CLEVELAND, OH - For the Cleveland Guardians (47-26), the seven run second inning might catch fans eyes on first glance of their 7-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays (35-40), but it was the pitching that jumped out on Friday night, a common theme over the past few games.
Guardians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco held the Toronto Blue Jays to a single run coming off a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. blast to left field, the lowest runs he has allowed since May 5th against the Los Angeles Angels. The veteran also pitched six innings in the win, the longest start that he has had since May 10th against the Chicago White Sox.
Carrasco only allowed four hits, including the home run, did not walk a single Blue Jay and struck out seven. For Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, this is a process that Carrasco has been working through since returning from the injured list on June 2nd.
“Oh, it's huge,” Vogt said of Carrasco’s performance and ability to pitch through the 6th inning. “It was huge for all of us, huge for the bullpen. … I think like we've talked about since he's come off the [injured list] his stuff has been up. It was nice to put his command with having everything [going]. [He was] hitting spots, getting weak contact, [striking] guys out, that was as good as we’ve seen [Carrasco] all year. [The Guardians] came out hot [in the] first two innings, got the lead, and pitched like they believed. It was awesome.”
Austin Hedges shared similar sentiments of Carrasco following the win about the right-hander's growth and where he's at in his career.
“He's fought through adversity more than most guys in the sport, and it's awesome to have him around every day,” Hedges said of Carrasco following the win. “When he goes out on the mound, the energy he brings out in our dugout is fantastic. It doesn't matter if he's pitching well or not, he's firing the boys up all the time. Especially in a day like today where it's a big day for him to go out there and go deep into the game and stay in the game, both for him and for us, I'm just proud of him.”
“There's days like today where he looks like prime [Carlos] Carrasco,” Hedges continued. “When he’s throwing strikes [and] mixing all of his pitches everybody, it's tough to hit him. He's got a legit four-seam [fastball], two-seam [fastball], changeup, slider, curveball combo, and it's just that every hitter is going to get one of each. It's really tough to time all that up and to play for that movement too.”
Guardians starting pitchers over the last three starts have struck out 21 opponents and allowed four runs over 19 innings. Prior to Wednesday, the starters had pitched through the 6th inning just one time in June. Since then, they have yet to pitch less than six innings and all turned in quality starts.
In the same timeframe, the Guardians have won nine games, six of them have come when allowing 1-3 runs in the game. In their seven losses this month, the team has allowed four runs or more in six of them.
The team’s starters have been on a roll as of late, and, for a team that has been hoping for more solutions with the rotation in 2024, hopefully this is a sign of things to come for the group.
A Series of Kwan-fortunate Events
As part of the 70 pitch second inning, Steven Kwan had a single up the middle that ricocheted off the glove of Blue Jays shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa that would have extended his hit streak to 15 games and on-base streak to 25 games.
The problem? It was a line drive up the middle and Guardians catcher Austin Hedges thought that Kiner-Falefa had made the catch. After realizing that he didn't make the play, Hedges was thrown out at second for the force out and was ruled a force out, taking away Kwan's hit.
“I was laughing because, of course Kwan would lose his hitting streak on a hit,” Vogt joked after the game. “Those plays happen. [Hedges] thought [Kiner-Falefa] caught it. It's tough to tell sometimes, but it's just funny to me that that's how it ended. We're not worried. He's not worried. He's going to start another one tomorrow and get the ball rolling again.”
Welcome to the Big Leagues
Prior to the game, the Guardians called up infielder Angel Martinez from AAA-Columbus, while placing infielder Gabriel Arias on the family medical emergency list. Martinez, 22, had hit .333 with three home runs, 11 RBI, and .988 OPS 17 games across two stints with the Clippers.
Martinez is ranked as the organization's ninth best prospect, according to MLB.com, where he was also named an organizational all-star in 2023. He's also started at five positions (SS, 3B, 2B, CF, DH) with Columbus in 17 games this season.
On the Mend
Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams made another rehab start on Friday night with the Akron Rubberducks. He threw 66 pitches, 47 of which were strikes, with the Rubberducks over five innings. He allowed one earned run on four hits and struck out four Rumble Ponies.
Williams, 24, has been on the injured list since March 25th, originally starting on the 15-day list, but transferred to the 60-day in early May. He started 16 games in 2023 with Cleveland and had a 3-5 record with a 3.29 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 82 innings.
What's Next?
The Guardians will hand the ball to right hander Ben Lively (6-3, 3.02) for the start on the bump tomorrow. The Blue Jays will counter with right hander Jose Berrios (6-5, 3.13) getting the start. First pitch at Progressive Field will be at 4:10 PM.
