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New York Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Nine numbers that reflect the state of the up-and-down Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians need a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds next month or they'll relinquish the Ohio Cup to their Buckeye State foes for the first time since 2014. These are desperate times in northeast Ohio. Let's examine some numbers that shed some light on the Guardians' state of play as they embark on a week of in-division play against the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers, the two teams ahead of them in the AL Central. Advertisement That OPS, by the way, was a meager .526 entering Sunday. Only the Royals' right fielders have been less productive. Jhonkensy Noel is 12-for-80 with 27 strikeouts. Nolan Jones is 19-for-105 with 36 strikeouts. For an offense that, as a whole, ranks 21st in OPS, this has been the greatest problem area. Lane Thomas could help to alleviate what's been a black hole when he returns in the coming days. Perhaps the most shocking part about this right field timeshare? Jones and Noel, whom both possess the muscle to pepper the upper deck seats, have combined for only four homers. Entering Sunday, only 12 qualified big leaguers had logged a lower slugging percentage. Santana is drawing walks at a healthy clip, per usual, but his extra-base hits have vanished. He has three doubles and four home runs, or about one extra-base hit per week. Santana's at-bats per extra-base hit, by year: 2025: 21.3 2024: 10.6 2023: 9.6 2022: 11.6 2021: 16.6 2020: 13.7 2019: 8.8 David Fry will return soon from elbow surgery, and if Santana's power hasn't resurfaced by then, the Guardians can't be afraid to slice into his playing time. That'd be his highest wRC+ (weighted runs created plus) since 2020, when he finished runner-up in AL MVP voting. This signifies that he's been 44 percent more proficient than the league-average hitter this year, in case anyone was concerned that the 32-year-old was slowing down at the plate. He has boosted his walk rate, trimmed his strikeout rate and is hitting for his highest average since 2017. He's on pace for 32 homers and 42 stolen bases. Stephen Vogt's lineup couldn't survive without him. José Ramírez crushes a 401-foot homer 💥 #RivalryWeekend — MLB (@MLB) May 16, 2025 He has 10 thus far, and where would the Guardians be without that new power source? Here's the list of Cleveland hitters with 35 or more in a season in the 21st century: Tanner Bibee is responsible for three of the seven. Luis Ortiz has two, and Logan Allen and Gavin Williams have one apiece. That's it. That's about one start of that caliber per week. The rest of the league has accounted for 409 of these starts, or about 14 per club. It helps to explain how Cleveland has already used 21 pitchers (after using an average of 27.5 the last four years), and that doesn't include Vince Velasquez, who spent a few days on the roster but didn't enter a game. Advertisement Among Cleveland's starters, only Ben Lively has a lower rate. Bibee hasn't looked like himself for much of this season. Last year, he struck out more than five hitters in 18 of 31 outings. This year, it's 0-for-9. His chase rate and whiff rate have tumbled, too. A shift to focusing on efficiency for the sake of piling up innings, rather than chasing strikeouts, is perfectly sensible, and Bibee has been pitching deeper into games over the last few weeks. The results, however, have been mixed. Bibee's 4.06 ERA is right around league average. That's across 17 innings (even though, somehow, he has recorded only six strikeouts). Allard has been a savior for Cleveland's pen, just as everyone would have expected. The quartet of Emmanuel Clase, Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Tim Herrin remains the team's core strength. But the other half of the bullpen has been a revolving door. The Guardians need another reliable arm or two, even if Allard's output proves sustainable. The answers might be waiting in Triple-A Columbus in the form of Andrew Walters, Franco Aleman and Nic Enright. Allard was a first-round pick a decade ago and a consensus top 100 prospect for three years. He broke into the big leagues before he turned 21. But it's been a bumpy road to this point. Now 27, Allard signed a minor-league deal with the Guardians — his fourth team in eight years — and worked his way into their bullpen. He has pitched in long relief to rescue the staff and has even dabbled in high-leverage opportunities. He's putting to use the lessons learned from 10 years of trials. 'I wouldn't have always been able to sit up here and tell you exactly who I am as a pitcher,' Allard said. 'I stopped trying to chase velocity, velocity, velocity and tried to focus more on making pitches, mixing pitches and putting them in the right spots. … I've taken some lumps at the big-league level and there were times when I thought throwing harder might solve those problems. Just getting older, being a little more mature, slowing the game down a little bit out there and seeing things before they happen (has helped).' Only Ramîrez can top Schneemann's .839 OPS, a development everyone surely predicted. He ranks third on the team in homers, with six (one more than he hit all of last year in twice the trips to the plate). His emergence has been critical for a middle infield in flux. Brayan Rocchio was so ineffective he was optioned to Triple A. Gabriel Arias has been fine. Juan Brito is sidelined until the middle of the summer. Angel Martínez has been needed to patrol center field. Advertisement This is, admittedly, an oddly specific statistic. Why is it interesting? Well, one of those 14 is Bibee. OK, fine. Another one? Ben Lively. No one would have anticipated that when Lively, a career journeyman with a 5.05 ERA, landed in Cleveland on a league-minimum deal a year and a half ago. He's on the injured list, and is awaiting a second opinion on his right forearm strain. But he was pitching as well as he ever has, allowing only one run in 14 innings in May and holding the opposition to zero or one run in five of his last seven starts. 