CLEVELAND GUARDIANS NOTES:
GUARDS DROP PAIR OF ONE-RUN CONTESTS
On the heels of Monday’s postponement due to inclement weather, Cleveland dropped a pair of one-run decisions in a traditional Tuesday twin-bill at Comerica Park, falling 4-3 in Game One ahead a 1-0 shutout in Game 2…club is 2-3 entering finale of this 6-game road trip thru Washington (2-1) and Detroit (0-2)… Cleveland opened the year with a 5-2 road trip before going 2-4 on first homestand of 2023…Guardians (9-9) have dropped a season-high 3 straight decisions and hold sole possession of 2nd place in the AL Central standings, 1.5 games behind Minnesota (10-7).
Kerry Carpenter ended G1 with a two-out, walk-off solo homer off JAMES KARINCHAK to break a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the 9th… Cleveland plated all 3 runs in the 4th on a JOSH BELL RBI-double and 2-run homer from OSCAR GONZALEZ (1), which gave the Guards a short-lived 3-1 lead before the Tigers plated a pair in the 5th against HUNTER GADDIS (5.0IP, 8H, 3R-ER, 1BB, 1SO, 82 pitches).
Southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez guided the Tigers to their fifth straight victory with 8.0 dominant frames in G2 (8.0IP, 4H, 0R, 0BB, 10SO, 99 pitches), as Riley Greene’s opposite-field solo homer off PEYTON BATTENFIELD (6.0IP, 3H, 1R-ER, 3BB, 5SO, 1HR, 87 pitches) to start the 6th inning held up as the contest’s decisive tally…8 of the other 9 hits in the 1-hour, 50-minute affair were singles, while the two clubs completed both games by 6:07pm ET.
DON’T BLINK
Monday afternoon’s cap of a traditional doubleheader lasted only 1 hour and 50 minutes…the blustery contest passed Los Angeles-AL vs. Boston (4/16, 1 hour and 57 minutes) and Minnesota vs. Miami (4/4, 1 hour and 57 minutes) for the shortest contest played of the 2023 MLB season, which has operated under the new pace-of-play rules…Cleveland has now played in two of the six fastest games during the 2023 MLB season, the other game being a 2 hour and 4 minute contest on April 1 that saw Cleveland defeat Seattle 2-0, the 6th-fastest game this season.
Yesterday’s doubleheader finale marked Cleveland’s fastest 9-inning game since June 2, 2010 against Detroit, when Armando Galarraga came just one out away from twirling a perfect game (1 hour, 44 minutes)…it’s the shortest 9-inning game in MLB since July 8, 2010, when Los Angeles-AL lost to Chicago-AL, 1-0, in a contest that lasted 1 hour and 50 minutes.
The average time of game across the MLB is currently 2 hours and 37 minutes, down 26 minutes from 2022 (3 hours and 3 minutes)…Cleveland is currently averaging 2 hours and 35 minutes in 9 inning games through their first 18 contests, down from 2 hours and 55 minutes per 9-inning games in 2022.
DETROIT DEJA VU
For the third consecutive season, Cleveland was swept in a doubleheader against Detroit…the Tigers swept on June 30, 2021 at Progressive Field (4-9, 1-7), then did the same on July 4, 2022 at Comerica Park (1-4, 3-5) before completing yesterday’s twin bill sweep…both Cleveland and Detroit have now swept one another 57 times in doubleheaders dating back to 1901…the Guardians have now lost 10 of their last 15 twin bill contests dating back to June 28, 2022 against Minnesota.
The Guards are looking to prevent themselves from being swept for the first time during the 2023 season…Cleveland was last swept September 2-4, 2022 at home against Seattle…they are now 11-4 in their last 15 series dating back to September 5th last season, featuring an even 3-3 record this year…the Tigers swept the Guards in four games at Comerica Park last season from July 4-6 (1-4, 3-5, 4-11, 2-8), but the Guards also returned the favor from August 9-11 at Comerica Park (5-2, 3-2, 4-3).
JOSÉ BEING JOSÉ
JOSÉ RAMÍREZ remains just one double away from tying Charlie Jamieson (296) for the 7th-most doubles in franchise history…he leads MLB this season with 4 intentional walks after tallying the most in baseball last year with 20…his 5 go-ahead RBI rank T1st in MLB this year with four others and his 6 doubles rank
T10th in MLB/T5th in the AL.
Since 2017, Ramírez has totaled 83 runs, 9 triples, 26 home runs, 92 RBI, 62 extra-base hits, 51 walks, 21 go-ahead RBI and 14 game-winning RBI against the Tigers, leading all MLB hitters in each of those categories during that span…he also ranks 2nd with a .664 slugging percentage and .416 on-base percentage, 3rd with 120 hits and 27 doubles and 10th with a .328 batting average against the Tigers in the last six years.
SANDY N’ SHANE
For the first time in their respective careers, Miami’s Sandy Alcantara and Cleveland’s Shane Bieber are scheduled to toe the rubber against one another on April 22nd in Cleveland…Alcantara was the unanimous 2022 NL Cy Young Winner and Bieber was the 2020 AL Cy Young Winner…over the last four seasons, the two aces measure up well against one another.
BIEBER VS. ALCANTARA SINCE 2020
Shane Bieber Sandy Alcantara
29 Wins 27
399.0 Innings Pitched 501.0
472 SO 467
2.71 (4th) ERA 2.89
.219 AVG. .220
10.65 SO/9 8.39
1.05 WHIP 1.05
4.97 SO/BB 3.86
5.4 Pitching WAR 6.1
TODAY’S TRANSACTIONS
Prior to today’s contest, BRAYAN ROCCHIO was recalled from AAA-Columbus and HUNTER GADDIS was optioned…the 22 year-old infielder is hitting .344 (21-for-61) with 7 doubles and 10 RBI through his first 15 games this season in AAA…Rocchio will be the third Guardian to make their Major League Debut this season after PEYTON BATTENFIELD made his debut on April 12 against New York-AL.
TODAY’S STARTER – #47 CAL QUANTRILL RHP
TODAY’S START
The 28 year-old right-hander is scheduled to make his fourth start of the season, third on the road, this afternoon in the final matchup of a 3-game series against the Detroit Tigers and the closing contest of a 6-game road trip…is pitching on 4 days rest after tossing a quality start on Friday in a 4-3 win at Washington… the Guardians are now 2-1 in Quantrill’s starts this season…he is embarking on his third full season in a Guardians jersey after being traded to Cleveland during the 2020 season in a deal that sent Mike Clevinger to San Diego.
LAST TIME OUT
He last toed the rubber on Friday in a 4-3 victory at Washington…did not factor in to the decision, despite turning in a 6.0 inning quality start in his first career appearance against the Nationals (6.0IP, 6H, 3R/ER, 2BB, 3SO, 1HR, 104 pitches)…all of Washington’s damage came in the bottom of the 4th frame as Luis Garcia hit a solo shot, followed up by a 2-run single from Alex Call later in the inning…Cleveland would score 4 unanswered runs to finish the game en route to a 4-3 victory…his 104 pitches were a season-high.
DETROIT ROCK CITY
Is 2-2 with a 3.34 ERA (12ER/32.1IP) in 9 career games vs, Detroit in including a 2-1 record with a 3.76 ERA (11ER/26.1IP) in 6 career starts, with his last start coming in an 8-4 victory on August 17 of last season…Quantrill did not factor into the decision, allowing 4R/ER on 5 hits, including one home run, with 2 strikeouts and 2 walks…it’s his 5G/2GS at Comerica Park, owning a 3.60 ERA (4ER/10.0IP).
He is 14-3 with a 3.23 ERA (56ER/156.0IP) in 37 career games against the AL Central, including a 14-2 record with a 3.48 ERA (52ER/134.1IP) in 24 career starts…he is currently riding a 6-game winning streak against the division with his last loss coming in an 11-4 defeat on July 5, 2022 at Detroit…the last time he allowed 4-or-more earned runs against an AL Central opponent came on June 25, 2021 in an 8-7 loss at Minnesota.
LOOKING FOR K’S
With 3 strikeouts in each of his 3 starts to open the 2023 campaign, Quantrill is not getting hitters to swing and miss at the same rate as the rest of his career…his 15.5 swing and miss percentage is 5.2% lower than his 20.7% career average, while his first pitch strike percentage is 58.7% compared to a 62.9% career average…his 12.0% strikeout rate, 5.17 SO/9, 1.80 SO/BB are all significantly lower than his career averages.
CRAFTY CAL
During the 2023 campaign, Quantrill has utilized 4 pitches, primarily his sinker and cutter as they account for almost 90% of his pitches…he factors in two off-speed pitches, his changeup and curveball…he mostly uses his changeup against lefties, throwing it 25 total times and 24 times against left-handed batters.
Through his first three starts, opposing batters are 8-for-27 (.296) with 3 doubles in at-bats ending with his cutter, however they went 0-6 against the pitch in his last start…in 2022, opposing batters finished with a .235 average (55-for-234) with 47 strikeouts in such at-bats…the 47 strikeouts were the most of any pitch in his repertoire.
QUANTRILL’S PITCH ARSENAL, 2023
Pitch Type % MPH Opp BA
Sinker 55.2 93.1 .297
Cutter 33.2 88.4 .296
Changeup 8.7 86.3 .250
Curveball 2.4 84.7 .500
ALL I DO IS WIN
Quantrill went 11-0 to finish the 2022 season, becoming just the 3rd pitcher in club history since 1901 to go 11-0-or-better over any 17-start span, according to Elias:
DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:
TIGERS SWEEP TWINBILL FROM CLEVELAND: The Tigers earned a pair of wins against the Guardians on Tuesday. In the opener, Kerry Carpenter hit a walk-off solo homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Carpenter finished the game with three hits, while Eric Haase was 4-for-4. Matthew Boyd started the opener and allowed three runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 5.0 innings. Mason Englert pitched 3.0 shutout innings, while Alex Lange picked up the win after a scoreless ninth inning. In the second game, Eduardo Rodriguez was the story, throwing 8.0 shutout innings with four hits allowed and 10 strikeouts. Jason Foley pitched a perfect ninth for his first career save. Offensively, Riley Greene drove in the only run of the game with a solo homer in the sixth inning.
ROSTER MOVE: The Tigers have made the following roster move:
*Following yesterday’s doubleheader, returned RHP Will Vest to Triple A Toledo.
E-ROD IS EXCELLENT: Eduardo Rodriguez turned in his best start in a Tigers uniform yesterday in the second game of the doubleheader, throwing
8.0 shutout innings with four hits allowed, no walks and 10 strikeouts. According to Baseball Reference, he became just the third Tigers pitcher in franchise history to throw at least 8.0 scoreless innings with no walks and 10-or-more strikeouts, joining Bill Donovan (June 27, 1908 vs. St. Louis) and Max Scherzer (June 17, 2012 vs. Colorado).
THREE STRAIGHT WALK-OFFS: The Tigers won the first game of yesterday’s twin-bill on a walk-off homer from Kerry Carpenter in the bottom of the ninth. It marked Detroit’s third consecutive walk-off win, the first time the Tigers have done that since June 26-29, 2004. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last Major League team to win three straight in walk-off fashion was Philadelphia from June 9-12, 2021.
CARPENTER WALKS IT OFF: Kerry Carpenter was the hero in the first game of yesterday’s twin-bill, hitting a solo homer with two outs in the ninth inning for his first career walk-off hit. Carpenter finished the game with a career high tying three hits, including a pair of extra-base hits. Of Carpenter’s 10 hits this season, seven of them have gone for extra bases (four doubles, three home runs).
ON THE CLOCK: The Tigers and Guardians combined for 4 hours, 13 minutes of playing time in Tuesday’s doubleheader. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the shortest Major League doubleheader in which both games went at least nine innings since July 29, 1984 when the Cubs and Mets combined for 4:10. It was the quickest Tigers doubleheader in which both games lasted at least nine innings since August 1, 1980 vs. Seattle, which also lasted 4:13.
TIGERS AND GUARDIANS: The Tigers and Guardians conclude their first series of the season today. The two teams will next play May 8-10 during a three-game series in Cleveland. With the balanced schedule in place this season, Detroit and Cleveland will play 13 times this season, down from 19 in previous seasons. The Tigers went 9-10 against the Guardians last season, including going 6-4 at Comerica Park.
ON DECK: Following an off day tomorrow, the Tigers embark on a six-game road trip, which begins with three games against the Orioles. Detroit won five-of-six games from Baltimore last season, including winning two-of-three at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
TIGERS ON THE IL:
• RHP Beau Brieske (right upper arm discomfort, 15-day IL on March 30, retroactive to March 27)
• RHP Matt Manning (right foot fracture, 15-day IL on April 8, retroactive to April 7)
• OF Austin Meadows (anxiety, 15-day IL on April 12)
• RHP Casey Mize (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on February 17)
• RHP Freddy Pacheco (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on March 27)
• LHP Tarik Skubal (left elbow strain, 60-day IL on March 14)
TODAY’S TIGERS STARTING PITCHER – Spencer Turnbull • 1-2, 9.00 ERA (13.0IP/13ER)
• Turnbull will make his fourth start of the season today in the series finale against Cleveland.
• Picked up his first win of the season on Thursday at Toronto, allowing only one run on six hits with a walk and six strikeouts in 5.0 innings… was his first big league win since May 29, 2021 vs. New York (AL).
• Has made 10 career appearances, including nine starts, against the Guardians, posting a 0-6 record with a 5.10 ERA (47.2IP/27ER) and 40 strikeouts…in 28 career starts at Comerica Park, Turnbull is 6-15 with a 4.32 ERA (145.2IP/70ER) and 139 strikeouts.
• Made nine starts in 2021 and went 4-2 with a 2.88 ERA (50.0IP/16ER) and 44 strikeouts…limited opponents to a 0.98 WHIP and a .203 batting average.
• Threw the eighth no-hitter in Tigers history on May 18, 2021 at Seattle, striking out nine and walking two…was the first no-hitter by a Tigers pitcher since Justin Verlander on May 7, 2011 at Toronto.
