Game Recap: Guardians Drop Game One to the Yankees

Things did not go to plan

Mistakes were made, consequences ensued, and the Guardians lost to the Yankees .

The Guardians are likely not going to win this series if they don’t get at least one competitive start from Alex Cobb. Tonight was not the night he delivered that start, as he seemed to have little to no control of his pitches most times. One can only hope that, after a lengthy layoff, he will get a chance to pitch again in game five and be able to deliver a much better effort. For now, he has failed to reward the team’s faith in trading for him this July and prioritizing his starts in the postseason.

However, tonight also demonstrated that they don’t really have any clearly better options because, as bad as Cobb was, rookie Joey Cantillo was worse. The plan was clearly in place for Cantillo to come in if Cobb ran into trouble early, given the Yankees’ documented issues with LHP. I don’t think that was a bad plan, per se, as I argued for Cantillo to get the start in game four at home. However, I do think starting a game with a clean slate, at home with a supportive crowd, makes a big difference for a rookie. As Cantillo walked three and threw four wild pitches (not helped by Bo Naylor’s stubborn commitment to the one-knee catching stance in all circumstances), it became clear that he was not ready for the Yankee stadium bright lights.

The good news is that the Guardians, as a whole, did not give up in this game, despite being down 4-0 after the Cobb-Cantillo dust settled. Jose Ramirez put up some good at-bats and hit two balls very hard, at 103 and 105 mph. Unfortunately, both were caught. However, reliable Guardians’ playoff hero Brayan Rocchio hit one no one could catch:

As usual, the Guardians’ bullpen saved their bacon, with Pedro Avila doing Pedro Avila things, eating 2 and 2/3rds scoreless innings, and Sabrowski and Walters doing a good job, also. Sabrowski gave up a moonshot to Stanton, which felt a little excessive to me. We get it, your Babe Ruth with the mobility of Frankenstein. Very nice. Overall, the B-side of the pen was very good and I hope all three pitchers get more chances to contribute this series.

There was a fun Guardians’ rally in the eighth off of New York’s best lefty, Tim Hill. After a mystifying appearance from Austin Hedges with a bat in his hand to give the Yankees a free out, Gimenez opened with a single, Rocchio followed with a single under the diminished Anthony Rizzo’s glove, and was allowed to go to first when Hill fairly dorkishly stood in his way while he rounded the bag. Steven Kwan, then, but up a great at-bat and got a single to drive in a run. With Yankees closer Luke Weaver entering, Vogt then pinch-hit his RHP-mashing weapon... WILL BRENNAN. Who got absolutely fooled by some changeups and went back to sit down and think about it. Then, Jose made his weakest contact of the game, topping a grounder to end the inning. Bummer.

I was still very encouraged to see Lane Thomas take a walk in the ninth. The Yankees have clearly seen the scouting report that the Guardians like to chase, and they are reluctant to take their walks. The Guardians HAVE to force them to get the ball in the zone, something none of the Yankee pitchers except Tim Hill seemed that interested in doing on a regular basis. Primarily, the Guardians have a clear Josh Naylor problem, right now. The elder Naylor brother has zero plate discipline and is not putting up competitive at-bats. He is trying too hard and if Vogt and company are not constantly reminding him that he needs to relax and get a pitch to hit, I’ll be very disappointed. But, I’d assume that if a lowly blogger can see how critical this message is, so can baseball coaches at the height of their professions.

Look, this wasn’t a good game for Stephen Vogt. I love Vogt, but I think the greatest difference of opinion I have with him is that there is no worse scenario in a playoff game than Austin Hedges taking an at-bat while his team is either tied or behind. Hedges made an out to begin an inning in which the Guardians rallied to score the first run given up by the Yankee bullpen. This simply can’t happen. Yes, Bo Naylor hasn’t been good in the playoffs, either at the plate or behind the dish. He is still hitting the ball hard occasionally and has infinitely more potential to impact a game as a hitter than Hedges. This mindset needs to change IMMEDIATELY. I also do not believe Will Brennan is a better hitter than David Fry. I would much prefer Brennan pinch-hit (or, preferably, start) for Jhonkensy Noel, and Kyle Manzardo get those plate appearances for Fry if need be.

I am a big Josh Naylor fan. But, he is in a bad place right now. He should start against Gerrit Cole, but, if there is more of the same wild chasing... the team really needs to consider starting Manzardo for Naylor and leaving Fry as their DH, even against RHP. Will they do this? I doubt it. But for whatever unsearchable reason, Josh Naylor isn’t putting up competitive at-bats.

Don’t get me wrong - I am not calling for wholesale changes. Overall, I tracked most of the logic of this game (except the Hedges coming in late, that was insane). I also think it’s clear that the Guardians CAN beat this Yankee team. They can’t leave pitches over the middle of the plate to Juan Soto or have lefties throw meatballs to Stanton. But, they can hang with these guys IF they are willing to back a little off on their aggression at the plate, take some walks, and earn themselves some pitches to hit.

Here’s hoping Tanner Bibee can give them a chance to compete in game two, and then Matthew Boyd can continue his playoff brilliance in game three. Looks like we may get Gavin Williams and/or a bullpen game in game four. The series has just begun folks so strap in and get ready for a wild ride.