'That's the worst part about it,' he said. 'That's why I just wanted to keep running back onto the field, even though it was (painful).' He first felt the discomfort on a strikeout of Josh Bell in the fourth inning of his start against the Washington Nationals on May 6. That day, he lasted only 63 pitches. He exited after three innings against the Milwaukee Brewers last Monday and then wound up on the injured list. He said he endured 'the craziest mental game of all time' as he debated whether to speak up about his injury as he stood atop the mound and knew something wasn't right. Ultimately, his forearm felt tighter, and despite insisting he was fine, 'They were basically like, 'OK, stop, Mr. Tough Guy,'' he said. (Top photo of José Ramírez: Ben Jackson / Getty Images)
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'This will be the first time I root against them.' Francona reflects on Cleveland years
Terry Francona isn't the self-indulgent type, and he's not one to insert himself into the center of baseball matters. To that end, the first-year Cincinnati Reds manager had a decision to make on Feb. 18, the opening day of Cactus League play in spring training: Stay back in Goodyear, Arizona, and preside over the split-squad Reds against the Cleveland Guardians, the club he used to manage, or head to Maryvale, a few towns over. The other half of the Reds roster would play the Milwaukee Brewers there. Advertisement Reds homestand Nick Martinez The Reds avoided a series sweep against the Chicago White Sox. Here's how Reds Pete Rose celebration 'We're very proud of who he is': Pete Rose family celebrates reinstatement of Reds legend Francona chose the unglamorous bus trip to Maryvale − a decision that would keep the day's focus on his players, as well as Cleveland's focus on their's. The time for reminiscing about his former employer would come soon enough. This weekend, Francona was finally confronted with games against the Guardians where he couldn't avoid his connection between the two franchises. On Friday, Francona still didn't put himself at the center of the Reds-Guardians series, but he embraced playful conversation regarding his personal history in Cleveland, where he managed for 11 seasons, enjoyed a .549 winning percentage and claimed an American League pennant in 2016. Advertisement "You know, this will be the first time I root against them," Francona said. "For the longest time, man, even last year. I always rooted for 'em. Not this weekend. Lot of guys I love over there but I hope we beat them. "I had 11 of the best years of my life there. Love the people there." "You know, this will be the first time I root against them. For the longest time, man, even last year. I always rooted for 'em," Terry Francona said of facing his former team the Guardians. Francona still has his fingerprints on the current-day Guardians, including staying out of the way of his replacement, 2024 AL Manager of the Year, Stephen Vogt. On paper, Francona was still a special adviser in the Guardians organization. He wanted to make the trip from his home in Tucson, Arizona, to Goodyear and check in on his former players. Francona later decided against doing so, saying on Friday: "I didn't think that was fair to anybody. To anybody. So, I stayed away. I thought it was the right thing to do." Advertisement In a February interview with The Enquirer, Vogt praised Francona for aiding in his transition into Cleveland's managerial role. Francona still knows his former players well. He heaped praise on Friday's starter, Tanner Bibee. Asked how he'd handle pitching to Cleveland slugger Jose Ramirez in a late-game situation, Francona, smiling, said he simply hoped it wouldn't come up. The Vogt-led Guardians offer an interesting benchmark for the Reds and observers to compare themselves against. The annual meetings between the two clubs, branded as the "Ohio Cup," has been won or retained via season-series tie for 10 consecutive seasons by the Guardians. Advertisement It's only May, but the Guardians (25-18) are also positioned well in the AL playoff picture with the hot summer months approaching. Having managed All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez, Terry Francona knows how much damage he can do. When asked how he'd pitch Ramirez in a key spot, Francona said he just hoped the situation wouldn't come up. Other than the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the Reds haven't tasted postseason baseball since 2013. Meanwhile, the Guardians are coming off advancing to last season's AL Championship Series. And Cleveland's run in last year's postseason, as well as several of Francona's years with the Guardians, served as proof-positive that Ohio's smaller-market clubs can compete on MLB's biggest stages. Standing at 21-24 entering play Friday, May 16, Cincinnati was just looking to stabilize in the midst of losing nine of 12 games. Advertisement "We're 40-(something games) − we're a lot into the season, and we want to win bad," Francona. "That's kind of what I think... I love seeing them, but we want to win." So, while his fondness for Cleveland prevails, Francona is focused on the task at-hand. And true to form, he brought his comments regarding his Cleveland affections back around to his affection and professional responsibilities for the Reds. "I'm here (in Cincinnati) now and I'm supposed to be as good a manager as I can be," Francona said. "I want our guys to − but that doesn't take away any of my feelings for the guys over there." This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds' Terry Francona reflects on his time with Cleveland Guardians
