Guardians snap 10-game losing streak with 7-5 win over Astros
The victory is Cleveland's first since June 25th and comes a day after losing to Detroit in 10 innings Sunday.
The score was tied with two outs in the sixth and the Guardians had two on when Rocchio doubled to left field off Steven Okert to put them on top 6-4.
Emmanuel Clase pitched a perfect ninth for his 19th save.
Taylor Trammell added a three-run home run for his first hit this season and Isaac Paredes had a solo shot for the AL West-leading Astros, who lost for just the second time in eight games.
Colton Gordon (3-2) yielded seven hits and five runs in 5 2/3 innings for the Astros.
There were runners on second and third with no outs in the fifth when Steven Kwan lined an RBI single that hit Gordon in the head. The pitcher fell to the ground as his cap flew off but quickly got to his feet. He was checked on by a trainer and threw some warmup pitches before remaining in the game.
Ramírez homered to left field with two outs in the inning to make it 4-0.
Trammell's shot to the seats in left field cut the lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the inning.
There were two outs in the inning when Paredes smacked his home run off the foul pole in left field to tie it and chase Bibee.
Rocchio's double that gave Cleveland the lead for good.
Key stat
The Guardians won despite going 3 for 11 with runners in scoring position.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (9-3, 1.82 ERA) opposes Guardians LHP Joey Cantillo (1-0, 3.41) when the series continues Tuesday night.
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New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Jake Meyers' apparent injury puts the Astros' ‘return-to-play process' into question
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To hear Meyers describe it, his right calf 'tightened up' during the first-inning journey from dugout to dead center at Daikin Park. Manager Joe Espada maintained the same company line, calling the injury 'right-calf tightness,' after his team's 4-2 loss against the Cleveland Guardians. Watching Meyers walk gingerly through the postgame clubhouse created a far more sobering scene. So did the support he required from assistant athletic trainer Eric Velazquez while limping toward the right-field loading dock. 'Credit to him, he wanted to go back out there,' said Taylor Trammell, the fill-in left fielder who just finished a four-month stint on the injured list with a calf strain of his own. 'And just kind of seeing that first step, I was like … I just wanted to be there for him. That's my brother.' Much remains unknown about the severity of Meyers' injury. Further testing is scheduled during the team's off day Thursday. Meyers preferred to speak more in depth once that is completed but granted a small group of reporters a one-minute, 28-second interview Wednesday night. Meyers ended it after he was asked whether this injury felt worse than what he suffered Sunday. Meyers stared toward a team spokesman and wondered aloud, 'Do I have to answer that?' He did not. 'If I wrote him in the lineup, I felt strongly about him being able to play today,' Espada said. 'If not, I would not have put him in there today.' Advertisement Lineup decisions begin and end with Espada, but he — and his 29 other counterparts — receives constant feedback from the training and strength and conditioning staff to inform their process. Meyers underwent no imaging after the initial injury Sunday because, Espada said, 'we didn't think that he needed it.' 'Did some ultrasounds, which it shows how the muscle and stuff is in there,' said Espada, who received a Doctor of Humane Letters from his alma mater, the University of Mobile, last May, but otherwise has little known medical background. Houston still refuses to make any member of its medical staff available for interviews, citing the sport's collective bargaining agreement. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds and Athletics are among the teams that must have found a loophole. All of them make their head athletic trainers available in either formal or informal settings. 'Just some tightness in there,' Espada said, 'trying to get him healthy, trying to get him back on the field.' To do so, a group of Astros officials gathered in right field before games Tuesday and Wednesday to watch Meyers test his injured leg. Espada, head trainer Jeremiah Randall and strength coach Hazael Wessin were among the attendees Wednesday. 'A good amount of sprinting. A good dynamic warmup. Cuts in and out. Felt good doing all that,' Meyers said of Wednesday's workout. 