreciated. I wanted to be responsible about it, just playing in the game. Didn't do any BP [batting practice]. I just stood there for the shagging stuff but didn't try to go too crazy with it." Cleveland All-Star lineup: Building the all-time Cleveland baseball All-Star team, from Boudreau to Thome to Clase As Kwan was playing through the injury before the All-Star break, the hope was to avoid needing a shot, and the wrist would heal on its own. "Back in Houston, I took a big swing and it kind of flared up again, so I think that's when we were just like, 'Yeah, we need to just get a shot and be out with it, especially if we're going to have a strong second half.' I want to make sure I'm 100 percent for that run." Steven Kwan's 2025 statistics Kwan is batting .285 with a .345 on-base percentage, six home runs, 20 doubles, 32 RBIs, 43 runs scored and 11 stolen bases while playing Gold Glove-level defense in left field, enough for his second consecutive All-Star selection. But for the last few games in which he played, the wrist injury was starting to become a bigger factor. "Yeah, I think the inside pitch has definitely been kind of hampering me a little bit," Kwan said. "Hitting a ball is hard enough, and then when you're trying to manage a wrist, nobody wants to put excuses on that, but it's just hard to manage a bunch of things like that at once." Manager Stephen Vogt noted July 19 the team doesn't see this as an Injured List situation, and that Kwan is day to day. But with the Guardians trying to make up ground in the AL wild card race — they entered July 19 4.5 games out of a playoff spot — missing their All-Star lead-off hitter is a potentially major loss. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan details wrist injury after missing games
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Cleveland Guardians end 10-game losing streak with 7-5 win over Houston Astros in a thriller
The Cleveland Guardians finally stopped the bleeding. After losing 10 games in a row and falling apart in multiple close finishes, they bounced back with a strong team performance to beat the red-hot Houston Astros 7-5 on Monday night at Daikin Park. Cleveland's night had everything they were missing during the slump, early scoring, a timely hit in the clutch, and a bullpen that closed it out. The Astros, who had won 10 of their last 11 home games, threatened with a huge fifth-inning rally but couldn't find a way back after that. What happened in the match? The Guardians got going early. A scary moment came in the third inning when a line drive RBI single from Steven Kwan struck Houston starter Colton Gordon on the head. The ball deflected into the outfield as Will Wilson scored to give Cleveland a 2-0 lead. Gordon stayed in the game, but Jose Ramirez made him pay soon after, smashing his 15th homer of the season to bring home two more runs. Tanner Bibee looked solid on the mound for Cleveland through four innings, allowing just one baserunner. But Houston's fifth-inning comeback changed the mood quickly. Victor Caratini and Cooper Hummel each singled before Taylor Trammell launched a three-run home run to left — his first of the year. Just when it seemed the Guardians were unravelling again, Isaac Paredes added a solo shot to tie it 4-4 and end Bibee's outing. Brayan Rocchio delivers in the clutch as the bullpen locks it down Brayan Rocchio had laid down two sacrifice bunts earlier in the night, but with the game tied and two outs in the sixth, he came through in style. Facing an 0-2 count, Rocchio smashed a slider into the left-field corner off Steven Okert, bringing home Angel Martinez and Bo Naylor to put the Guardians back in front. Clutch!Cleveland #Guardians 24yr old switch-hitting (SS) Brayan Rocchio gives Columbus the lead on a 2-run double with one out in the 9th inning for Columbus at Rocchio it was his 11 double and he now has 19 XBH in just 39 games with the Clippers. #GuardsBall The Astros tried to respond again, and Victor Caratini pulled them back within a run in the bottom of the sixth with a solo homer off Matt Festa. But that would be as close as they'd get. Paul Sewald and Hunter Gaddis each pitched scoreless innings to hold the lead. Then, closer Emmanuel Clase stepped in and retired the side in the ninth to earn his 19th save of the season.
