Guardians To Start Rookie Over Zach Plesac Against Twins

The Cleveland Guardians have reportedly decided to start Peyton Battenfield over Zach Plesac on Friday against the Minnesota Twins.

Tommy Wild | May 4, 2023

Guardians To Start Rookie Over Zach Plesac Against Twins /

In this story:

The Cleveland Guardians have not won a series since they went to the capitol and took two of three games from the Washington Nationals. That was back in the middle of April and we're now in May.

It's been a tough few weeks as the Guardians have lost five straight series as they've struggled to string together any hits or score runs.

Some changes have to be made considering the Guardians now sit at 3.0 games back of the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers a game back from Cleveland in the AL Central.

Cleveland's first move is that they are reportedly skipping over the start of Zach Plesac this Friday as the Guardians welcome the Twins to town. Instead, they'll go with rookie Peyton Battenfield to make his fourth career start.

Plesac has been in the rotation since 2019, but his production has been rocky the last few seasons. He had a record of 3-12 and an ERA f 4.31 in 2022. However, some of that had to do with the historically bad run support he received.

This season that earned run average has spiked to 7.49 over five starts. Plesac has already given up 37 hits, 20 runs, and three home runs. This isn't exactly what the team is looking for in a starting pitcher.

Plesac gave up five runs on eight hits in just 3.1 innings his last time out in Boston.

Battenfield has by no means been perfect, but he has shown some promise in his first three Major League starts. He has a 3.52 ERA and a 1.304 WHIP in a limited run in The Show.

Peyton Battenfield, Filthy 87mph Cutter...and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/BQIUGWdLPY
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 12, 2023

It's unlikely that Battenfield will be a long-term answer in the rotation, but it does show that the Guardians are starting to realize they need to adapt if they don't want the division to get away from them this early in the season.

----

The Guardians Continue To Rely Heavily On Emmanuel Clase

The Most Impressive Part Of Tanner Bibee's First Two MLB Starts

Guardians Give Up Lead Late As Yankees Secure Victory, 4-2

Josh Naylor's Clutch Hit Couldn't Have Come At A Better Time

Be sure to stay locked into Cleveland Baseball Insider all the time:

SUBSCRIBE to the CBI YouTube channel

Follow Cleveland Baseball Insider on Twitter: @CBI_FanNation

Published May 4, 2023