News and Notes for Saturday, August 26th
The Guardians took the first of a three-game set in Toronto and hit three home runs (!!!) in the process, backing a strong Tanner Bibee start and a shutdown three innings from the Cleveland bullpen (!!!). Bo Naylor became the first Canadian to homer in his first major league at-bat in Canada.
Will Brennan has a ginger knee, but it doesn’t sound serious enough to light the George Valera signal. Cody Morris was called back up, and Tim Herrin was sent back down. Herrin can’t be brought back and optioned again without exposing him to waivers, and the Guardians still (rightly) sound like they believe in his potential.
The Guardians are back in a matinee performance today at 3:07pm EST, featuring lefties Logan Allen and Hyun Jin Ryu.
The Guardians are naming the outfield bleachers after John Adams.
Around the Minor Leagues:
The Clippers beat the Jumbo Shrimp 7-6, behind a home run barrage from rehabbing David Fry, Brayan Rocchio, Angel Martinez and Bryan Lavastida. Fry added another hit, and Jose Tena went 2 for 5 with a double. It was nice to see Cade Smith with two K’s in a shutout inning, also. Still have hopes that he can be a useful relief arm. The Rubber Ducks won 5-4, featuring 2 hits including a double from Juan Brito and a shutout inning from hard-throwing reliever Franco Aleman, who added to two strikeouts. The Captains lost 3-2 but Ethan Hankins only allowed 2 runs in 6 innings, which is progress, and Jake Fox added another two hits and a walk. The Hillcats lost 4-3, but Jaison Chourio had a nice low-A debut in centerfield with a double and two walks. Wuilfredo Antunez had a double, and has had a solid season there. He doesn’t seem like a candidate to be protected from Rule 5, but hopefully he can stick around and progress further in 2024.
Around MLB:
The Mariners are making a run at an AL West title.
The Orioles are a little nervous as their closer came out of a game with arm discomfort.
The White Sox have persistent ownership problems. Alas. But, a true cause for concern and sympathy is a gun violence incident that took place in their stadium last night.
