Cleveland crushes New York, 11-1

This afternoon’s game meant a lot more to New York than it did Cleveland. It would be easy to come away from today’s game and think things were the other way around based on the attitude of the players.

Every Guardians starter reached base in an 11-1 thumping of the Yankees. Ignited by Harold Ramirez and led by José Ramírez, Guardians hitters peppered ten hits off of Gerrit Cole to score seven runs. The highlight? José blasting a home run into the second deck of the right-field bleachers, though any moment from the MVP candidate’s 4-4 afternoon would work, too.

Meanwhile, the lone Yankee run came via solo shot off the bat of Giovanny Urshela. Woo.

Their impotence at the plate came naturally from their impatience. In six innings of work, Guardians starter Eli Morgan allowed one run on six hits and a walk. That he struck out only three didn’t matter; hitters flailed into weak contact all afternoon. Sixteen of twenty-two hitters earned a strike on the first pitch of the at-bat. Morgan kept them behind and off-balance to bounce back nicely from his prior start.

Cleveland’s hitters supported their starter with their best offensive performance of the season. Coming into today’s game many fans on Twitter had joked about the team being no-hit again.

I do not think many people took the over today. It’s a shame.

Corner Pieces

• José Ramírez reached base after all five plate appearances today. Playing as a designated hitter he singled twice, homered, doubled, and walked. I regret to inform you that he failed to score one of the times that he reached. Shucks.
• Eli Morgan stared down the heart of the Yankees’ for a third time today. He faced the minimum though benefitted from two double plays. Now, tell me: who induced those? WHO INDUCED THE DOUBLE PLAYS? That’s right. Eli induced them.
• Roberto Pérez enjoyed one of his best games of the season. He homered and stroked an RBI single. It did not help his season stats very much but it is nice to see some potential positive regression.
• Filling in for Amed Rosario at shortstop, Andres Gimenez took advantage with his ninth double of the year, a single, and a run scored,

Wait, What?

Remember the other night when Bobby Bradley slipped trying to make a nifty play in foul ground? Today, Bradley earned a scratch single when a lazy grounder hopped right over the bag at third. Bradley Zimmer slid into second ahead of a decent dive-tag effort from DJ LeMahieu playing third.

What’s Next?

Cleveland takes on Kansas City in an abbreviated true doubleheader tomorrow evening.