News and Notes: Guardians Embarrassed by Royals

News and Notes for Tuesday, August 27th

Yesterday, I said the Guardians were 1-15 in double-headers over the past two years. It turns out they were technically 1-13 because I had accidentally counted a day where they finished a game and then played another (both of which they lost) which doesn’t technically count as a double-header.

Well, now, they are 1-15. Or 1-17 if you want to count that game. Embarrassing 4-3 and 9-4 losses to Kansas City have roiled fans expecting more from a team that has surprised us all year long.

Logan Allen is very bad. Tyler Freeman made an inexcusable error. Only Jose Ramirez and Daniel Schneemann are exempt from blame at the plate for yesterday as hitters like Steven Kwan, Josh and Bo Naylor, and Andres Gimenez continued to disappoint. But, I place a large portion of yesterday’s debacle on a poor strategy from manager Stephen Vogt.

After the second game, Zack Meisel asked Vogt about his bullpen choices. Vogt’s response was a cop out, saying you don’t manage with the next game in mind:

With a 2-0 lead, having gotten two great innings from Eli Morgan, Vogt tried to push him to three. After a ridiculous Tyler Freeman error, Morgan gave up a three run homer. Somehow, Vogt still used mostly his B-bullpen in this game and they miraculously kept the Guardians in the game. Then, one of two Royals whom you can’t allow to beat you at the plate came up in the eighth and Vogt and Willis did not have Hunter Gaddis attempt to pitch around Bobby Witt at all. And as we saw recently in the Yankees series, the Guardians don’t seem to believe in pitching around anyone.

Not surprisingly, the Royals walked Jose Ramirez after they got a 4-3 lead because no one in their right mind should let an MVP-type hitter beat you there. And it was hard not to laugh when Cade Smith and Emmanuel Clase pitched meaningless innings in game 2, down five runs. Terrible job, skipper.

I believe in Stephen Vogt. But, man, I hope Craig Albernaz and co. are really pushing back about how he approached these games. When you’ve yet to win a game in a double-header, it’s time for a different strategy in which you pull put all the stops to win game one and let the chips fall as they may in game one... and you do not allow Bobby Witt Jr. to beat you.

Shoutout to Connor Gillispe and Joey Cantillo who looked sensational in relief in game one. Shoutout, again, to Jose Ramirez for hitting three doubles in game two and just never, ever giving up. He’s a champion. He may never win a title, who knows. But he’s a champion.

Matan has the stats as to why Tyler Freeman is still here.

I don’t care. He has been given plenty of leash to figure it out. I want to take a look at Kyle Manzardo, George Valera or Juan Brito and try to shake this thing up. Whether that means a Freeman or Schneemann demotion, I’m fine with it. Instead, Meisel’s latest comment says the Guardians are thrilled with Arias’s swing changes at Columbus... despite his 40% chase rate and 51.5% groundball rate there. Bleah.

Thirty games left to turn things around. Let’s hope it starts tonight with the division lead down to one game and the Royals one game away from winning the season series.

Around MLB:

The Twins got crushed. So, that’s something.