'Good 20-25-minute workout. Hit. Went through the day like any other day.' After Tuesday's workout, Espada acknowledged Meyers still felt tightness when changing directions. Meyers said he exited Wednesday's workout feeling 'good.' Asked whether he was 'on board' with playing, Meyers responded 'absolutely.' Attempting to guess what might have happened across the next four hours is foolish. Everybody heals at their own pace, a fact that can't be overlooked amid this avalanche of sidelined superstars. No injury is created equal, nor is every rehab process linear. Advertisement Setbacks happen across the sport. Timelines are altered daily. A world does exist where the Astros have absorbed a constant stream of both, enduring some of baseball's worst injury luck while their medical and strength staffs are following standard operating procedure. 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Brown, like Espada, is often put in perilous predicaments while trying to discuss any of these developments. Neither man is a medical professional, but both masquerade as such in select instances. Managers and general managers around the sport are tasked with doing something similar. It is part of their job descriptions and why they are paid handsomely. None, however, works for a franchise that has lost all benefit of the doubt in this department. The club's communication has not helped, though noticeable strides in transparency have been evident since the saga of Alvarez's undiagnosed hand fracture. That Click called for a review of this team's return-to-play policies is evidence enough something is amiss. Whether it ever occurred remains a mystery. Owner Jim Crane fired Click three months after he promised to analyze it. Brown once deemed any review unnecessary, saying last June that 'you can only go by what the player's telling you.' 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New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Looking back at the Reds' last 10 first-round picks in the MLB Draft
Last month, Chase Burns became the second Cincinnati Reds top draft pick to make his big-league debut the year after he was selected. Over the last 10 drafts, six of the Reds' top draft picks are currently on the team's roster, with two more having played for the Reds and now elsewhere. Before looking ahead to this year's draft, here's a review of the team's first-round picks over the last decade. Draft position: 2 bWAR: (-0.5) The Reds had the No. 2 pick in the lottery, and the consensus heading into last July's draft was that the Reds would take either one of the top two position players available between Oregon State's Travis Bazzaa or Georgia's Charlie Condon after the Cleveland Guardians made the first pick. The Guardians took Bazzana, but the Reds surprised many by taking Burns. Advertisement Like they did the year before with Rhett Lowder, the Reds didn't have Burns pitch after being drafted, instead having him come to big-league camp the next spring before reporting to Class High-A Dayton. Burns made his debut in June, striking out the first five batters he faced in the big leagues. His second start, Monday at the Boston Red Sox, was less successful, as he allowed seven runs and recorded just one out. Burns' performance has shot him up prospect charts, including the recently revised list from which lists him as the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball, behind only Roman Anthony of the Boston Red Sox. Others available when picked: OF Cam Smith (No. 14 to Chicago Cubs), 1B Nick Kurtz (No. 4 to Athletics), OF Jac Caglianone (No.6 to Kansas City Royals), 2B Christian Moore (No. 8 to Los Angeles Angels) Draft position: 7 bWAR: 1.9 In the first year with a draft lottery, the Reds picked seventh, three slots from where they would have picked before the lottery. The 2023 draft was seen as having five players at the top, separated from the rest of the class. Those players all went in the top five picks, including LSU right-hander Paul Skenes, who went to the Pittsburgh Pirates with the first pick. The Reds selected Lowder, who had gone 15-0 for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and helped lead the team to the College World Series, where he and Skenes faced off. Additional Reds first-round picks: RHP Ty Floyd (No. 38); a college teammate of Skenes at LSU, Floyd missed the 2024 season after undergoing shoulder surgery and is currently on the injured list at Class-A Daytona. Others available at No. 7: 1B Nolan