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Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Guardians Look To Rebound Before All-Star Break After One Of Worst Offensive Months In Team History
To say June was a bad month for the Cleveland Guardians would be an understatement. One of the worst offensive months in team history would be more like it. The Guardians went 9–15 in June and had a .206 batting average, which is tied for the third-worst batting month in franchise history with at least 13 games played. 'We need to score more. We need to get more going,' manager Stephen Vogt said. 'We're all trying to be perfect right now, whether it's pitchers, position players, doesn't matter. Everybody's trying to be perfect. We need to relax. We need to just take a deep breath, take a step back and go play baseball.' Cleveland, which is on a four-game losing streak, begins a three-game series at the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. At 40–42, they are 2 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot after being five games over .500 and in wild-card position on June 1. Last season, the Guardians won the AL Central and reached the AL Championship Series. The Guardians dropped five of six on its recent homestand and were shut out three times. They have scored runs in only two of the last 40 innings. They scored 72 runs during the month, the third-fewest they have scored in a June in franchise history. 'I think it's frustrating, but if we knew the answer we would've done it two months ago,' outfielder Nolan Jones said. 'We have the arms to compete against anybody and have some guys who have been swinging it well and some guys like myself who haven't been contributing a ton.' José Ramírez is seventh in the American League with a .309 batting average and leadoff hitter Steven Kwan is 11th at .295. The rest of the everyday lineup, though, doesn't have anyone batting above .250. The organization hoped catcher Bo Naylor would bounce back after batting only .201 last season, but that hasn't happened. Naylor has a .168 average and mired in a 1 for 31 slump since June 10. Outfielders Lane Thomas and David Fry–the heroes of last year's AL Division Series victory over Detroit–have also struggled with injuries and slow starts at the plate. Fry missed the first two months after undergoing offseason elbow surgery and is 6 for 43 with 21 strikeouts since returning. Thomas–who had stints on the IL because of wrist and foot injuries–is batting .168 but is 6 for 24 in his last seven games. The lack of offense is not surprising, as it was a potential concern during spring training. The Guardians go into July with a .226 team average, second-lowest in the majors. Despite the offensive struggles, the Guardians continue to get solid pitching. The staff had a 3.79 ERA in June, which was eighth-lowest in the majors. Shane Bieber was hoping to be back by the All-Star break after having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last April, but his comeback is delayed by elbow soreness. Chris Antonetti, Cleveland's president of baseball operations, did credit Naylor as one reason for the pitching staff's solid month. 'The pitching staff has not wavered, and the fact that he's been able to help, and he's been a big part of that group making progress over the last couple months and separate his offense out from that, it's a great credit to him,' Antonetti said. Whether help is on the way through the minors or other moves leading up to the July 31 MLB trade deadline is something to keep an eye on. Outfielder Chase DeLauter is batting .305 in Triple-A Columbus with a 26-game on-base streak, while first baseman/outfielder C.J. Kayfus has 10 home runs and a .303 average. The biggest concern with DeLauter remains injuries. He was contending for a roster spot during spring training before having surgery in March to address a sports hernia injury. 'We're constantly thinking about 'How do we find that right mix of guys to give us the best chance to compete each night at the major league level?' And we do believe that we will get reinforcements and support from some players that are not yet at the major league level,' Antonetti said. 'I think as we look forward, the results will be better from here than they've been over the last month. I don't think the last month is indicative of the potential of the guys that are on the roster.' After a difficult June, the schedule doesn't get any easier for the Guardians. After the Cubs series they host AL Central leader Detroit for three games before a seven-game road trip to Houston and the Chicago White Sox ahead of the All-Star break. 'We've got 13 games in a row coming up after this off-day. We have an opportunity to get it rolling, and that's the way I look at it,' Vogt said. 'This is a really talented team. I believe in each and every one of these guys, and I know we're going to break out of it.'
