Baseball
Related: About this forumKansas City @ Cleveland game on 7-7 ...
was played in one hour, fifty-one minutes.
Helped that Cleveland pitched a two-hit shut out.
Pitch clock. Wow.

Diamond_Dog
(36,449 posts)Auggie
(32,166 posts)We might have to wait a few days, or months, until somebody digs deep enough to publish pitch clock results of 2023. I suspect this may be the one of the shortest of the season so far.
Civale was masterful last night. Two hits, no walks, 70 strikes through 100 pitches. Though to be fair, it sounds like home plate umpire Brennan Miller's strike zone was expanding and shrinking throughout the game and really messed with some of the Royals' hitters.
Diamond_Dog
(36,449 posts)I have had my doubts about him because he seems to be on the IL so much. But last night he sure had his stuff. Now if only McKenzie was back in top form…. It’s anybody’s guess how long he’ll be out.
TY for the ESPN article. Hey, they even included a stat (about JRam and Naylor) that topped a New York team!
Auggie
(32,166 posts)Probably helped that Judge has been on the injured list for a while.
Cleveland.com reported that that Guardians record is near what it was last year at this time.
Diamond_Dog
(36,449 posts)Many G’s fans are anticipating the return of Oscar Gonzalez to the lineup - apparently he’s been hitting the cover off the ball in Triple-A. Maybe we’ll see a late season surge for the team if that happens.
I see Judge is still 5th in the league in HRs, pretty amazing since he’s been out for so long.
Auggie
(32,166 posts)Thanks for sharing that.
I’ve given up on Myles Straw. Very little contribution at the bottom order — a rally-killer mostly. He’s guaranteed nearly $19 million through 2026 and would be tough to trade with his current numbers.
Is there hope? What do they do with him?
Diamond_Dog
(36,449 posts)And has continued to make some highlight reel catches this year as well. He’s got speed on the base paths too. They could do a lot worse than Straw. I think the catchers’ bats are more rally killers than Straw.
Auggie
(32,166 posts)RBIs, advancing runners, productive outs, sacrifices. He can’t be counted on to bunt consistently either. You think with his speed this would be a huge plus.
Diamond_Dog
(36,449 posts)Tito has played Will Brennan in cf a few times when giving Straw a day off. I still like Straw though. Too bad he doesn’t hit more like Grady Sizemore …. Lol
Auggie
(32,166 posts)I know Straw's been working hard so I have to give him that.
If Gonzales returns, who goes?
Diamond_Dog
(36,449 posts)Auggie
(32,166 posts)Arias has a cannon arm, can play any infield position, and is always an option as a pinch runner. Question is if Fry has the defensive abilities and can call a game as well as Gallagher. I'm not close enough to Cleveland baseball to know that answer.
Arias is definitely struggling at the plate though. He likely has more minor league options too.
Yeah. Probably Arias.
BTW, worst case scenario is we're .500 at the All Star break. Considering the tough start, that's darn good.
Diamond_Dog
(36,449 posts)I remember thinking to myself last year at this time, “Eh. They’re not going anywhere this year.”
There are some pretty tough teams this year to get past, though, and I’m not sure the Guards will have what it takes. What if they win their division and have to play Tampa Bay in the first round like last year??
lastlib
(25,626 posts)

Diamond_Dog
(36,449 posts)LonePirate
(14,068 posts)chicoescuela
(1,928 posts)Mr.Bill
(24,906 posts)how much concession sales are down because of the shorter games.