New York Times
29-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The disappearance of ‘Guards Ball' and Cleveland's long wait for Chase DeLauter: Meisel
CLEVELAND — Before every game, the Guardians flash a graphic of a Merriam-Webster dictionary page on the scoreboard at Progressive Field. 'Guards Ball' is the spotlighted phrase, with phonetic spelling, part of speech (it's a noun) and a two-part definition. 'Guards Ball' is intended to reflect 'gritty, high-effort baseball,' 'characterized by relentless hustle, aggressive baserunning and a commitment to high-IQ fundamentals.' 'Guards Ball' doesn't translate year to year, though. Advertisement After many of the team's recent sloppy, listless losses, manager Stephen Vogt has voiced that the Guardians didn't play like themselves. But he's clinging to versions of the team that simply don't exist this year. Eventually, you are the team you claim you are not. That magical joyride of 2024 is in the rearview. The admirable, pesky style Cleveland showcased in 2022 is a relic. The 2025 club, just past the midpoint of the season, still has no identity, other than a team that struggles to muster much of a threat at the plate. The most head-scratching aspect of the operation is the organization's lack of urgency to change that. Following a weekend sweep at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Guardians sit at 40-42, below the .500 mark for the first time since early April. Vogt and team president Chris Antonetti have stressed the team needs to stay the course, that better days lie ahead for the lineup. Of course, that's press conference speak, which shouldn't carry much weight. This wasn't an imposing lineup even when the team was winning. 'I believe in this team,' Vogt said Sunday. 'I believe we have the right players. I believe our guys are talented, phenomenal baseball players. My confidence never shakes with this group.' The players called a clubhouse meeting following a one-hit shutout Friday night. They're clearly cognizant of the lackluster performance — they went 9-16 in June, after all — but an airing of grievances won't suddenly spark a bunch of lifeless bats. 'We didn't sign up to play 80 games,' said catcher Austin Hedges. 'We play 162. When September's over, that's when we'll judge our season.' The Guardians' brand of baseball this season has been largely dull and mistake-filled, not an ideal recipe for a team with no margin for error, given its payroll and mode of operation. Advertisement So, what's the solution? There's no rewinding to the winter and making more of an effort to bolster a lineup that wasn't particularly lethal last year, either. They gambled on Carlos Santana, Bo Naylor, Nolan Jones, Brayan Rocchio, Gabriel Arias, Angel Martínez and Jhonkensy Noel. Nothing has worked. The root of the organization's shortcomings is its continued inability to consistently develop hitters. They've more or less mastered the pitching side of the equation, but they're still searching for the elusive formula on the hitting side. Outfield deficiencies have plagued this team for more than a decade. The Guardians don't spend lavishly in free agency, which makes it imperative they churn out capable young players, or trade the right prospects for the right big-league talent at the right time. Instead, they stockpiled middle infield prospects, none of whom have panned out. So, we're all waiting on the next wave of prospects the organization is hoping and praying will flip the narrative. And that leads us to Chase DeLauter. We're certainly closing in on a promotion of the 2022 first-round pick. But why has it taken this long? DeLauter and Juan Brito almost surely would have debuted by now if they hadn't suffered injuries in March and April, respectively. They've been especially careful with DeLauter, who has yet to play in more than three consecutive games in the minors this season. There have been times, Antonetti said, when they've needed to ease up on him because his body hasn't recovered as quickly as hoped as they increased his workload. That's a more viable excuse for keeping him at Triple A than another one the front office has leaned on: Who loses at-bats when DeLauter earns a promotion? Spin a wheel. It's immaterial. If 39-year-old Carlos Santana loses a game or two a week against a right-hander, that's surely better for the long-term health of the franchise — and it might be better in the present tense, too, considering Santana has floundered and DeLauter carries lofty expectations at the plate. Lane Thomas, unlike DeLauter, hits right-handed. Nolan Jones has had three months to prove himself. Advertisement There are ways to get DeLauter sufficient playing time. This isn't exactly trying to shoehorn a fifth Beatle into the group. DeLauter plays right field. Cleveland's right fielders rank 29th out of 30 teams in offensive production. Their center fielders rank 30th. Their shortstops rank 30th. Their catchers rank 28th. Even mediocre production out of one of those spots would offer a jolt. And this is all while having the platoon advantage far more than any other team in baseball. The average MLB team has the platoon advantage (meaning a hitter facing the opposite-handed pitcher) 54.1 percent of the time. The Guardians, meanwhile, have the platoon advantage 76.8 percent of the time. It hasn't helped. The Guardians have scored in one of their last 36 innings. When Kyle Manzardo blasted a homer to center on Saturday, a press box staffer accidentally uttered on the PA system that it snapped a 21-game scoreless streak before quickly correcting it to a 21-inning drought. It only felt like 21 games. The fourth inning on Saturday: six runs, six hits, zero errors The other 35 innings the last four days: zero runs, nine hits, eight errors This is a