17-05-2025
- Sport
Will Benson's 3-run homer helps Reds beat Guardians 5-4
CINCINNATI -- Will Benson hit a three-run homer, Brady Singer earned his fifth win and the Cincinnati Reds hung on to defeat the Cleveland Guardians 5-4 on Friday night. Austin Hays also homered for the Reds, who have won two in a row after dropping three straight. Singer (5-2) allowed three runs and three hits in five innings, struck out four and walked one to win his second start in a row. Emilio Pagán, the Reds' fourth reliever of the game, retired the Guardians in order in the ninth for his 10th save. Bo Naylor and José Ramírez homered for the Guardians. Benson lined a three-run homer off Tanner Bibee (3-4) to put Cincinnati ahead 3-0 in the second inning. It was his second home run in as many games. Hays' fifth homer of the season on Bibee's first pitch in the third made it 5-0. It was the 11th homer allowed this season by Bibee (3-4) who gave up five runs — four earned — and 10 hits in six innings. Carlos Santana extended his on-base streak to 18 games with a two-out, two-run single off Singer in the fourth to make it 5-2. Naylor led off the fifth with his sixth homer of the season off Singer. Ramírez cut the Guardians' deficit to one with a solo homer off Graham Ashcraft in the eighth. The Reds were denied a sixth run when Guardians right fielder Will Brennan threw out Gavin Lux trying to score from third on Tyler Stephenson's fly ball to end the third and keep the score close. The Guardians have won the season series against the in-state rival Reds — and with it, the coveted 'Ohio Cup' the past 10 seasons. RHP Chase Petty (0-2, 21.94) starts for the Reds on Saturday, while RHP Slade Cecconi will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to start for the Guardians.
San Francisco Chronicle
17-05-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Will Benson's 3-run homer helps Reds beat Guardians 5-4
CINCINNATI (AP) — Will Benson hit a three-run homer, Brady Singer earned his fifth win and the Cincinnati Reds hung on to defeat the Cleveland Guardians 5-4 on Friday night. Austin Hays also homered for the Reds, who have won two in a row after dropping three straight. Singer (5-2) allowed three runs and three hits in five innings, struck out four and walked one to win his second start in a row. Emilio Pagán, the Reds' fourth reliever of the game, retired the Guardians in order in the ninth for his 10th save. Bo Naylor and José Ramírez homered for the Guardians. Benson lined a three-run homer off Tanner Bibee (3-4) to put Cincinnati ahead 3-0 in the second inning. It was his second home run in as many games. Hays' fifth homer of the season on Bibee's first pitch in the third made it 5-0. It was the 11th homer allowed this season by Bibee (3-4) who gave up five runs — four earned — and 10 hits in six innings. Carlos Santana extended his on-base streak to 18 games with a two-out, two-run single off Singer in the fourth to make it 5-2. Ramírez cut the Guardians' deficit to one with a solo homer off Graham Ashcraft in the eighth. The Reds were denied a sixth run when Guardians right fielder Will Brennan threw out Gavin Lux trying to score from third on Tyler Stephenson's fly ball to end the third and keep the score close. Key stat The Guardians have won the season series against the in-state rival Reds — and with it, the coveted 'Ohio Cup' the past 10 seasons. Up next —
Hamilton Spectator
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Will Benson's 3-run homer helps Reds beat Guardians 5-4
CINCINNATI (AP) — Will Benson hit a three-run homer, Brady Singer earned his fifth win and the Cincinnati Reds hung on to defeat the Cleveland Guardians 5-4 on Friday night. Austin Hays also homered for the Reds, who have won two in a row after dropping three straight. Singer (5-2) allowed three runs and three hits in five innings, struck out four and walked one to win his second start in a row. Emilio Pagán, the Reds' fourth reliever of the game, retired the Guardians in order in the ninth for his 10th save. Bo Naylor and José Ramírez homered for the Guardians. Benson lined a three-run homer off Tanner Bibee (3-4) to put Cincinnati ahead 3-0 in the second inning. It was his second home run in as many games. Hays' fifth homer of the season on Bibee's first pitch in the third made it 5-0. It was the 11th homer allowed this season by Bibee (3-4) who gave up five runs — four earned — and 10 hits in six innings. Carlos Santana extended his on-base streak to 18 games with a two-out, two-run single off Singer in the fourth to make it 5-2. Naylor led off the fifth with his sixth homer of the season off Singer. Ramírez cut the Guardians' deficit to one with a solo homer off Graham Ashcraft in the eighth. Key moment The Reds were denied a sixth run when Guardians right fielder Will Brennan threw out Gavin Lux trying to score from third on Tyler Stephenson's fly ball to end the third and keep the score close. Key stat The Guardians have won the season series against the in-state rival Reds — and with it, the coveted 'Ohio Cup' the past 10 seasons. Up next RHP Chase Petty (0-2, 21.94) starts for the Reds on Saturday, while RHP Slade Cecconi will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to start for the Guardians. — AP MLB:
