Guardians Baseball Insider

Image: (Lindsay Carico)

The Hillcats once again had a few games where their offensive onslaught carried them. That included a game where they were down 9-0 and never led until they won, 14-13, in 12 innings. In that win, Jhonkensey Noel had five hits (all singles) and both teams scored in the ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th. It was a wild affair. Unfortunately for the Hillcats, on Sunday, Noel was hit by a pitch on his hand and hasn’t played since. Since then, the club has scored just 10 runs over three games, not a shock. They’ve gotten good starts from Xzavion Curry and Daniel Espino, but inconsistent relief help and offense. Besides Pries some nights, Noel, Andres Melendez this week, the offense hasn’t been deep with big performances since the opening week. That means scouting reports are now out on their hitters and its time to start seeing them make their adjustments. 

Week in Review

5/20 – W 3-1 vs. Myrtle Beach – W: Vinicio; L: Albertos; S: Ramirez
5/21 – W 14-13 vs. Myrtle Beach – W: Labyut; L: Vargas
5/22 – W 11-1 vs. Myrtle Beach – W: Feliz; L: Laskey
5/23 – L 8-3 vs. Myrtle Beach – W: Gonzalez; L: Hart
5/25 – L 7-3 at Delmarva – W: Davis; L: Arias-Bautista
5/26 – L 12-7 at Delmarva – W: Denoyer; L: Felix

Player of the Week

1B/3B Jhonkensey Noel – 8-26, 2 HR, 2B, 7 RBI

We can probably just copy/paste Noel in here every week in some capacity. He had a five hit game this past week, though all five were singles. But that just proves he’s more than just a power hitter looking to put another UFO in the sky. The only bummer is Sunday he was hit in the hand by a pitch in his first at bat and hasn’t appeared in a game since.

Who’s Hot:

C Andres Melenez – 5-15, 2 HR, 2 2B, 6 RBI 

Melendez’s good week came in one game really where he hit two homers and doubled. He had a double in another game and two hits but overall it was one big night. Still, Melendez isn’t known for his bat so that he did was incredibly impressive and he’s hit the ball fairly well in general.

RP Jerson Ramirez – 2G – 3IP, 6K, BB, H

Ramirez continues to be a dominant force at the back of the Hillcats bullpen that has had inconsistent performances in front of him. But he is now up to nine scoreless innings on the season with 15 strikeouts.

Who’s Not

SP Sergio Morillo – 1 GS – 0.2IP, 4R, 3BB, HBP, 2K

This might be the weirdest pitching line of the year. Morillo didn’t allow a hit in his one, but only lasted 0.2 innings because he walked three and hit a batter. Morillo had a nice first start (4IP, 1ER, 0H either). He allowed four runs (three earned) last start in one inning. It’s been a tough for for Morillo since that opening start.

OF Alexfri Planez – 2-18 – 2 2B, 4 K, BB, 2 SB

It wasn’t the worst week for Planez, but he’s still having a hard time impacting the baseball consistently with his long swing, despite good bat speed. The strikeouts being lower are a good sign, so maybe he’s starting to get more comfortable and can start making better quality contact and improve things from here.

Coming Up

5/27 at Delmarva
5/28 at Delmarva
5/29 at Delmarva
5/30 at Delmarva
6/1 vs Salem
6/2 vs Salem