2022 Series Poll: Cleveland Guardians @ Houston Astros

Quick Notes

The Guardians arrive in Houston in the midst of a slight spiral as they continue to fall off from a surprisingly good start that saw them near the top of their division for a while. Since then, however, the team has come back down to earth while the rival Twins and White Sox have both improved their records. Cleveland now sits in 3rd place in the division, which is much more in line with where people thought they would be at the beginning of the season.

It’s not really surprising considering the team didn’t do much to improve their standings during the offseason. They did re-up Jose Ramirez with a shiny new contract that will keep him in a Guardian uni for quite a while, but that was just maintaining a status quo more than improving.

One other thing to note is that the Guardians experienced a COVID breakout in their clubhouse recently and their had been somewhat spotty since then. Things have seemingly calmed down and they’re back on schedule though.

Ramirez (.283/.383/.580) has been worth the price of admission so far this season, as one would expect from a player who just signed a solid, long term contract for his preferred team. He’s also been the Guardians’ hottest hitter in the last week, even after injuring his shin and creating some question around his status. He currently leads the team in hits (39), triples (3), homers (9), RBI (37), and walks (22).

Owen Miller (.294/.347/.514), Andres Gimenez (.301/.324/.515), and Josh Naylor (.351/.395/.649) round out Cleveland’s biggest threats. Naylor is the only one of those 4 who has yet to hit 100 AB’s this season, though he is at 74.

As for pitching, it’s been unlucky as a whole for the Guardians. While they still have ace Shane Bieber and solid arms in the bullpen, the staff’s collective 3.98 ERA places them at 22nd in the league. But their combined 1.19 WHIP (11th in MLB) and .228 BAA (11th in MLB) suggest that ERA might be slightly inflated. Still, at the end of the day the number of runs surrendered is what matters when seeing who won, so I’m sure Cleveland would like to tighten that up.

Expect to see Emmanuel Clase (RHP, 2.93 ERA, 15.1 IP, 16 K’s) in the 9th for save opportunities should the need arise. He has successfully converted 7 of 9 opportunities this season.

Last 10 Games: 4-6 Record, 2 Series Split, 1 Series Loss, 1 Series Swept, -4 Run Differential (43 scored, 47 allowed)

W/L Splits: 8-8 at home, 9-12 on the road, 9-15 against teams over .500

Injured List

Starters

Game 1: TBD vs Luis Garcia (RHP, 3-2, 3.35 ERA, 41 K’s)

Game 2: TBD vs Framber Valdez (LHP, 3-2, 2.68 ERA, 39 K’s)

Game 3: TBD vs Cristian Javier (RHP, 2-2, 2.87 ERA, 39 K’s)

For Your Viewing and Listening Pleasure

Game 1: Monday, May 23rd @ 7:10 pm CDT
Listen: Guardians - WTAM 1100 / Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010
Watch: Guardians - Bally Sports Great Lakes / Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW

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Game 2: Tuesday, May 24th @ 7:10 pm CDT
Listen: Guardians - WTAM 1100 / Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010
Watch: Guardians - Bally Sports Great Lakes / Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW

Game 3: Wednesday, May 25th @ 7:10 pm CDT
Listen: Guardians - WTAM 1100 / Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010
Watch: Guardians - Bally Sports Great Lakes / Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW