2022 Season | Series #9 | Blue Jays @ Guardians | May 5-8, 2022

[Lee]

The fans are UP ON THEIR FOOT!

*fixed....not enough fans there for plural.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Wow, didn't see this coming. They beat Manoah piggybacking two guys who are backup starters.

I was really impressed with Pilkington. Once he got through the first four hitters he was lights out. Great move in getting him for Cesar Hernandez.

Naylor needs a new glove. Or better yet, stop ducking his head as the ball arrives and watch it into his glove.

Huge props for Owen Miller. His main problem this year, IMO, has been chasing too many fastballs at the letters. The Jays were attacking him with high fastballs today and he was chasing them. But in the 8th inning he got behind 0-2 and they threw two consecutive fastballs just above the zone and he adjusted and laid off them. So at 2-2 he gets a breaking ball at the knees and THAT is his pitch, baby!

He reminds me of Tyler Naquin. If Tyler could lay off chasing the high heat and wait for a low breaking ball he could give it ride.

Miller is hitting .458 in the 7th inning or later. He eats relief pitchers for breakfast. He's also a good two-strike hitter. Both the sac fly and the home run came with two strikes.

Franmil with three line drive hits - to right, left, and center. I think he was 9-for-14 this series. When El Mole is swinging the bat like that it changes everything. Coming in right-handed hitters were batting .092 against Manoah, but Franmil singled and doubled off him. Really impressive the way he's been using the whole field.

With Mercado due up in the 8th against Cimber, who is murder on right-handed hitters, with two out and two on in a tie game, I was calling for Palacios to pinch hit. But Tito stuck with Oscar and he delivered the game winning hit. I think Tito was expecting an extra inning game and didn't trust Palacios in left field where one mistake could cost the game.

Clase was hitting 102. I think that's the hardest he's thrown this year.

Tremendous series win especially against a very good team after the G's were something like 0-11 against teams over .500.

Now we just need to figure out what happened to Bieber's four-seamer, which is down to 90.5 from the 94.0 of his Cy Young season.

 

[Gson]

Wow, ....Huge props for Owen Miller. His main problem this year, IMO, has been chasing too many fastballs at the letters. The Jays were attacking him with high fastballs today and he was chasing them. But in the 8th inning he got behind 0-2 and they threw two consecutive fastballs just above the zone and he adjusted and laid off them. So at 2-2 he gets a breaking ball at the knees and THAT is his pitch, baby!...... Really impressive the way he's been using the whole field.

I think it's time for Owen Robert Miller to get a nick name...

Opie Taylor vis^a^vis Andy Griffin Show seems to fit.. Perhaps Owen Bobby Miller shortened to:

O-B Miller might work..

..doubtful.. it will remind all you other guys of your golf game....

 

[petes999]

With Mercado due up in the 8th against Cimber, who is murder on right-handed hitters, with two out and two on in a tie game, I was calling for Palacios to pinch hit. But Tito stuck with Oscar and he delivered the game winning hit. I think Tito was expecting an extra inning game and didn't trust Palacios in left field where one mistake could cost the game.

Palacios and Santos were sent down for McCarty and Pilk to be called up. And, Chang is coming back any day now. So, we got to ride with Mercado as only Clement and Rosario were on the bench (other than Maile).

 

[KluberSociety]

I think it's time for Owen Robert Miller to get a nick name...

Opie Taylor vis^a^vis Andy Griffin Show seems to fit.. Perhaps Owen Bobby Miller shortened to:

O-B Miller might work..

..doubtful.. it will remind all you other guys of your golf game....

He hits the ball though, unlike people named Bobby

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Palacios and Santos were sent down for McCarty and Pilk to be called up. And, Chang is coming back any day now. So, we got to ride with Mercado as only Clement and Rosario were on the bench (other than Maile).

Thanks, I thought Palacios may have been sent down but had not heard about it.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

This series may be a turning point in the season. Up until now the G's have dominated the bad teams and been dominated by the good teams. But taking 3 of 4 from the Jays, who are ranked 5th in the majors in The Athletic's power poll, will give them the confidence they can compete and beat the best teams.

The Jays two best starters both pitched in this series.

Franmil starting to hit was a big part of what turned it around. He's 9-for-19 in May and the Guards are 4-1 in those games.

