Guardians Baseball Insider

Image: David Monseur/MiLB

Entering Iowa having dropped 11 of its last 13 games, Columbus needed a spark in order to right the ship, especially after then-team home run and RBI leader Bobby Bradley was promoted to Cleveland June 5. That spark was provided by 2016 17th-round pick and 25-year-old first baseman Trenton Brooks and carried throughout the lineup, which saw eight different Clippers knock in a run against the Cubs this week. Brooks connected for a hit in each of his first five games with Columbus, and hit two homers in a 5 RBI night Thursday. IBI’s No. 2 prospect Nolan Jones raised his batting average over .200 for the first time this season and reached base twice in five of the six games in Iowa, knocking six doubles — including three in the series-opener Tuesday — and finishing with his second long ball of the season Sunday. Columbus’ bullpen was busy all week, and logged 21 1/3 innings over the final three games of the series. The Clippers’ record is now 15-20, which is fifth in the Triple-A East Midwest Division, as they will return home and welcome their season’s first full-capacity crowd at Huntington Park.

Day-by-day

6/8: 8-5 W at Iowa W: Fillmyer (1-1) L: Jewell (2-1) S: Garza (1)

6/9: 8-4 W at Iowa W: McCarty (5-0) L: Swarmer (0-2)

6/10: 9-7 W at Iowa W: Herget (1-1) L: Effross (0-2) S: Johnson (3)

6/11: 9-2 L at Iowa W: Kellogg (1-0) L: Moss (0-3)

6/12: 7-1 W at Iowa W: Dowdy (2-2) L: Sampson (0-2)

6:13: 6-3 W at Iowa W: Johnson (1-1) L: Wieck (0-1)

Player of the Week

INF/OF Trenton Brooks: 7-for-22, 6 R, 8 RBI, 2 HR, 2B

Despite not having played a game above Double-A prior to his promotion Tuesday, Brooks performed like an experienced veteran in his first series with Columbus. He jumped on Iowa’s pitching and drove in a team-best eight runs against the Cubs while filling Bradley’s void at first base — all while hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup. Brooks brought his hot bat with him from Double-A Akron, where he was the Rubberducks’ team-leader in RBIs and reached base at a .438 clip. The Alpine, California, native clubbed a pair of home runs for the third time in his professional career Thursday, and will look to carry his momentum in his first taste of action at Huntington Park, where the third-most home runs have been hit in the league so far this season.

Who’s Hot

INF/OF Connor Marabell: 8-for-16, 6 R, 7 RBI, HR, 3 BB

Unlike Brooks, Marabell has seen time at the Triple-A level in portions of the last four seasons. The 27-year-old kept the bottom-half of Columbus’ lineup dangerous, beginning the week by knocking in three 2-out runs in a 3-for-3 performance Tuesday and reaching base on a trio of walks Sunday. Like Brooks, though, Marabell scored a run in all five games in which he played while smacking his second home run of the season to give the Clippers the lead Saturday. He’s riding a seven-game on-base streak.

RHP Justin Garza: 4 IP, SV, 8 K, 3 H

Columbus’ most-reliable bullpen arm earned the call to Cleveland when right-hander Blake Parker was brought up June 5, paving the way for fellow righty Justin Garza to step in for the newfound need for innings. Garza gave just that, and tossed four scoreless innings at Iowa across two outings of two frames apiece. The 27-year-old navigated his way around two leadoff singles for his first save of the year on Tuesday, then threw two perfect innings with five punch outs Saturday.

Who’s Not

INF Andrés Giménez: 2-for-24, 9 K, HR, error (6/8)

After banging seven hits and his first homer with Triple-A Columbus just one week ago at Indianapolis, Andrés Giménez struggled to find the holes and get base hits to drop in Iowa. He committed his second error on a throwing misplay Tuesday, and struck out at least once in each ballgame against the Cubs. Giménez entered Sunday’s series finale a lowly 1-for-19 in the week, but drove his second long ball in as many weeks during his first trip to the plate.

LHP Scott Moss: 1.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 K, BB

The need for starting pitching has been a trend for both big-league Cleveland and Triple-A Columbus. Although he’s made the second-most starts within the Clippers’ pitching staff, left-hander Scott Moss has been brought along slowly and hasn’t eclipsed four innings since his first start of the year. Moss didn’t finish the second inning in his latest start despite retiring two of the first three in the latter frame. The 26-year-old allowed a full-count walk and back-to-back RBI singles before he was replaced by right-hander Heath Fillmyer, marking Moss’ fourth game with two innings or less with as many earned runs allowed this season.

Transactions

6/7 – RHP Eli Morgan optioned to Triple-A Columbus from Cleveland

6/8 – RHP Manuel Alvarez assigned to Double-A Akron from Triple-A Columbus

6/8 – LHP Tanner Tully assigned to Double-A  Akron from Triple-A Columbus

6/8 – OF Trenton Brooks assigned to Triple-A Columbus from Double-A Akron

6/10 – LHP Zach Draper assigned to Double-A Akron from Triple-A Columbus

6/10 – LHP Anthony Gose activated from the temporarily inactive list (Olympics)

6/10 – RHP DJ Johnson activated from the temporarily inactive list (Olympics)

6/11 – OF Jordan Luplow assigned to Triple-A Columbus (rehab assignment)

6/12 – RHP Triston McKenzie recalled by Cleveland

6/13 – INF Ernie Clement recalled by Cleveland

6/13 – RHP Triston McKenzie optioned to Triple-A Columbus

Coming Up

6/15 – HOME vs. Toledo 7:05

6/16 – HOME vs. Toledo 12:05

6/17 – HOME vs. Toledo 7:05

6/18 – HOME vs. Toledo 7:05

6/19 – HOME vs. Toledo 7:05

6/20 – HOME vs. Toledo 2:05