Guardians Baseball Insider

Scoreboard

Triple-A – Columbus Clippers 5, Iowa Cubs 2
Double-A – Akron RubberDucks 9, Binghamton Rumble Ponies 8 (8 innings – RAIN)
High-A – Cedar Rapids Kernels 6, Lake County Captains 1
Single-A – Salem Red Sox 9, Lynchburg Hillcats 8

HIGHLIGHTS

George Valera (Akron, LF): 1-4, 1 R, 1 SB – this series has been an incredible one for Valera.  He lit up Rumble Ponies pitching all week en route to a six-game hitting streak (He also has a seven-game on-base streak going back to last Sunday’s series finale at Canal Park vs. the Erie SeaWolves, when he walked twice.).  During this streak, he is 11-for-29 with two doubles and all three of his May homers while walking twice and striking out four times (his K:BB ratio is an even 4:4 during the aforementioned on-base streak.) for a .379/.419/.749 slash line.  The question now is whether he can replicate these numbers (or something close to them, against stronger pitching.  The Binghamton staff is near the bottom of the Eastern League in most statistical categories (11th in ERA, T-10th in WHIP, and 11th in opponents’ AVG in the 12-team Eastern League and a park factor or 95).  Hopefully, all of this is irrelevant and Vakera is truly turning a corner and getting back to doing George Valera things.

Micah Pries (Akron, 1B): 2-4, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 K – Pries drove in nearly half of the RubberDucks; runs in Sunday;s rain-shortened contest, including the go-ahead and ultimately game-winning tallies on a two-run triple in the top of the eighth.

Raymond Burgos (Lake County, RP): 2 IP, perfect, 4 K – Burgos is unscored upon in his last three outings (6.1 innings).

Milan Tolentino (Lynchburg, SS): 2-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 SB – Pretty much everything that can be said about Tolentino’s excellence at the plate has been said.  What has been overlooked, however, is his prowess on the basepaths.  In his rookie 2021 campaign, Milan stole only three bases in four attempts in 48 games.  He is only two-thirds of the way to that game total this season, but he has already stolen eight in nine attempts.

BEST OF THE REST

Richie Palacios (Columbus, LF): 1-3, 1 R, 1 3B, 2 BB – Palacios extended his Triple-A hitting streak to five games (and on-base streak to seven) over three separate stints in his return from his latest call-up to the Big Club.

Tyler Freeman (Columbus, 2B): 3-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K – Freeman ended his week in Des Moines the way he started it – with a multi-hit game.  In between, he struggled, going only 2-for-15 in the intervening four games.

Alex Call (Columbus, CF): 2-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 Sac Bunt – Call’s May has been markedly different than his April.  In the season’s first month, he was only 11-for-43 (.256), but seven of those hits were of the extra-base variety (3 2B, 1 3B,3 HR) for a .325 ISO.  This month, he has improved his average to .292 (14-for-48), but only four of those have been extra-base (all doubles), lowering his ISO to .083.  Power slump or the Guardians’ new contact emphasis affecting his approach at the plate?

Mike Rivera (Columbus, C): 2-3, 2 RBI, 1 BB ,1 K – Rivera ended a three-game 0-for-8 mini-slump with this multi-hit performance.

Peyton Battenfield (Columbus, SP): ND, 5 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K – A lack of early run support denied Battenfield the individual victory in his best start since hurling six shutout frames in the Clippers’ home opener on April 12.

Bo Naylor (Akron, C): 1-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K – Naylor’s fourth-inning homer to right was his second round-tripper of the series and third of the season.

Will Brennan (Akron, RF): 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K – Brennan is part of a five-way tie for the Eastern League lead in doubles after his RBI two-base hit in the third.

Jose Tena (Akron, SS); 2-4, 2 R, 1 2B – Just like Valera, Tena is on a six-game hitting streak that consists entirely of the recently-concluded series in Binghamton, NY (he even has the seven-game on-base streak from a walk last Sunday in Akron).  His streak has been marked by an almost Brennan-esque doubles pace, with half of his ten hits during the streak coming in the form of two-baggers – one in each of his last five games.

Daniel Schneemann (Akron, 2B): 2-3, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB – The Rumble Ponies roadtrip was also a successful one for Schneemann, who compiled 41.7% of his total bases so far this season between this six-base afternoon and Thursday’s nine-base efort.

Jared Janczak (Akron, RP): H (1), 1 IP, perfect, 2 K – Janczak improved on his Friday competitive season debut by replacing the pair of walks with the same number of strikeouts.

Korey Holland (Lake County, backup RF): 1-1, 1 R – Holland had only one plate appearance but did something none of the nine Captains regards could do yesterday:  score a run.

Gabriel Rodriguez (Lake County, SS): 1-4, 1 RBI – Rodriguez drove Holland in for said run.

Matt Turner (Lake County, RP): 2.1 IP, 1 H, 4 K – turner pitched four shutout frames in two outings this series.

Damon Casetta-Stubbs (Lake County, RP): 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K – Caetta-Stubbs makes it two straight solid outings in garbage innings.  How many more before he gets another shot at a high-leverage situation?

Yordys Valdes (Lynchburg, 3B): 1-6, 1 RBI, 1 K – In games with multiple plate appearances, Valdes has a six-game hitting streak and ten game on-base streak.

Jorge Burgos (Lynchburg, LF): 2-5, 2 K – Burgos extended his on-base streak to six games with this multi-hit effort.

Victor Planchart (Lynchburg, C): 1-5, 1 R, 2 K – Planchart is seeing more playing time (has played in each of the Hillcats’ last four games) and the extra reps are well-deserved.  He has played in fifteen games this season and had at least one hit in 14 of them.  Keep an eye on him and expect to see him in Eastlake next summer…if not this one.

Wilfri Peralta (Lynchburg, 1B): 3-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 CS – While his extra-base hit streak (in games with multiple plate appearances) ended yesterday at four games, he did add a fifth game to his hit streak while reaching base four times on Sunday.

Elvis Jerez (Lynchburg, RP): 1.1 IP, 1 Bb – Jerez has not allowed an earned run in 4.1 innings in five May outings (The overall streak is both on game and one inning longer going back to his last outing of April).