For the season the G's are hitting .319/.939 with RISP and two out. Naylor is 5-for-9, Kwan 4-for-7, Gimenez is 6-for-11, and Reyes 5-for-12. Jose is 9-for-27.

 

[CDAV45]

Great win and great series. I'm telling you these young guys can pitch and some of them are ready.

Good thing Owen hit one out to tie the game. Imagine having a RFer that could do that with some frequency.

Franmil is officially out of his slump. He's banging the ball all over the place.

Whenever it happens, having a good hitting corner OFer and C will turn this team into one of the best in the league. They're pretty damn good now.

 

[Real Deal]

 

[The Oi]

This team is ready to contend for the next decade.

 

[Real Deal]

This team is ready to contend for the next decade.

Find me a power stick at 1st, RF, or C and bank on Gavin and Espino being studs at the top with Bieber in the between, that decade will be ever so sexy.

 

[sportscoach]

Find me a power stick at 1st, RF, or C and bank on Gavin and Espino being studs at the top with Bieber in the between, that decade will be ever so sexy.

We have to let Naylor start at 1B or RF and there isn't a power stick at C available right now. (There is just a complete and utter shortage of Cs that have a good power stick). When it comes to 1B/RF though, I don't have a doubt in my mind we can find a power stick in the market here soon.

 

[Benway]

We'll see how May goes.
In June, we start shopping for mercenaries.

This ain't no .500 team.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Before leaving this series I just wanted to say again how impressed I was with Pilkington. He had to have been nervous in his first big league start and right off the bat he had to face Springer, Bichette, and Guerrero. But once he got past the first four hitters he was unhittable. The Jays went 0-for-12 with a pair of walks.

"There’s something to be said for a young kid that endures a 36-pitch first inning and then stays out there and compete and reels it back in and ultimately gives us a chance to win,” Francona said. “That was really exciting.”

Pilk had 14 swings and misses in 3.2 innings. He allowed three hits - two of them ground balls through the infield. The second time he faced George Springer he got three swings and misses.

Even in the first inning he was pretty good. The walk to Bichette was on 9 pitches. Bichette swung four times and got only four foul balls. Guerrero's hit was on an 0-2 pitch that was well off the outside corner. He threw the bat at it and dribbled a ground ball into right field beating the shift.

Morgan looked very good also. Despite not getting regular work, opposing batters are hitting .152 against him. His stuff plays. We're in much better shape in terms of starting pitching depth than last year when we were starting Hentges, J.C. Mejia, and Logan Allen combined for 34 starts.

After the Jays' first four batters yesterday Pilk and Morgan combined for 7 innings, 1 hit, 1 run, and 9 K's.

 

[Gson]

Before leaving this series I just wanted to say again how impressed I was with Pilkington. He had to have been nervous in his first big league start and right off the bat he had to face Springer, Bichette, and Guerrero. But once he got past the first four hitters he was unhittable. The Jays went 0-for-12 with a pair of walks.

"There’s something to be said for a young kid that endures a 36-pitch first inning and then stays out there and compete and reels it back in and ultimately gives us a chance to win,” Francona said. “That was really exciting.”

Pilk had 14 swings and misses in 3.2 innings. He allowed three hits - two of them ground balls through the infield. The second time he faced George Springer he got three swings and misses.

Even in the first inning he was pretty good. The walk to Bichette was on 9 pitches. Bichette swung four times and got only four foul balls. Guerrero's hit was on an 0-2 pitch that was well off the outside corner. He threw the bat at it and dribbled a ground ball into right field beating the shift.

Morgan looked very good also. Despite not getting regular work, opposing batters are hitting .152 against him. His stuff plays. We're in much better shape in terms of starting pitching depth than last year when we were starting Hentges, J.C. Mejia, and Logan Allen combined for 34 starts.

After the Jays' first four batters yesterday Pilk and Morgan combined for 7 innings, 1 hit, 1 run, and 9 K's.

Yes.. agree.. the depth of starting pitching now has some ML experience and gaining more.. Over the next 50 days.. we should see more Pilk.. more Eli and perhaps some Batt/Myers to go along with Biebs, Quant, Plesac, McStix and Civale.. This gives the Guardians the confidence to consider trading one of these guys and/or combining one of these guys with a ML roster guy for the piece needed to push the Guardians into contention for a playoff run..

We'll see..