Guardians Baseball Insider

The Nashville Sounds, the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, made easy work of the Columbus Clippers this week, sweeping them in a five-game series. Again their offense could not put up enough runs to support the up and down pitching performances. However, the Clippers have a chance to end their season on a high note taking their 56-67 record into a final home series against the Louisville Bats next week.

All was not hopeless this week. Newly promoted starting pitcher Adam Scott made a promising start despite taking the loss on Thursday, and Cody Morris looked good in the series finale while also learning the loss in a 1-0 game. Shortstop Gabriel Arias is hitting over .280 heading into the final series of the season, and Richie Palacios continues to show he can handle Triple-A pitching. Oscar Gonzalez hit another home run, giving him 16 Triple-A dingers heading into the final series of the season. And James Karinchak had two good outings and one bad outing, leaving his future in the Cleveland bullpen as murky as ever.

Day-by-Day

9/22 – L 7-6 – W: Barker, L: Kevin Herget (7-5)

9/23 – L 8-1 – W: Rea, L: Adam Scott (0-2)

9/24 – L 6-4 – W: Sadzeck, L: James Karinchak (1-1), S: Lobstein

9/25 – L 9-2 – W: Bettinger, L: Kirk McCarty (8-6)

9/26 – L 1-0 – W: Castaneda, L: Morris (2-2), S: Barker

Player of the Week

SS Gabriel Arias – 5-16, BB, 4 SO

Arias has consistently shown improvement throughout the season, and enters the final series of the season hitting an impressive .284/.347/.444, with 29 doubles and 11 home runs. This week Arias had two multi-hit games against the sounds and continues to show the ability to play spectacular defense at shortstop. In a series where the Clippers’ lineup failed to put up much offense, Arias continued to shine at the plate and in the field.

Who’s Hot

2B Richard Palacios – 4-13, 2B, 3B, R, RBI, 2 BB, 5 SO, SB

Palacios is really demonstrating his ability to hit Triple-A pitching after being called up from the Double-A RubberDucks on July 30. This week he added a double and a triple, and he is now hitting .292/.434/.427 in 96 Triple-A at-bats.

OF Oscar Gonzalez – 4-17, HR, RBI, 4 SO

Gonzalez now has 16 home runs and 10 doubles since being called up from Double-A on July 6. Between the RubberDucks and the Clippers, Gonzalez now has 29 home runs, 22 doubles, and 78 RBI on the season and is poised to end his 2021 season on a high note.

SP Adam Scott – 4.0 IP, 2 H, R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO, L

After a rough Triple-A debut last week, Scott settled in this week in his start against the Sounds. Although he took the loss on Thursday, Scott pitched well, striking out seven, walking three and giving up no earned runs in his start.

SP Cody Morris – 4.2 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 7 SO, HR, L

Morris had another good outing for the Clippers, taking the loss after giving up only one run in 4.2 IP in Sunday’s season finale. The Clippers’ offense failed to muster any offense behind him, getting only two hits on the evening. Nevertheless, Morris has looked good since joining the Clippers and will look to get one more start against Louisville next week.

Who’s Not

RP James Karinchak – 2.0 IP, H, 2 ER, HR, 2 BB, 3 SO

Karinchak made three appearances against the Sounds this week, and like his season he was up and down. On Wednesday, Karinchak pitched .2 innings in relief. He did not give up a hit or a run, and he struck out two and walked none. On Friday, things did not go so well. Karinchak pitched .1 innings, giving up a hit, two earned runs including a home run and two walks. Karinchak failed to strike out a batter in that outing. On Sunday, he came on in the seventh inning with the Clippers down 1-0. He pitched a clean inning with no hits, no walks and a strikeout. Karinchak should be able to mow down Triple-A hitters regularly at this point, so Friday’s outing is concerning. Hopefully he is just working out his mechanical issues that brought him to Triple-A late this season, and he can end his season with a few more good outings in the final series of the season next week.

SP Kirk McCarty – 4.1 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 6 SO, HR, L

McCarty has not had a spectacular season for the Clippers, but the lefty has consistently taken the ball every 5-6 days and for the most part has given his team a chance to win each time he takes the mound. This week McCarty had one of his tougher outings of the season. On Saturday McCarty gave up five earned runs over 4.1 innings, giving up three hits, four walks and a home run. McCarty did strike out six Sounds batters on the night. Here’s hoping McCarty finishes the season strong next week, as he has earned the chance to go out on a high note.

Transactions

LHP Anthony Gose – Cleveland selected teh contract of lefty Gose from Columbus on September 20.

RHP J.C. Mejia – the 25-year old righty was optioned from Cleveland to Columbus on September 24.

LHP Francisco Perez – the 24-year old lefty was optioned from Cleveland to Columbus on Setember 24.

Up Next

The Clippers close out the season with a five-game homestand against the Louisville Bats next week. The series starts on Wednesday September 29 at Huntington Park in downtown Columbus.

Wednesday, 9/29 – first pitch at 6:15 p.m.

Thursday, 9/30 – first pitch at 6:15 p.m.

Friday 10/1 – first pitch at 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, 10/2 – first pitch at 7:05 p.m.

Sunday, 10/3 – first pitch at 2:05 p.m.