2022 Season | Series #21 | Guardians @ Dodgers | June 17-19, 2022

[MadThinker88]

Switch around Palacios/Mercado for Clement and I could see that. I don't think Clement is being sent down personally... Otherwise I don't actually have any qualms with your plan.

Palacios & Mercado have other roles on this team that Clement can't fill as well.

Palacios is proving himself to be a solid PH option. Can't say that for Ernie.

Mercado is the 1st pinch runner off the bench and is also the guy sent in late for D (replacing Franmil/ Oscar G & I suspect Nolan J)...
Again that D sub role in the OF is not a role for Ernie..
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@CATS44
My suggestion is not to keep Nolan up all year.. Its to call him up now before the option is burned.
If he does well fine.
If its a repeat of Kwan & Oscar G (do well at the start then struggle), then send him down & burn the option at that point.
You noted in another thread that Oscar G is 3 of his last 10 with 2 walks. That means Oscar G is actually 4 of his last 27 & that means he is struggling.

The team is limited having Franmil/ Josh Naylor/ Oscar G on the roster at the same time. If all 3 are producing, somehow a way gets figure out.
If all 3 are not producing, someone gets optioned out for a short time to get on track...

 

[KilgoreTrout]

5 versus the Twins, hopefully Hosey returns with Franmil and Civale. We can be complete but with OGon taking some licks behind the big boys.

3 in MSP first, then 3 at home v. the BoSox, then 5 at home v. the Twinkies, so 3-game series first, against the Twinkies, and 8 of the next 11.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

What a series! It's exactly what these young pups needed to build confidence that they can compete and win against elite teams after going 1-11 against the Yankees, Angels, Giants, and Padres.

We caught the Dodgers at a good time when their bats are slumping, but still, they're a quality team. To take two out of three on the road with Jose missing the last two and the Dodgers starting three lefties is something I did not think was possible.

The $60 million team beat the $250 million team in their ballpark.

The best part is how the kids came through today.

Kwan singled to start the 8th inning rally.

Palacios, pinch hitting with two out, drove Kwan home with the tying run.

Oscar with a home run and drew a walk to start the 9th inning rally on a 3-2 pitch that missed by an inch.

Gimenez singled in the go-ahead run off Kimbrel, making up for his error that let in the third Dodger run.

Clement hit a sac fly to provide an insurance run and had two hits.

Naylor is not exactly a young guy, but had two hits and a walk, including a double to put the go-ahead run on third. He also scored on a sac fly, outrunning the throw.

The pitching combination of Bieber, Morgan, and Clase is going to be tough to beat by anybody. For once Tito didn't leave Bieber in one batter too long and went to Eli as soon as Shane gave up a hit in the 7th.

The G's have won 16 of 21 and are one game out. Sweet. Every win has multiple players who make one key play.

 

[KilgoreTrout]

These were this mornings projections...

Fangraphs

Twins 85
Guards 82
Chisox 82

Pecota

Twins 87
Chisox 84
Guards 83

BR

Guards 87
Twins 86
Chisox 82

Pick your poison.

Everyone picked us to finish last, in spring training. Twinkies and ChiSox still have to be the favorites, with their payrolls, but we are over-performing, to be sure. Our margin for error is still very small.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Reyes up, Mercado DFAd. Civale up, Sandlin down.

Agree, except Castro down instead of Sandlin.

 

[sportscoach]

Palacios & Mercado have other roles on this team that Clement can't fill as well.

Palacios is proving himself to be a solid PH option. Can't say that for Ernie.

Mercado is the 1st pinch runner off the bench and is also the guy sent in late for D (replacing Franmil/ Oscar G & I suspect Nolan J)...
Again that D sub role in the OF is not a role for Ernie..
--------------------------------------------------------

@CATS44
My suggestion is not to keep Nolan up all year.. Its to call him up now before the option is burned.
If he does well fine.
If its a repeat of Kwan & Oscar G (do well at the start then struggle), then send him down & burn the option at that point.
You noted in another thread that Oscar G is 3 of his last 10 with 2 walks. That means Oscar G is actually 4 of his last 27 & that means he is struggling.