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Guardians look to rebound before All-Star break after one of worst offensive months in team history
CLEVELAND (AP) — To say June was a bad month for the Cleveland Guardians would be an understatement. One of the worst offensive months in team history would be more like it. The Guardians went 9-15 in June and had a .206 batting average, which is tied for the third-worst batting month in franchise history with at least 13 games played. 'We need to score more. We need to get more going,' manager Stephen Vogt said. 'We're all trying to be perfect right now, whether it's pitchers, position players, doesn't matter. Everybody's trying to be perfect. We need to relax. We need to just take a deep breath, take a step back and go play baseball.' Cleveland, which is on a four-game losing streak, begins a three-game series at the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. At 40-42, they are 2 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot after being five games over .500 and in wild-card position on June 1. Last season, the Guardians won the AL Central and reached the AL Championship Series. The Guardians dropped five of six on its recent homestand and were shut out three times. They have scored runs in only two of the last 40 innings. They scored 72 runs during the month, the third-fewest they have scored in a June in franchise history. 'I think it's frustrating, but if we knew the answer, we would've done it two months ago,' outfielder Nolan Jones said. 'We have the arms to compete against anybody and have some guys who have been swinging it well and some guys like myself who haven't been contributing a ton.' José Ramírez is seventh in the American League with a .309 batting average, and leadoff hitter Steven Kwan is 11th at .295. The rest of the everyday lineup, though, doesn't have anyone batting above .250. The organization hoped catcher Bo Naylor would bounce back after batting only .201 last season, but that hasn't happened. Naylor has a .168 average and mired in a 1 for 31 slump since June 10. Outfielders Lane Thomas and David Fry — the heroes of last year's AL Division Series victory over Detroit — have also struggled with injuries and slow starts at the plate. Fry missed the first two months after undergoing offseason elbow surgery and is 6 for 43 with 21 strikeouts since returning. Thomas — who had stints on the IL because of wrist and foot injuries — is batting .168 but is 6 for 24 in his last seven games. The lack of offense is not surprising, as it was a potential concern during spring training. The Guardians go into July with a .226 team average, second-lowest in the majors. Despite the offensive struggles, the Guardians continue to get solid pitching. The staff had a 3.79 ERA in June, which was eighth-lowest in the majors. Shane Bieber was hoping to be back by the All-Star break after having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last April, but his comeback is delayed by elbow soreness. Chris Antonetti, Cleveland's president of baseball operations, did credit Naylor as one reason for the pitching staff's solid month. 'The pitching staff has not wavered, and the fact that he's been able to help and he's been a big part of that group making progress over the last couple months and separate his offense out from that, it's a great credit to him,' Antonetti said. Whether help is on the way through the minors or other moves leading up to the July 31 MLB trade deadline is something to keep an eye on. Outfielder Chase DeLauter is batting .305 in Triple-A Columbus with a 26-game on-base streak, while first baseman/outfielder C.J. Kayfus has 10 home runs and a .303 average. The biggest concern with DeLauter remains injuries. He was contending for a roster spot during spring training before having surgery in March to address a sports hernia injury. 'We're constantly thinking about, 'How do we find that right mix of guys to give us the best chance to compete each night at the major league level.' And we do believe that we will get reinforcements and support from some players that are not yet at the major league level,' Antonetti said. 'I think as we look forward, the results will be better from here than they've been over the last month. I don't think the last month is indicative of the potential of the guys that are on the roster.' After a difficult June, the schedule doesn't get any easier for the Guardians. After the Cubs series, they host AL Central leader Detroit for three games before a seven-game road trip to Houston and the Chicago White Sox ahead of the All-Star break. 'We've got 13 games in a row coming up after this off-day. We have an opportunity to get it rolling, and that's the way I look at it,' Vogt said. 'This is a really talented team. I believe in each and every one of these guys, and I know we're going to break out of it.' ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Stick together and keep grinding': Guardians trying to push through forgettable June
CLEVELAND — The Guardians continued to struggle June 28, but it wasn't the offense's fault at Progressive Field. A six-run fourth inning gave the Guardians a lead and had 32,484 fans in attendance excited. Advertisement The excitement vanished during the next two innings as the St. Louis Cardinals hitters gave the Guardians pitchers fits en route to a 9-6 win. The loss dropped Cleveland's record to 9-15 in June and 40-41 overall at the midway point of the regular season. Even with nine hits in the loss, the Guardians enter June 29 batting .210 in the month. "We just got to stick together and keep grinding," Guardians right fielder Nolan Jones said. "... We have the arms to compete against anybody and have some guys who have been swinging it well and some guys like myself who haven't been contributing a ton. We know it's in there and just got to keep believing and pushing." Jun 28, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Nolan Jones (22) makes a catch for an out in the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images Guardians show promise with six-run fourth inning vs. Cardinals Saturday's game started in frustrating fashion for the Guardians as Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan hit a home run on the first pitch from Slade Cecconi. Advertisement Kyle Manzardo hit a solo home run over the center field fence to lead