CLEVELAND GUARDIANS NOTES:
GUARDS FALL TO GIANTS IN 10 INNINGS
The Cleveland Guardians shouldered their 11th walk-off loss of 2023 – most since 2018 (13) – opening a 3-game series in San Francisco with a 5-4 defeat to the Giants in 10 innings on Monday night at Oracle Park…Guardians are 1-4 with a pair of tilts remaining on this 7-game road trip thru Los Angeles-AL (1-3) and San Francisco (0-1, two-to-play)…club has gone 14-12-4 over last 30 series (-2G below .500/47-49 record in that span since May 26).
ANDRÉS GIMÉNEZ delivered a go-ahead RBI-single in the top of the 10th to give Cleveland a temporary 4-3 lift, only to see the Giants rally for a pair of tallies against EMMANUEL CLASE in the bottom half of the frame on RBI-singles from Blake Sabol and LaMonte Wade Jr…GAVIN WILLIAMS turned in a quality start despite not factoring into the ultimate decision (6.0IP, 5H, 3R-ER, 4BB, 2SO, HR, 93 pitches)…Williams surrendered a lead-off homer to Mike Yastrzemski to open the bottom of the 1st and was touched for a pair of runs again in the 3rd before going on to retire 10 of his final 13…JOSH NAYLOR drilled a 2-run homer (17) into McCovey Cove off Alex Cobb (5.0IP, 3H, 2R-0ER, BB, 2SO, HR, 79 pitches) in the 3rd inning, becoming the first Cleveland player ever with a ‘Splash Hit’ and 62nd by an opponent all-time…Bay Area native STEVEN KWAN delivered a game-tying (3-3) 2-out single in the 7th, which set up the extra-inning clash.
With 17 games remaining and the Twins ‘Magic Number’ sitting at 11, Cleveland (68-77) sits in 2nd place in AL Central standings, 7.5 games behind 2nd-place Minnesota (75-69) & 1.0 game ahead of 3rd-place Detroit (-8.5G, 66-77)…Guardians have dropped 7 of 9, 15 of 25, 26 of 42 & 71 of last 130 overall since starting year 9-6.
HUG ME BROTHA!
In 13 career games against San Francisco, JOSH NAYLOR is hitting .351 (13-for-37) with 5 doubles, a home run and 5 RBI…at Oracle Park, he’s batting .400 (10-for-25) with 4 doubles, a home run and 4 RBI…Naylor’s 422-foot, 2-run home run in last night’s game marked Cleveland’s fifth-ever home run at Oracle Park, done only by Ronnie Belliard (2005), Casey Blake (2005) and Yan Gomes (2014, 2017)…he is the first Clevelander to hit a home run into McCovey Cove and recorded the 61st Splash Hit by an opponent in Oracle Park history, joining PIT’s Jack Suwinski as the only Giants opponents to do so this season…Naylor (.307, 87 RBI) is currently one of 2 AL hitters and one of 6 MLB hitters with a .305-or-better batting average and 85+ RBI, joining TEX’s Corey Seager, ChC’s Cody Bellinger, LAD’s Freddie Freeman & Mookie Betts and ATL’s Ronald Acuna Jr…with a .307 average and 87 RBI in 104 games entering tonight, he is the first Cleveland hitter to produce such numbers through the team’s first 145 games since Michael Brantley in 2014 (.316, 91 RBI, 140 games). » In 17 games since August 19, BO NAYLOR is hitting .354 (17- for-48) with 9 runs scored, 5 doubles, 4 home runs and 10 RBI, slashing .354/.458/.708/1.166…during that stretch, he has an extra-base hit in 9 of the 13 games he has started…since August 19, he leads all MLB catchers (min. 50PA) in batting average (.354), on-base percentage (.458), slugging percentage (.708) and OPS
(1.166)…he also ranks in doubles (5, T2nd) and extra-base hits (9, T2nd) during that stretch…his 1.166 OPS since August 19 ranks 4th among all AL hitters (min. 50PA), trailing SEA’s Julio Rodriguez (1.178), LAA’s Luis Rengifo (1.185) and TOR’s Davis Schneider (1.343)…he is hitting .462 (6-for-13) with 4 doubles and a home run off breaking balls and .333 (9-for-27) with 3 home runs off fastballs since August 19…was hitting .122 (5-for-41) off breaking balls and .186 (11-for-59) off fastballs before August 19.