The team is limited having Franmil/ Josh Naylor/ Oscar G on the roster at the same time. If all 3 are producing, somehow a way gets figure out.
If all 3 are not producing, someone gets optioned out for a short time to get on track...

I sincerely don't believe they will send down Clement. The numbers state he has been extremely unlucky this season as a hitter and he is the only one outside of Miller that has played all 4 INF positions plus is a right hander. If Jones comes up then Palacios goes down...

 

[CATS44]

We are in a very important stretch. Now is not the time to hold tryouts. Its also not the time to try to straighten anybody out.

The only...only...goal for the next several weeks is to win as many games as possible. No more rookies. No struggling relievers who can't be inserted into key situations. The 26 guys who give us the best chance to win.

********

Naylor is only two months older than Kwan and eight months older than OGonz.

 

[daddywags]

What a series! It's exactly what these young pups needed to build confidence that they can compete and win against elite teams after going 1-11 against the Yankees, Angels, Giants, and Padres.

We caught the Dodgers at a good time when their bats are slumping, but still, they're a quality team. To take two out of three on the road with Jose missing the last two and the Dodgers starting three lefties is something I did not think was possible.

The $60 million team beat the $250 million team in their ballpark.

The best part is how the kids came through today.

Kwan singled to start the 8th inning rally.

Palacios, pinch hitting with two out, drove Kwan home with the tying run.

Oscar with a home run and drew a walk to start the 9th inning rally on a 3-2 pitch that missed by an inch.

Gimenez singled in the go-ahead run off Kimbrel, making up for his error that let in the third Dodger run.

Clement hit a sac fly to provide an insurance run and had two hits.

Naylor is not exactly a young guy, but had two hits and a walk, including a double to put the go-ahead run on third. He also scored on a sac fly, outrunning the throw.

The pitching combination of Bieber, Morgan, and Clase is going to be tough to beat by anybody. For once Tito didn't leave Bieber in one batter too long and went to Eli as soon as Shane gave up a hit in the 7th.

The G's have won 16 of 21 and are one game out. Sweet. Every win has multiple players who make one key play.

Josh Naylor is about 10 weeks older than Steven Kwan, and 5 weeks younger than Palacios. He seems "old" because he's been around so long.

Edit: Cats beat me to it.

 

[KilgoreTrout]

Agree, except Castro down instead of Sandlin.

The numbers say you are correct. Castro with worse WHIP and ERA. Only 7.1 IP, but they’ve been rough.

Sandlin’s been struggling, no doubt, with 18 BBs in 18.2 IP. WHIP of 1.61.

 

[sportscoach]

The numbers say you are correct. Castro with worse WHIP and ERA. Only 7.1 IP, but they’ve been rough.

Sandlin’s been struggling, no doubt, with 18 BBs in 18.2 IP. WHIP of 1.61.

Castro was brought up until Civale's start....

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

One game behind the Twins and they've played eight more home games than we have.

 

[CATS44]

From what Tito said after the game it looks like Palacios is going down so that he can play every day.

 

[CATS44]

A question:

Because of having to play 18 games in 16 days, every pitcher on the roster is going to have to pitch in a meaningful situation.

Who would you rather see then....Castro or Sandlin?

 

[CATS44]

Chicago just lost, too.

 

[thestatman]

Oscar Gonzalez will not be sent down. Absolutely no way. His first crack in the majors, and he's hitting 337. Mercado has been given way more time than he deserved and he showed he cannot hit major league pitching. He will be DFA'd and then resigned just like Bradley was. Nobody will sign him.

Castro will go as well. There were much better options than him for last week's call up. 40 man roster can always be adjusted.