off the fourth against Miles Mikolas, snapping Cleveland's 21-inning scoreless streak. There was much more to come against Mikolas as the Guardians batted around to take a 6-1 lead. Jun 28, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images Carlos Santana worked a one-out walk and Lane Thomas hit a double to left-center field to advance to Santana to third. Daniel Schneemann followed with a ground out to score Santana and give the Guardians a 2-1 lead. Jones smacked a double to left filed to score Thomas. Gabriel Arias hit a two-run home run to left-center field, Austin Hedges singled and scored when Steven Kwan hit an RBI triple to right-center. Advertisement "We got some pitches to hit and didn't miss 'em," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "We got ourselves into good counts. We weren't chasing, we forced him [Mikloas] into the strike zone and he had to come after us. And that's when we're at our best when we're taking those fringe pitches, getting the calls and getting into good counts to hit. ... I thought our bats overall were really good. I thought we made the pitchers work. We got deep into counts. We had base runners. We had traffic." Jun 28, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi (44) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images Cardinals hitters humble Guardians pitchers with seven runs in two innings A 6-1 lead in the fourth turned into a 8-6 deficit in the sixth against Guardians pitchers Cecconi, Matt Festa and Tim Herrin. Advertisement Alec Burleson two-out, two-run single in the fifth cut the St. Louis deficit to 6-3. Five hits in a row in the sixth allowed the Cardinals to score five runs and take the lead for good. Victor Scott II two-run double was the big hit in that rally. Willson Contreras contributed a solo home run to left off Guardians reliever Kolby Allard in the ninth. Jun 28, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) runs the bases on his solo home run in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images Cecconi pitched 4⅔ innings and allowed five hits, three earned runs and two walks. He struck out five. "We grinded through the beginning part where some of the command wasn't quite there," Cecconi said. "I think kind of the third inning on we found it and started getting on a good roll. Curveball felt great today. Slider was better after we made a little adjustment with the body after the second inning. Heater was good and some luck didn't go our way in the fifth with some calls and some bloops, and that's baseball. Advertisement "... We came out and exploded for six runs in an inning. We did take some really good at-bats after that six-run inning that didn't amount to runs, but showed us that it's in there on the offensive side. On the pitching side, I don't think anybody's going to tell you they had their best day today, but we know what we're capable of as a staff moving forward." Jun 28, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II (11) scores beside Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges (27) in the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images Arias agreed with that mindset through Guardians interpreter Agustin Rivero. "Nobody can hide this has been a difficult month, but I think that's part of baseball," Arias said through Rivero. "Who knows? Maybe then we keep going. Then July becomes a very hot month for us and the reality is that we're not out of it. We're still close to being in contention, right? So, for us it's the same mindset tomorrow. We have to come strong again, try to compete and try to get going. Advertisement "... We've got to just continue adjusting to our routines and our processes. The other teams, maybe they also had a good plan. They are able to execute it. So for us, it's always coming back the next day, try to do our preparation, make our adjustments based on the last game and I feel the pitching group also does the same. They come, they keep working, they make adjustments and they just keep going because it's always a game of adjustments." Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@ This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians players trying to push through tough June
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'He hits the ball really hard': Nolan Jones among MLB leaders in exit velocity despite slump
CLEVELAND — Sometimes trusting the process is the only course of action for a hitter, even if it's the most difficult thing to do right in the middle of a slump. On any given at-bat, a hitter would take a bloop single that just happens to fall over a hard-hit liner that ends up in a glove. But when the latter situation happens too often, frustrations build, even if the quality of contact is solid. Advertisement That's the mental middle ground Guardians outfielder Nolan Jones is battling right now. Jones, acquired just before Opening Day in exchange for Tyler Freeman, has had a rough return to Cleveland. Entering the game Friday, May 30, against the Los Angeles Angels, Jones was hitting just .194 with a .568 OPS — it's one of the worst 50-game stretches of his entire career. He had a three-hit game against the Los Angeles Dodgers this week, which the Guardians hope can lead to a breakout. But there are additional reasons to think Jones might be closer to at least a better June and beyond — he's been hitting the ball hard, but he just hasn't been rewarded for it like hitters are on average. Cleveland Guardians' Nolan Jones runs out a two-run single against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 28, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. Nolan Jones stats Entering Friday, Jones was in the 92nd percentile in the league with an average exit velocity on batted balls of 93.0 mph. That ranks 22nd in MLB, ahead of hitters like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Austin Riley and Bobby Witt Jr. Advertisement In fact, it's the highest average exit velocity on the Guardians, ahead of Jose Ramirez. And Jones' hard-hit percentage (50) is in the 84th percentile in baseball. "We look at all the numbers, and Nolan hits the ball hard — he hits the ball really hard," said manager Stephen Vogt. "It was nice to see him get three results, and I think just a day like that can get you going and it reminds you, yes, I still can get hits because you start to wonder sometimes [when] you're hitting the ball hard, you're hitting it all over the place, but it's always getting caught." It leads to a key balance Vogt has to find. Do you bench a hitter struggling so much to find hits, or do you keep his bat in the lineup as much as possible because he's making hard contact, and eventually the averages should regress to the mean? It's a classic baseball conundrum, one that now has added context because of the added implementation of analytics. This is where some "expected" analytical measures comes to into play — numbers used by teams to indicate lucky or unlucky hitters on balls put into play, like a weakly hit single finding the right patch of grass compared to someone else drilling a ball 100 mph that is to the wrong spot. Advertisement There are two measurements relevant here. The first is Expected Weighted On-Base Average (xwOBA). This essentially measures a hitter's quality of contact plus strikeouts and walks, and can be used to indicate hitters who have been lucky or unlucky on balls put into play. The second is slugging percentage versus expected slugging percentage, which is simpler. It indicates, based on things like exit velocity, launch angle and quality of contact, what a hitter's slugging percentage should be with everything else being equal. Among all qualified hitters, Jones has the fourth-highest difference between slugging and expected slugging percentage in the league, meaning there's an argument he's been one of the unluckiest hitters in baseball. The only hitters with a larger (and positive) slugging difference than Jones are Juan Soto, Salvador Perez and Yordan Alvarez. Jones' slugging percentage is .287. Analytical averages suggest it should be .436. Advertisement Among the league leaders in positive xwOBA (which again means they've been unlucky), Jones ranks eighth in MLB. There are seven hitters in the top eight in both categories, which leads to a pretty easy argument they've been the seven unluckiest hitters in the league this season. Jones is one of them, along with Soto, Perez, Alvarez, Bryan Reynolds, Marcus Semien and Andrew Vaughn. "Obviously there's things that everyone needs to improve upon, and Nolan's no different," Vogt said. "But those expected numbers, they tell more of a story than maybe just the actual numbers." Cleveland Guardians' Nolan Jones hits an RBI single against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 14, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. Guardians' message to Nolan Jones during 2025 slump Of course, just because there are positive batted-ball indicates, none of it means Jones is guaranteed to break out of his slump anytime soon. Former Cleveland first baseman Jake Bauers was once in a similar spot, and he didn't see the kind of turnaround that other hitters sometimes do in these situations. Advertisement But Jones is hitting the ball hard, and harder than many of the game's top names, including every other Guardians hitter. Although a slump of this magnitude and length is eternally frustrating for a hitter, being able to point to something positive is, at least, a silver lining of sorts. "It allows us to say, 'Hey, keep going. You're right there. It's close. They're going to start falling,'" Vogt said. "And Nolan is a really good hitter off to a slow start. .. He's going to keep getting opportunities because we know what he's capable of." It's been part of the message the Guardians keep giving to Jones as he tries to find his footing — or least some positive results. "These coaches have done a really great job of giving me the confidence that they believe in me and working with me through this really, really tough start I've had," Jones said. "I think that goes a long way." This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians outfielder Nolan Jones among MLB exit velocity leaders
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Max Scherzer rusty in return to Blue Jays after lengthy layoff with thumb injury
Max Scherzer gave up three runs in five innings against the Cleveland Guardians Wednesday night in a rusty return to the Toronto Blue Jays from a long layoff with a thumb injury. The appearance was Scherzer's first since a three-inning outing in his Blue Jays debut on March 29. He was placed on the 60-day injured list after that start with thumb inflammation and hadn't pitched again until Wednesday night. The Guardians won the Game, 5-4. Scherzer starts game with walk, lets pitch clock expire Scherzer started his return with a nine-pitch walk of leadoff hitter Steven Kwan. Kwan came around to score on a single after stealing second base to spot the Guardians a 1-0 lead. Scherzer didn't allow another run until a two-run fourth inning that was sparked by a pitch clock violation. Advertisement With a man on third and two outs after a double and a wild pitch, Scherzer worked a full count against right fielder Nolan Jones. Scherzer was too slow with the payoff pitch. He was hit was a pitch-clock violation, which meant an automatic ball 4 for Arias and a free pass to first base to put runners on the corners. Max Scherzer was rusty in his return to the mound Wednesday night. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Gabriel Arias cleared the bases with a two-run double on the next at-bat to extend the Cleveland lead to 3-0. Scherzer went on to pitch a scoreless fifth inning that ended with a swinging strikeout of Carlos Santana on a curveball. His night was done. He finished the game with three earned runs allowed on six hits and three walks in five innings. He recorded four strikeouts. Can Scherzer regain form at 40 years old? The Blue Jays signed Scherzer to a one-year, $15.5 million contract in the offseason. In his previous two seasons with the Texas Rangers, Scherzer was limited to 45 and 43 1/3 innings, respectively, due to multiple injuries, including to his back, shoulder, triceps and hamstring. Advertisement He did pitch for Texas in the postseason during its run to the 2023 World Series championship. And he was effective when he was available, posting a 3.57 ERA with 93 strikeouts in his 88 1/3 regular-season innings pitched. A three-time Cy Young winner, eight-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, Scherzer isn't what he used to be at 40 years old. The Blue Jays are hoping that he can maintain the type of effort he produced in Texas during his time in Toronto.
