Cleveland Baseball Insider

What We Learned About The Guardians: May 2

In a week where the Guardians got swept and got a sweep, there was a lot to learn about this team.

Tommy Wild

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The Guardians got swept and got a sweep last week on their West Coast road trip. Overall, the road trip did not go exactly how the team planned but fans still learned a lot about this team.

Amed Rosario And Franmil Reyes Are On The Hot Seat

Two Guardians who have had a tough time at the plate, especially the past week, are Amed Rosario and Franmil Reyes. Both have been cornerstones of the lineup since last season, but they are certainly on the hot seat.

Starting with Franmil, it has not been a great season for the designated hitter and last week was the worst that it’s been. Franmil went hitless in the four-game series against the Angles and struck out eight times. In his last seven games, Reyes is hitting .036. Ouch. 

When players slump, it can sometimes be because they are making contact, but the ball just can’t seem to fall. Unfortunately for Reyes, he hasn’t even been able to make contact for this to happen. It’s hard to watch one of Cleveland’s best hitters struggle so much, but the reality is that Tito can’t ignore Reyes’ struggles. 

With Josh Naylor back and hitting well, Owen Miller playing first base, and the outfield surprisingly filling out quite nicely, something has to give. This something might be Josh Naylor playing more designated hitter and Reyes getting fewer at-bats.

Franmil did have an RBI single on Sunday against the Athletics. Hopefully, this is a glimpse that we are getting the Franmil we know and love back soon.

The other Guardian who has been struggling mightily is Amed Rosario. In his last seven games, he’s batting .154 with only four hits. Rosario is clearly in the lineup for his offense, but the offense just has not been there for him. This raises some questions about his future. 

On the other hand, Andres Gimenez had a spectacular week both defensively and offensively. Also, with infield prospects such as Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, and Brayan Rocchio banging on the door, Rosario is on the hot seat to put it together to keep his spot.

Tito did mention that Rosario has been dealing with a wrist injury since the beginning of the Spring Training. This is why he missed the series against the Athletics. There is a real possibility that this is why Rosario has struggled so much.

Good Against Bad Teams And Bad Against Good Teams

Sweep and get swept. Swept and get a sweep. That is how the last four series have gone for the Guardians. No team wants to get swept, obviously, but when you come back and sweep bad teams right after, it helps you stay in the hunt in the division early in the season.

The concerning part for the Guardians is that they are 0-10 against teams that are above .500. In the 12 games that they have lost, they are batting .184 as a team and are only averaging around one and a half runs in those games. However, when the Guardians win, they are hitting .328 as a team and have scored a total of 82 runs in those 10 wins.

The two series this week were a great example of this juxtaposition. Against the Angels, who have a 15-8 record, the Guardians gave up 20 runs and only scored seven in the whole series. But against the Athletics, who are 10-12, the Guardians scored 19 runs and gave up 12.

The Guardians are winning the games they are supposed to, but they're gonna have to start getting it done against stronger competition.

Richie Palacios Has Arrived

One of the biggest positives of last week was Richie Palacios. Palacios made his Major League debut in the first game in Los Angeles and hit the ground running. In his first Major League at-bat, he hit a single and followed it up with another hit during his next at-bat. What made that moment even more special was his parents were in attendance and getting interviewed by Andre when it all happened. It was pretty awesome to watch!

In his first week in the major, Palacios hit .333 with five hits which included a game-winning double in the top of the ninth of the second game of the series against the Athletics. He has looked calm and disciplined at the plate and in left field, which can be where younger players tend to struggle.

Palacios showed why he can be an important part of this roster for years to come and it's exciting to finally see him in the majors. 

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Tommy Wild
TOMMY WILD

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