Schanuel (No. 11 to Angels), SS Matt Shaw (No. 13 to Cubs), C Kyle Teel (No. 14 to Red Sox) Draft position: 18 bWAR: N/A Advertisement Collier was seen by some as one of the top talents in the draft. After graduating high school early, he attended a junior college in what would've been his junior year and entered the draft a year early, like Bryce Harper before him. Collier has been one of the youngest players at every level he's appeared in. Of his 1,144 minor-league plate appearances entering Wednesday, only 25 have been against pitchers younger than Collier, who will turn 21 this November. After thumb surgery delayed his 2025 season, Collier is currently at Double-A Chattanooga, where he has hit .349/.472/.419 in 13 games as of this writing. Last season, Collier was named the MVP of the Futures Game. Additional Reds first-round picks: IF Sal Stewart (No. 32) An advanced high school bat, Stewart has moved his way onto most Top 100 prospect lists since the Reds took him with a compensation pick for Nick Castellanos signing as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies. Stewart, hitting .322/.385/.491 with nine homers at Chattanooga. Others available at No. 18: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (No. 63 to Milwaukee Brewers), OF Roman Anthony (No. 79 to Red Sox), OF Jordan Beck (No. 38 to Colorado Rockies) Draft position: 17 bWAR: 4.1 Picked 25th by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018, McLain instead went to UCLA to improve his draft stock. He did that, but then fell to the Reds at 17, despite expectations that he'd go higher. McLain dealt with injuries in his first pro season and then was called up and made an immediate impact in 2023. Even though Elly De La Cruz also debuted that year, McLain was the team's top rookie in 2023. McLain missed all of 2024 with a shoulder injury. Additional Reds first-round picks: OF Jay Allen II (No. 32), C Mat Nelson (No. 35) An athletic outfielder, Allen played three sports in high school, receiving scholarship offers to play quarterback in college. Injuries have slowed his development in the minors. He's currently at Class AA, hitting .200/.305/.273. Nelson, who won both the Buster Posey and Johnny Bench Awards as college's top catcher, is also at Chattanooga. Advertisement Others available at No. 18: OF Jackson Merrill (No. 27 to San Diego Padres), RHP Gavin Williams (No. 23 to Guardians), LHP Andrew Abbott (No. 53 to Reds), OF James Wood (No. 62 to Padres), RHP Mason Miller (No. 87 to Athletics) Draft position: 12 bWAR: N/A The 2020 draft was shortened to five rounds because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic also shortened both high school and college baseball seasons, limiting scouting opportunities for both the 2020 and 2021 drafts. The Reds took Hendrick, a left-handed hitting outfielder out of a Pennsylvania high school. Hendrick has struggled coming up through the minors, but is having one of his better seasons now at Double-A Chattanooga, where he entered Wednesday hitting .250/.326/.431 with seven home runs over 50 games. Others available at No. 12: C Patrick Bailey (No. 13 to San Francisco Giants), OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (No. 19 to Mets), OF Garrett Mitchell (No. 20 to Brewers), OF Jordan Walker (No. 21 to Cardinals), C Austin Wells (No. 28 to Yankees). SS Jordan Westburg (No. 30 to Orioles) Draft position: 7 bWAR: 6 The lefty debuted in 2022 and is 20-19 with a 4.25 ERA in 64 starts. Injuries have slowed him at times, but he is currently a part of the Reds' rotation. Others available at No. 18: OF Corbin Carroll (No. 16 to Diamondbacks), IF Bryson Stott (No. 14 to Phillies), RHP Alek Manoah (No. 11 to Toronto Blue Jays), RHP George Kirby (No. 20 to Seattle Mariners), SS Anthony Volpe (No. 30 to Yankees), IF Michael Busch (No. 31 to Dodgers), SS Gunnar Henderson (No. 42 to Orioles) Draft position: 5 bWAR: 6.5 A third baseman at Florida, India made his debut as the team's everyday second baseman in 2021, winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award. After four seasons with the Reds, he was traded last November to the Royals for his college teammate, right-hander Brady Singer. Advertisement Others available at No. 5: RHP Grayson Rodriguez (No. 11 to Orioles), RHP Logan Gilbert (No. 14 to Mariners), RHP Brady Singer (No. 18 to Royals), SS Brice Turang (No. 21 to Brewers). SS Nico Hoerner (No. 24 to Cubs), LHP Kris Bubic (No. 40 to Royals), C Ryan Jeffers No. 59 to Twins), C Cal Raleigh (No. 90 to Mariners), SS Jeremy Peña (No. 102 to Astros) Draft position: 2 bWAR: 11.3 Perhaps the most famous high school player since Bryce Harper, Greene fell to the Reds with the second pick after the Twins took fellow Southern California high schooler Royce Lewis with the top pick. Greene had Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer before debuting in 2022. He's started two Opening Days for the Reds and was selected for his first All-Star Game last season. He is currently on the IL. Additional Reds first-round picks: SS Jeter Downs (No. 32) Downs was part of the trade that brought Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer to the Reds. The Dodgers used him in their trade for Mookie Betts. Downs played 14 games for the Red Sox in 2022 and six for the Nationals in 2023. He is currently in his third season with the Softbank Fukuoka Hawks in Japan. Others available at No. 2: LHP MacKenzie Gore (No. 3 to Padres), RHP Shane Baz (No. 12 to Pirates), LHP Trevor Rogers (No. 13 to Marlins), RHP Clarke Schmidt (No. 16 to Yankees), RHP Tanner Houck (No. 24 to Red Sox), C Daulton Varsho (No. 68 to Diamondbacks), SS Taylor Walls (No. 79 to Tampa Bay Rays) Draft position: 2 bWAR: (-3.1) With the Reds' highest draft pick since taking shortstop Kurt Stillwell with the second pick in the 1983 draft, the team took Senzel, a third baseman at the University of Tennessee. Considered the safest pick in the draft, the Reds took Senzel after the Philadelphia Phillies picked outfielder Mickey Moniak out of a Southern California high school with the first pick. Advertisement Senzel dealt with a bout of vertigo in the minor leagues and also had finger surgery in 2018. Eugenio Suárez was already entrenched at third base, so the Reds moved Senzel to the outfield for the 2019 season. Senzel, sent to minor-league camp in the last week of spring training that year, he suffered a sprained ankle in a minor-league spring game. The Reds called him up that May and his promising rookie year ended in September after he was diagnosed with a torn labrum. Injuries continued to slow his progress and Senzel was non-tendered following the 2023 season. He played for the Nationals and White Sox last season and is currently with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate. Additional Reds first-round picks: OF Taylor Trammell (No. 35) Trammell was the headliner in the three-team deal that brought Trevor Bauer to the Reds from Cleveland and sent Trammell to the Padres. The Padres traded him to Seattle in 2020. After 351 games over three years with the Mariners, he played with the Yankees and Dodgers last season and is currently with the Astros. Others available at No. 2: RHP Ian Anderson (No. 3 to Braves), LHP A.J. Puk (No. 6 to Athletics), LHP Braxton Garrett (No. 7 to Marlins), RHP Cal Quantrill (No. 8 to Padres), 3B Josh Lowe (No. 13 to Rays), SS Gavin Lux (No. 20 to Dodgers), LHP Cole Ragans (No. 30 to Rangers), C Will Smith (No. 32 to Dodgers), OF Bryan Reynolds (No. 59 to Giants), 1B Pete Alonso (No. 64 to Mets), SS Bo Bichette (No. 66 to Blue Jays), C Sean Murphy (No. 83 to Athletics), OF AUstin Hays (No. 91 to Orioles), RHP Zac Gallen (No. 106 to Cardinals), RHP Corbin Burnes (No. 111 to Brewers), RHP Shane Bieber (No. 16 to Guardians) Draft position: 11 bWAR: 7.2 A high school catcher from the Atlanta metro area, Stephenson debuted in 2020, homering on the first pitch he saw in the big leagues. He has dealt with injuries in both the minors and majors, but has established himself as an everyday catcher, logging 1,000 innings behind the plate in 2024. Advertisement Others available at No. 11: 1B Josh Naylor (No. 12 to Marlins), OF Trent Grisham (No. 15 to Brewers), SS Kevin Newman (No. 19 to Pirates), RHP Walker Buehler (No. 24 to Dodgers), C Taylor Ward (No. 26 to Angels), 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes (No. 32 to Pirates), 3B Austin Riley (No. 41 to Braves), 2B Brandon Lowe (No. 87 to Rays), OF Harrison Bader (No. 100 to Cardinals), SS Paul DeJong (No. 131 to Cardinals) (Top photo of Matt McLain: Jeff Dean / Getty Images)
NBC Sports
3 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Zach McKinstry picked as AL All-Star sub; Tigers tie Dodgers for most Midsummer Classic picks