BA-DEE-YA, DANCIN’ IN SEPTEMBER
In 10 games played in September, ANDRÉS GIMÉNEZ is hitting .342 (13-for-38), slashing .342/.419/.395/.813 with 4 runs scored and 2 RBI…among AL hitters this month, he ranks in stolen bases (5, 1st), singles (11, T1st), hit by pitches (2, T2nd), BABIP (.419, 3rd), batting average (.342, 5th), hits (13, T6th) and OBP (.419, 7th)… he is currently on a 6-game hit streak dating back to September 6, batting .417 (10-for-24) during the span…with 26 doubles & 20 steals in 2022 and 25 doubles & 27 steals so far this season, Giménez joins Francisco Lindor (2 times), JOSÉ RAMÍREZ (2 times) and Grady Sizemore (4 times) as the only Cleveland hitters with multiple seasons of 25+ doubles and 20+ stolen bases aged 25-or-younger since 1986…he leads all AL infielders with 35 defensive runs saved since 2022 and 19 defensive runs saved this year…he has been hit by a pitch 44 times since 2022, 2nd-most in MLB behind Ty France (51).
KWAN-TUM MECHANICS
STEVEN KWAN’s 156 hits this season are T3rd in the American League with KC’s Bobby Witt Jr. and T8th in MLB with Witt Jr. and 2 others…Kwan’s 87 multi-hit outings in his first 289 career games are T7th-most by a Cleveland hitter since 1966 and his 27 3+ hit outings in his first 289 career contests are 3rd-most by a Cleveland hitter since 1950, trailing Grady Sizemore (32) and Francisco Lindor (35)…through 289 career games, Kwan’s 324 hits are 3rd-most by a Cleveland hitter since 1978, behind Sizemore (326) and Lindor (340)…his 243 singles are 4th-most since 1966, behind Lofton (251), Manning (260) and Duane Kuiper (264)…his .285 batting average is the 5th-highest by a Cleveland hitter in the 2000’s (min. 1,000PA) in their first 288 games, behind Cabrera (.286), Travis Hafner (.287), Shin-Soo Choo (.303) and Lindor (.303).
YOU KNOW, BRO
After opening up September hitting .130 (3-for-23) in the month’s first 6 games, JOSÉ RAMÍREZ is hitting .400 (8-for-20) with one double and one home run in his last 5 games.
In his next game played, Ramírez will pass Kenny Lofton (1,276) for 15th-most games played in Cleveland history…with 214 career home runs, he is currently tied with Andre Thornton for 8th-most in club history…Larry Doby (215) sits at 7th-most in franchise history, while Carlos Santana and Hal Trosky (216) are T6th-most…with one more RBI, he will tie Lou Boudreau (740) for 12th-most in club history.
Ramírez has 24 home runs and 22 stolen bases in 2023…his 5 seasons of 20-or-more home runs and 20-or-more stolen bases are the most in club history, passing Grady Sizemore (4) and tied for the most among active players with LAA’s Mike Trout…he is T10th in MLB history in 20-20 seasons…Ramírez has turned the trick in each of his last 5 full seasons (2018-19, ‘21-’23).
TONIGHT’S STARTER – #47 CAL QUANTRILL RHP
QUANTRILL ON THE ROAD
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 1-2 5.40 8 8 43.1 49 27 26 12 28
Career 12-15 4.23 59 37 238.1 249 128 112 73 187
QUANTRILL’S MLB CAREER
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 2-6 5.70 15 15 79.0 88 51 50 27 46
Career 33-22 3.85 128 90 550.0 532 257 235 157 415
TONIGHT’S START
The 28-year-old right-hander is making his second start since returning from his second stint on the Injured List…marks his 16th start of the season, ninth on the road, in the second matchup of this 3-game set with the San Francisco Giants…missed 48 games due to right shoulder inflammation, the most time he’s missed due to injury in his whole career…the 5-year veteran has missed 72 games this season over two stints on the Injured List, both with right shoulder inflammation…was sidelined June 2-30 earlier this year.
Has produced back-to-back quality starts since returning to action…owns a 1.50 ERA (2ER/12.0IP) in his previous two starts… opposing hitters are batting .122 (5-for-41) during that stretch.
He’s seeking his first win since May 7 against Minnesota, working 7.0-shutout innings on one hit with 4 punchouts and 3 walks in that outing…has made 7 quality starts in 15 outings this season…is starting on 4 days’ rest; is 1-3 with an 8.15 ERA (16ER/17.2IP) in 4 starts on 4 days’ rest.
LAST TIME OUT
Quantrill took the hill on Thursday at Angel Stadium against Los Angeles-AL in a 3-2 loss…he did not factor into the decision, despite working 6.0-scoreless innings with 3 hits, 6 strikeouts and 2 walks…retired 6 of the first 7 batters he faced…after walking Kyren Paris to open up the 3rd frame, Paris made it to third after a stolen base and wild pitch…Quantrill did not let him score, retiring Brandon Drury to end the inning…the right-hander had traffic in each of the next 3 frames but did not allow any damage…marks his first time throwing consecutive quality starts since tossing 3 straight from May 1-13 earlier this season.