lineup worth shaking up. That 9-16 June record — which, as of this writing, is guaranteed to be better than only one other team, the Nationals — comes despite the fact they entered Sunday's action with the seventh-best ERA in the league this month. Cleveland's front office regularly solicits opinions from a variety of evaluators in the organization on prospects who could be ready for a promotion to another level. They collected their latest intel on DeLauter over the weekend, and Antonetti admitted that, for the first time, he is officially in consideration for a major-league opportunity. Will he struggle upon his first bout with big-league pitching? Maybe. It'd be unfair to expect any prospect to rescue an entire lineup. But if he struggles, he'll be no different than every other outfielder on the club not named Steven Kwan. Advertisement DeLauter should join the club soon. Brito shouldn't be too far behind. C.J. Kayfus has made a convincing case with his bat, but the way things are heading, he seems like a first baseman destined to replace Santana following a trade deadline dump. Somehow, a team that stood three wins from the World Series eight months ago is trending toward a summer of retooling. There have been no signs of the old 'Guards Ball,' despite the displays on the scoreboard. 'As soon as we start changing things, that means we don't believe,' Vogt said. 'We haven't changed a thing. We believe in this group. We're going to turn it around.' (Photo of José Ramírez: David Richard / Imagn Images)
New York Times
21-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Guardians weekend sweep takeaways: Emmanuel Clase, Steven Kwan and Triston McKenzie
PITTSBURGH — A fresh batch of thoughts on the 12-9 Guardians as they return to Progressive Field for a nine-game homestand against the Yankees, Red Sox and Twins… Hitters have swung at 31 of Joey Cantillo's changeups this season, missing on 17 of those swings for an absurd whiff rate of 54.8%. Advertisement Kyle Manzardo was the first Cleveland hitter since PNC Park opened in 2001 to deposit a home run into the Allegheny River. Overall, 51 hitters have combined to whack 82 homers into the river. Manzardo already has more home runs this season (six) than he did last year in about twice the plate appearances. Kyle ambushing the first pitch really robbed us of Hammy calling a river run. On a different note … dude.#GuardsBall — Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 19, 2025 The Guardians are 3-2 in Ben Lively's five starts, even though he has opposed the following starters: Cole Ragans, Dylan Cease, Shane Smith, Ragans again and Paul Skenes. Cleveland has won three consecutive Logan Allen starts, as the southpaw has allowed only one earned run across 16 innings in that span. Gabriel Arias has four multi-hit games in his last eight starts. Entering this season, he had 23 multi-hit games in 145 career starts. Austin Hedges is averaging 4.46 pitches per plate appearance, which would rank third in the American League if he had enough trips to the plate to qualify. The Guardians have played in only six games decided by one or two runs (28.6% of their games). Last year, 49.1% of their games were decided by one or two runs. … in a few months? You can see the formula that can make him effective. He throws a 96 mph fastball, a 95 mph sinker and a 91 mph cutter that all move differently. He can drop in a changeup to complement the sinker, or a slider to complement the cutter. The key is command. But when he's hitting his spots, those pitches all play off each other in harmony. By the summer months, will he have demonstrated some consistency? Ortiz's strikeout rate in 2024: 19.2% Ortiz's strikeout rate in 2025: 24.7% Ortiz's strikeout rate his last two starts: 42.9% Advertisement 'He's got a bunch of pitches going in a bunch of different directions,' said catcher Bo Naylor. 'When you're in the zone with multiple pitches, it doesn't allow the hitter to be able to eliminate as much as they would like to.' … for Triston McKenzie. If he had a minor-league option, this would be simple. Instead, he's either stuck in Cleveland's bullpen or banished to the waiver wire. Let's examine some data. Keep in mind, he has only logged 5 2/3 innings, so while it's evident to anyone watching that he's struggling, surface-level numbers aren't necessarily reliable. To complicate matters, since the Guardians can't trust him in a non-lopsided game, there's no way for him to get consistent work to try to escape this funk. At some point, if this continues, he'll run out of time. Andrew Walters is ready whenever the Guardians need a fresh arm. Erik Sabrowski, Nic Enright and Franco Aleman, who are all on the mend, could be options at some point in May or June, too. … Steven Kwan's. He's on pace for more than 30 home runs. He's hitting .325 with an .879 OPS, with a career-best .494 slugging percentage. Can he sustain this through September? Each season, he finds new ways to torment pitchers. This year, it feels like he has something close to the finished product at the plate. He's a threat to yank a fastball into the right-field seats. He rarely offers at anything outside of the zone. He can find a gap in the outfield grass as well as any hitter in the sport. Stevie, baby.#GuardsBall — Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 16, 2025 That's probably why Gavin Williams shrugged when asked earlier this season how he would approach an at-bat against Kwan. 'Flip one up there,' Williams said. 'Hopefully he hits it on the ground. I don't really know.' The two squared off while rehabbing last season, and Williams said Kwan even pestered him in that low-key setting. Advertisement 'He's a pretty elite hitter,' Williams said. 