Kansas City @ Cleveland game on 7-7 ...

[Auggie]

was played in one hour, fifty-one minutes.

Helped that Cleveland pitched a two-hit shut out.

Pitch clock. Wow.

[Diamond_Dog]

1. I wonder if that was the fastest 9 inning game so far this season.

[Auggie]

5. All I could find is that it's shortest game ever played at Progressive Field

https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap/_/gameId/401472341

We might have to wait a few days, or months, until somebody digs deep enough to publish pitch clock results of 2023. I suspect this may be the one of the shortest of the season so far.

Civale was masterful last night. Two hits, no walks, 70 strikes through 100 pitches. Though to be fair, it sounds like home plate umpire Brennan Miller's strike zone was expanding and shrinking throughout the game and really messed with some of the Royals' hitters.

[Diamond_Dog]

7. He sure was!

I have had my doubts about him because he seems to be on the IL so much. But last night he sure had his stuff. Now if only McKenzie was back in top form…. It’s anybody’s guess how long he’ll be out.

TY for the ESPN article. Hey, they even included a stat (about JRam and Naylor) that topped a New York team!

[Auggie]

8. That stat surprised me given the overall run production this year

Probably helped that Judge has been on the injured list for a while.

Cleveland.com reported that that Guardians record is near what it was last year at this time.

[Diamond_Dog]

9. Interesting!

Many G’s fans are anticipating the return of Oscar Gonzalez to the lineup - apparently he’s been hitting the cover off the ball in Triple-A. Maybe we’ll see a late season surge for the team if that happens.

I see Judge is still 5th in the league in HRs, pretty amazing since he’s been out for so long.

[Auggie]

10. If Gonzales can do it in the bigs that would be awesome

Thanks for sharing that.

I’ve given up on Myles Straw. Very little contribution at the bottom order — a rally-killer mostly. He’s guaranteed nearly $19 million through 2026 and would be tough to trade with his current numbers.

Is there hope? What do they do with him?

[Diamond_Dog]

11. Straw is hitting .245 and won a Gold Glove last year

And has continued to make some highlight reel catches this year as well. He’s got speed on the base paths too. They could do a lot worse than Straw. I think the catchers’ bats are more rally killers than Straw.

[Auggie]

12. I'm not seeing him hit when it matters

RBIs, advancing runners, productive outs, sacrifices. He can’t be counted on to bunt consistently either. You think with his speed this would be a huge plus.

[Diamond_Dog]

13. No argument there.

Tito has played Will Brennan in cf a few times when giving Straw a day off. I still like Straw though. Too bad he doesn’t hit more like Grady Sizemore …. Lol

[Auggie]

14. Someone like Sizemore in the outfield would be great

I know Straw's been working hard so I have to give him that.

If Gonzales returns, who goes?

[Diamond_Dog]

15. Probably Arias.

[Auggie]

16. I was thinking maybe Gallagher

Arias has a cannon arm, can play any infield position, and is always an option as a pinch runner. Question is if Fry has the defensive abilities and can call a game as well as Gallagher. I'm not close enough to Cleveland baseball to know that answer.

Arias is definitely struggling at the plate though. He likely has more minor league options too.

Yeah. Probably Arias.

BTW, worst case scenario is we're .500 at the All Star break. Considering the tough start, that's darn good.

[Diamond_Dog]

17. You are right, Auggie.

I remember thinking to myself last year at this time, “Eh. They’re not going anywhere this year.”

There are some pretty tough teams this year to get past, though, and I’m not sure the Guards will have what it takes. What if they win their division and have to play Tampa Bay in the first round like last year??

[lastlib]

2. Royals--best minor-league team in the majors....

for my hometown team. Ewing Kaufman has to be turning over in his grave to see this. Again.

[Diamond_Dog]

6. Take heart ... you folks have a great football team.

[LonePirate]

3. I suspect the pitch clock will be increased next year given its decimation of concession sales.

[chicoescuela]

4. Just keep selling brewskis after the end of the seventh innning. It will balance out.

[Mr.Bill]

18. I wonder if anyone has calculated

how much concession sales are down because of the shorter games.