NOR-CAL QUANTRILL
This will be his 4th start against the Giants, owning a 1-0 record with a 3.77 ERA (6ER/14.1IP) in 3 starts…he took on San Francisco on April 16, 2022, a 4-2 loss, allowing 2 runs (earned) on 2 hits with 2 strikeouts and 3 walks across 4.2 innings of work… started the Giants twice as a member of the Padres in 2019, going 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA (4ER/9.2IP)…this will be his first time pitching at Oracle Park.
Has made 22 appearances (16 starts) against the NL West, however has only made 6 starts against the division while with Cleveland…owns a 5-6 record with a 5.38 ERA (54ER/90.1IP) overall against the NL West…as a starter against the division, he’s 3-6 with a 5.76 ERA (51ER/79.2IP) with 3 quality starts in 16 outings…in 6 starts with Cleveland, he’s 1-2 with a 5.34 ERA (19ER/32.0IP) against the NL West
In 28 career appearances (16 starts) in Interleague play, Quantrill is 3-4 with a 4.55 ERA (48ER/95.0IP)…does not have a win in Interleague play this season, going 0-3 with a 8.74 ERA (22ER/22.2IP)…has allowed 5-or-more earned runs in 3 of his 5 Interleague starts this season…Cleveland is 1-4 in those contests.
RUNNING THROUGH THE SIX
Quantrill has made 7 starts of 6.0-or-more innings this season, going 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA (10ER/44.1IP)…Cleveland is 6-1 in those games, despite scoring 4-or-fewer runs in 6 of those 7 contests…when Quantrill doesn’t work 6.0-or-more innings, he is 0-6 with a 10.38 ERA (40ER/34.2IP) and Cleveland is 1-7 in those contests. In his tenure with the Guardians, he has made 40 starts of 6.0-or-more innings, going 19-4 with a 2.40 ERA (70ER/262.1IP)… Cleveland owns a 29-12 record in those outings…he is 6-9 with a 6.39 ERA (93ER/131.0IP) in all other starts, while the Guardians are 12-18 in such contests
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: Winners of four straight, SF seeks a series win over Cleveland with a victory in the second game of this three-game series. The Giants are 4-0 on this homestand (3-0 vs. Colorado and 1-0 vs. Cleveland)…the last time the Giants won five consecutive games was part of a seven-game streak from July 8-18. A win today or tomorrow would give the Giants consecutive series victories for the first time since winning three straight series here at home July 25-August 3 (OAK, BOS, ARI). Despite their four game winning streak, the Giants have still dropped six of their last 10 and 21 of their past 34 games.
WHERE WE STAND: The Giants’ struggles in August / early September took them out of a Wild Card spot…they remain 1.5 games out of the third Wild Card spot currently held by Arizona at 76-69. The Giants and Marlins are currently tied for the first team out of the last Wild Card behind Arizona. Entering today, FanGraphs gave SF a 36.1% chance of making the postseason…it was 80.4% on August 4.
THE DRIP…: SF dons its City Connect uniforms tonight since it’s a Tuesday…the uniforms were introduced in 2021. The Giants are 26-8 with a +59 run differential when wearing the “creamsicle” jerseys since they were introduced. This season, they are 9-2 in the uniforms, which are only worn on Tuesdays at home.
LONG TIME NO SEE: San Francisco is 14-5 in 19 games overall versus Cleveland since 2005, including a 12-1 record in the last 13 matchups. Since being swept in their first regular season series against Cleveland in 2005, the Giants are 14-2 with a 1.74 ERA versus the Guardians. According to Stats, LLC, including the Giants’ sweep of Cleveland in the 1954 World Series, only one head-to head matchup in MLB history has been more lopsided than this one (see chart below). MLB, Best Record (reg & post) vs. Any Single Opponent – All-Time (Stats, LLC) Teams Record Winning % New York Yankees vs. Cubs 24-6 .800 San Francisco Giants vs. Cleveland 18-5 .783
Atlanta Braves vs. Athletics 20-6 .769 New York Mets vs. Cleveland 16-5 .762 Seattle Mariners vs. Reds 16-5 .762
BIG SEAN: LHP Sean Manaea returns to a starting role tonight, his first start for SF since May 10 vs. Washington. Manaea has gone 1-2 with a 7.54 ERA (19er, 22.2ip) in six starts this season…all six starts came at the beginning of the season. Since moving to the bullpen on May 17, Manaea has gone 4-3 with a 3.86 ERA in 25 relief outings. More recently, Manaea has a 2.93 ERA (9er, 27.2ip) in his last 10 relief outings dating to July 29…he’s struck out 30 and walked 13 in that time while limiting hitters to a .186 average against him. In five career starts vs. Cleveland (all with Oakland from 2017-21), Manaea has a 3.21 ERA (10er, 28.0ip) with 34 strikeouts.