'I want to get people out in four pitches or less. Kwan fouls a lot of pitches off because he knows the strike zone very well, and he can get to about anything if he wants to.' … his defensive skill set was on full display last week. On Thursday, with Ramón Urías on first base, Gunnar Henderson hit an opposite-field double to left field. As Kwan chased after the fly ball, he slowed his pace for a second and raised his glove to fool Urías. Without that deke, Urías would have run full speed and scored. Instead, in the ensuing at-bat, Urías was picked off third. On Friday, he corralled an Enmanuel Valdez double off the left-field wall and, without hesitation, twisted his body and launched a one-hopper to third base to nab Bryan Reynolds and take the bite out of a Pirates ninth-inning threat. The most satisfied person in the dugout? Outfield coach J.T. Maguire, who has worked with Kwan since his nascent days in Cleveland's organization in 2018. Maguire, a soft-spoken guy, said he was internally shouting with pride after the ninth-inning throw. Kwan's ability to understand how the baseball will carom off the wall, to know how to position his body to uncork the proper throw and to know, while his back is turned toward the action, where to throw the ball, explains why he's never not won a Gold Glove Award. The best word to describe it, Maguire said, is 'savvy.' … who is still chugging along in the big leagues 17 years later. Carlos Santana appeared in his 2,100th game Saturday, the second-most among active players, behind only Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen. OK, so the trade was actually Blake to the Dodgers for Santana and pitcher Jon Meloan, who totaled 17 2/3 innings in the majors from 2007-09. Two of those innings came with Cleveland. Santana, meanwhile, ranks sixth on the franchise's all-time home runs list and trails only Jim Thome on the walks leaderboard. Santana ranks 49th in major-league history in walks, and could stroll his way into the top 40 this summer. He could chase down Willie McCovey, Alex Rodriguez, Todd Helton, Eddie Murray, Manny Ramirez, Tim Raines and David Ortiz by the end of the season. Two-thirds of the names ahead of him on the all-time list are Hall of Famers, and many who aren't — Barry Bonds, Pete Rose, Rafael Palmeiro, Rodriguez, Ramirez — have deserving numbers, but, well, uh, extenuating circumstances. … and you'll notice that, before his nightmarish ninth inning on Sunday, he had all but abandoned his slider. In his first three appearances last week, he threw 27 cutters and two sliders. The results: three save chances, three save conversions. On Sunday, in a 30-pitch root canal against the Pirates, he threw 19 cutters and 11 sliders. He continues searching for the formula that, before October, made him the league's most reliable reliever. His numbers this season are jarring. Clase in 2024: 74 1/3 innings, 39 hits, five earned runs, .154 opponent average, .392 opponent OPS Clase in 2025: 10 1/3 innings, 20 hits, nine earned runs, .426 opponent average, 1.070 opponent OPS (Photo of Kyle Manzardo and José Ramírez: Justin Berl / Getty Images)
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The viral AI-generated action figure trend is potentially putting your cybersecurity at risk, experts warn
In recent days, everyone from government agencies to celebrities to pro sports teams have hopped on the latest artificial intelligence-generated trend, using programs like ChatGPT to create an image of themselves in Barbie-like plastic packaging. However, tech experts warn that the light-hearted trend carries some risks, ranging from potentially inviting cyber scams to raising ethics and sustainability concerns. Participants in the trend often generate images featuring items referencing various aspects of their life, whether it's where they live, what they do for a living, or a favorite pastime. Those type of disclosures could help scammers trick people down the line. Oh, you know we had to hop on the fellas, reimagined as action figures.#GuardsBall — Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 14, 2025 Clark County employees, assemble! 💪We joined the action figure trend to spotlight some real-life heroes who make our community stronger every day. Because when we work #togetherforbetter, anything is possible. 💙Want to join our team? Apply now: — Clark County Nevada (@ClarkCountyNV) April 16, 2025 'The fact that you are showing people, 'Here are the three or four things I'm most interested in at this point' and sharing it to the world, that becomes a very big risk, because now people can target you,' Dave Chronister, the CEO of cybersecurity company Parameter Security, told HuffPost. 'Social engineering attacks today are still the easiest, most popular way for attackers to target you as an employee and you as an individual.' Jennifer King, a privacy and data policy fellow at the Stanford University Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, added in an interview with the outlet that users ought to consider that their images will likely go towards training future AI models, the same tools increasingly being integrated into corporate and military applications. Others have urged users to be careful incorporating trademarked material into their action figures. "Mattel has been known to pretty actively enforce protections against their marks," attorney Charles Gallagher told Fox13. "Having a Barbie logo on your action figure would probably be something you don't want to have." In the face of the action figure meme, some have sought to remind the public of the enormous energy and water needed to feed the advanced computers that power AI models. "ChatGPT Barbie represents a triple threat to our privacy, our culture and our planet," Professor Gina Neff of Queen Mary University London said in an interview with BBC.