The Detroit Tigers have the best record in the majors. Now they are tied for having the most All-Stars, too. Zach McKinstry was picked Wednesday to replace Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña, who has been dealing with a rib injury. The infielder-outfielder will join Detroit second baseman Gleyber Torres and outfielders Javier Báez and Riley Greene — all AL starters — and staff ace Tarik Skubal, who also is among the candidates to start the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta. The five All-Stars for Detroit is tied for the most with the World Series champion Dodgers, who have DH Shohei Ohtani, catcher Will Smith and first baseman Freddie Freeman starting for the NL along with pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto is scheduled to start Sunday for Los Angeles, so Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott has been picked to replace him. McKinstry was among several replacements announced Wednesday for the Midsummer Classic. Houston third baseman Isaac Paredes was chosen for the AL team in place of starting third baseman José Ramírez, the seven-time All-Star, who wants to spend the week rehabbing an Achilles injury; Twins right-hander Joe Ryan was selected as the replacement for Astros pitcher Hunter Brown; and Brewers closer Trevor Megill was added to the NL team in place of teammate Freddy Peralta, their scheduled starter for Sunday's game against Washington. The shuffling of replacements gives the Astros four All-Stars in Paredes, Peña, Brown and pitcher Josh Hader. The Brewers have two in Megill and Peralta. And the Twins have two with Ryan joining two-time All-Star outfielder Byron Buxton. 'This was the goal in the offseason,' said Megill, who struck out Freeman, Andy Pages and Tommy Edman in order in the 10th inning to secure the Brewers' 3-2 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday. 'Just worked my butt off for it, and here we are.' The four replacements make six total and 71 players players between the two All-Star teams. The other sub announced was Rays third baseman Junior Caminero for Boston's Alex Bregman, who has been dealing with a strained right quadriceps. The Tigers have been one of the surprise stories of the first half of the season. After going 86-76 and tying for second in the AL Central last season, they are off to a 59-35 start even after a 7-3 loss to the Rays in their series finale Wednesday night. The versatile McKinstry has been a big reason why. Along with playing every infield position besides catcher, and both corner outfield spots, McKinstry entered Wednesday hitting .283 with seven homers and 27 RBIs. The 30-year-old needs just three more homers and nine RBIs to set career highs. Peña, who is hitting a career-best .322 with 11 homers and 40 RBIs in 82 games for Houston, has been out since June 28 with a fractured rib. He had hoped to return by the All-Star break but has not been cleared to resume baseball activity. Paredes, his teammate, is headed to his second straight All-Star Game in his first season in Houston. He is hitting a career-best .255 with 19 homers and 49 RBIs for the Astros, who have a comfortable lead over Seattle in the NL West. 'My main focus is to work hard for the team and be able to give the most I can for the team,' Paredes said, 'but as you can see now with the results that I'm getting ... those results allow me to get to the All-Star game, so it feels good.' Ramírez was hit by a pitch in a game against Toronto on June 26 and has struggled at the plate since, though he said Wednesday that it was an Achilles injury that's been bothering him. Even with the slump, Ramírez began the day hitting .299 with 16 home runs, 44 RBIs and 24 stolen bases through 87 games for Cleveland. 'Everybody wants to go to the All-Star Game and especially for the support from the fans,' Ramírez said. 'But I feel the best thing for the team is to be able to be resting (those) days and be able to contribute to the team in the second half.' The 29-year-old Ryan, whose name has surfaced in plenty of trade talk recently, was one of the biggest snubs when the initial All-Star Game rosters were announced. The right-hander is 8-4 with a career-best 2.76 ERA across 18 starts, and he's struck out 116 against just 21 walks over 104 1/3 innings for the Twins. 'The last couple years, I've had really good numbers at voting, then I've kind of scuttled the last two outings or so. I can see why optically it might not look as good,' Ryan said. 'But putting it together, it was kind of a shock not to be in (this year). 'At the same time,' he said, 'there's so many good pitchers in the league right now. You've just got to hang with them and if you don't like it, play better. That was kind of the mindset I was trying to shift into, but to get the news and be excited to go, it makes everything kind of go away and you just think about the future and going forward.'
