Guardians Baseball Insider

Image: David Monseur/Accent Images/Courtesy Akron RubberDucks

Scoreboard

Triple-A – Columbus Clippers 4, Indianapolis Indians 2
Double-A – Bowie Baysox 20, Akron RubberDucks 6
High-A – Great Lakes Loons 3, Lake County Captains 1
Low-A – Carolina Mudcats 10, Lynchburg Hillcats 1

HIGHLIGHTS

Oscar Gonzalez (Columbus, RF): 3-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI – Gonzalez led off the scoring with a line-drive triple to right that scored rehabbing Guardians backup C Luke Maile (more on him below). He finished the evening a homer short of the cycle with his third multi-hit game in his last four and fourth in his last six. In those six games, he is slashing .426 (11-for-26)/.444 (1 HBP)/.692 (2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR). This represents a more consistent, albeit less spectacular stretch than his first five games of the campaign, which saw him hit two home runs, but manage only one single in his other 16 at-bats (and only one walk), resulting in a .167/.211/.500 slash line.

George Valera (Akron, RF): 3-5, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI – His second home run of the season highlighted this offensive explosion from Valera, who is now slashing .280/.486/.600.

Will Brennan (Akron, CF): 2-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K – While his statline last night wasn’t as gaudy as Valera’s, his season numbers sop far are stratospheric. A .405/.442/.568 slash line and 10 RBI in as many games with only a 5:4 K:BB ratio aren’t numbers that speak for themselves. They SCREAM. Brennan’s name is one you should get used to hearing for years to come.

REHAB

Luke Maile (Columbus, starting C): 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K – Maile reached base twice on Tuesday night as he continues to perform well at the plate in his rehab assignment.

BEST OF THE REST

Will Benson (Columbus, CF): 1-3, 1 R, 1 HBP – Benson reached twice and scored once last night, but his biggest contribution was this gravity-defying, home run-robbing catch:

David Fry (Columbus, 1B): 1-4, 1 2B,2 RBI, 1 K – Needless to say, Fry has struggled at the plate to start the season (.515 OPS), but his first multi-RBI game of the campaign came at an opportune time, as his two-run double in the fourth equaled the Clip Show’s margin of victory.

Adam Scott (Columbus, SP): ND, 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 earned), 2 BB, 5 K – Scott continued his solid start to the season despite not pitching long enough to earn the individual victory.

Ian Gibaut (Columbus, RP): S (1), 1 IP, perfect, 3 K – Gibaut struck out the Indians in order in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.

Seth Caddell (Akron, DH): 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K – Caddell’s fifth game of his professional career was by far the best so far.

Kevin Kelly (Akron, RP): 2.1 IP, 1 H, 5 K – Kelly is yet to allow an earned run this season in seven innings in four games following a stellar effort that provided a welcome respite from an ugly night on the mound that saw a pair of position players (Jonathan Engelmann and Eric Rodriguez) struggle to get the the Mallards of Main Street through the eighth without further taxing an already strained bullpen.

Raynel Delgado (Lake County, 2B): 2-4, 1 K, 1 CS, Picked Off 1 time – Delgado’s multi-hit effort highlighted a generally unimpressive night for the Captains.

Dayan Frias (Lynchburg, 3B): 4-5 – After a one-hit opener, Frias has had either two or zero hits in every game until last night, when he took the feast end of “feast-or-famine” to another level with four of the Hillcats’ nine hits.

Victor Planchart (Lynchburg, DH): 2-3, 1 BB, 1 K – Planchart continues to dominate at the plate in limited playing time.