CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – If everything goes as planned, Cal Quantrill could be back in the Guardians rotation when the team returns home for their next homestand.
Quantrill is scheduled to pitch for AA Akron Sunday afternoon.
Assuming all goes well, Quantrill’s return to the rotation would force a roster move, but going to a six-man rotation is not a consideration according to manager Terry Francona.
“If you go to a six-man, you’re actually making your bullpen shorter,” Francona said. “So I mean I can see us when we insert Cal trying to use that maybe once through where you get an extra starter, but I don’t know that we could stay with it. I don't see how we would do it.”
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With three youngsters in the rotation now, Francona has already lost enough sleep trying to keep a close eye on how he’s used that bullpen as to not overextend any of his relievers.
“It’s a nightly source of anxiety for me and Carl [Willis],” Francona said. “I look at that thing so much and because it’s not just how much they pitch, but it’s like, okay, this guy warmed up twice…you worry. And then you look at the innings you have, and okay, you might have enough innings for the game, but if you’re down, you don’t want to ruin your chances for the next day. So it it’s a source of anxiety a lot.”
Brennan good to go – Outfielder Will Brennan wasn’t in the starting lineup Saturday afternoon but is available if needed.
“He went out and did everything today and did it well,” Francona said. “And the idea now is to let him cool down. We’ll ramp him back up during the game. You may even see him during the game, but my guess is he’ll play [Sunday].”
David Fry got the start in right field Saturday.
“He competes really well. He never, never complains,” Francona said of Frye. “He hasn’t played very much, but he’s always ready. He sits in the dugout, he's got like four gloves… let’s let him play. He’ll compete and he won’t back down and I’m kind of looking forward to it.”
Brennan jammed his left shoulder while making a diving catch in the fourth inning of Wednesday night’s win over the A’s.
Staying hot – Despite Friday night’s 7-1 loss, Josh Naylor and Jose Ramirez continue their offensive tears.
Naylor has collected a hit in 17 of his last 21 games with multiple hits in 11 of them. Since May 30, Naylor is hitting .407 while driving in 23 runs and he leads baseball with 25 RBI in the seventh inning or later.
Ramirez has hit safely in 14 of 15 games and since June 6 is hitting .400 with 16 home runs and 16 RBI. Ramirez has driven in a run in seven of eight and 11 of his last 15 games.
Strong arms – The Guardians bullpen leads MLB in earned runs allowed (90), on base percentage (.293) and base runners per nine innings (10.85) and rank second in average (.219), ERA (3.04) and runs (107) entering play Saturday afternoon.
Quote of the day – “I don’t think we can shirk, nor do we want to shirk our responsibilities, but if you do it too much, I think players view it as over managing, over coaching, panicking. When it’s a teammate, you’re a great teammate…you can't just anoint somebody. I think I was telling Cherney [GM Mike Chernoff] that in the years to come when I’m not here, don’t forget how important that is because it really does, you may not be able to quantify it, but it’s tangible.” Francona on the importance of leadership within a clubhouse.