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Giants are 42-31 at home and have clinched a winning record at home for the fourth straight season and 52nd season since moving to San Francisco. The Giants have won seven of their last 10 home games and are 18-9 over their last 27 contests at Oracle Park. In comparison, SF is 32-39 on the road and has dropped 20 of its last 24 road games, including each of the last six contests. SF plays eight of its final 18 games here at Oracle Park.
INTERLEAGUE PLAY:The Giants have struggled in Interleague games this season, posting a 19-25 record SF has dropped 14 of its last 23 Interleague matchups. The Giants are attempting to win their first series against an AL opponent since taking two-of-three from Boston July 28-30. This series against the Guardians is the Giants’ last games outside their division as they finish the season with 16 games against the NL West following this series.
THE O-LINE: Over their last six games, the Giants offense seems to have found their stride…SF is 4-2 in those games. They have averaged 6.5 runs/game dating to September 5, scoring 39 runs The club has slashed .327/.380/.590 for a .970 OPS…they have 16 doubles, 13 homers, one triple and 17 walks. Additionally, they’ve recorded 10 or more hits in each of the six games…the six-game streak with 10+ hits is the Giants longest of the season and longest since a seven-game streak from August 29-September 5, 2014. Lastly, the offensive improvement has also come with RISP as the club has batted .292 (19-for-65) with RISP since September 5.
ON GUARD: OF Mitch Haniger has gone 4-for-13 in his last four games with two doubles, two homers, three RBI, four runs scored and three walks. Haniger has posted a .306 average (33-for-108) with nine doubles, eight homers, 17 RBI, 17 walks and a .630 slugging pct., which is the second-highest SLG % vs. Cleveland among active players (min. 100 PA) behind Manny Machado (.656) (Stats, LLC).
TODAY’S STARTER – SEAN MANAEA LHP #52
2023 RECORD: 5-5, 5.00 ERA
WITH THE GIANTS: His first season with Giants…signed two-year, $25 million contract with San Francisco this offseason after spending 2022 with San Diego…the contract has a player opt-out after this season.
LAST OUTING: Manaea struck out one while allowing two runs on four hits (one home run) across 3.0 innings of relief vs. the Cubs on Sept. 6.
TODAY’S GAME: Today marks Manaea’s first start since May 10 after appearing in his last 25 games out of the bullpen. VS. CLEVELAND: The lefty last faced Cleveland in 2021 with Oakland…he has a career 3.21 ERA (10er, 28.0ip), 34 strikeouts and a 1.14 WHIP in five starts against the Guardians…Manaea has a strong history against Cleveland’s most prolific hitter as IF José Ramírez is 1-for-12 (.083) with five strikeouts and no extra-base hits in his career vs. the lefty.
BACK IN THE FOLD: Manaea is making his first start since May 10 vs. Washington after coming out of the bullpen in his last 25 games…he’s posted a 4.18 ERA (33er, 71.0ip) with 82 strikeouts in 27 games as a reliever this year compared to a 7.54 ERA (19er, 22.ip) and 28 strikeouts in six starts…in his career as a starter, Manaea is 59-52 with a 4.16 ERA in 897.2 innings.
KEEP IT LOW: Home runs have begun to burn Manaea again with four home runs allowed over his last four games (12.2ip)…he had a streak of 20 games and 53.1 innings from May 22-August 15 in which he did not allow a home run…in total, Manaea’s 1.47 HR/9 over the past two seasons is ninth-highest in MLB (minimum 250 innings pitched).
FAST AND FURIOUS: Manaea has thrown his fastball 56.5% of the time, which could bode well in this matchup…the Guardians have struggled against four-seam fastballs this year as their .248 batting average ranks 26th and their .722 OPS against the pitch is last in MLB…the Guardians have also totaled 39 home runs against four-seam fastballs this season, which is 29th in MLB.
FAVORABLE MATCHUP: Manaea has been very good against lefthanded hitters this season…lefties are batting .202 (26×129) with six doubles, one triple, two home runs and a .593 OPS while righties have a .258 average (58×225), 11 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs and an .822 OPS…the Guardians have an MLB-low .231 average and .657 OPS against lefty pitchers this year
HOME SWEET HOME: Manaea has been better at Oracle Park than on the road this season…at home, he is 2-4 with a 3.74 ERA (19er, 45.2ip), 53 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP in 16 games compared to going 3-1 with a 6.19 ERA (33er, 48.0ip), 57 strikeouts and a 1.54 WHIP in 17 road games.
