Sep 11, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas (8) hits a two-run single towards the Chicago White Sox throughout the third inning at Assured Fee Discipline. Necessary Credit score: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Pictures The Cleveland Guardians are heating up down the stretch of the common season.
Nevertheless, they may face a stiff problem from Tampa Bay’s Ryan Pepiot on Thursday within the opener of a four-game residence collection towards the Rays.
From Aug. 3-27, Cleveland (84-62) went 8-16 and misplaced its outright lead within the American League Central for a bit earlier than successful 9 of 13 since then. The division-leading Guardians capped a three-game highway sweep of the lowly Chicago White Sox with a 6-4 win on Wednesday.
“It is September, man, it is time to try to go take this division,” Guardians catcher Austin Hedges, who homered Wednesday, instructed Bally Sports activities Cleveland. “We’ll nonetheless received room to develop, however we’re enjoying good ball proper now.”
Cleveland’s Lane Thomas had three hits with 4 RBIs within the finale at Chicago, and he’s batting .405 with 13 RBIs in 10 video games this month. Thomas entered September batting .148 with three RBIs in 28 video games since being acquired from Washington.
“I feel any time you get traded otherwise you go to a brand new place, it takes numerous time so that you can actually get comfy in all areas of life,” supervisor Stephen Vogt mentioned, based on MLB.com. “However for Lane, we really feel like he is again on the fastball, trying like himself. He is comfy, he is assured and he is had some actually good at-bats.”
Thomas has by no means confronted Pepiot (8-6, 3.66 ERA), who led the Rays to a 2-0 win over the Guardians on July 14. In that contest, the right-hander allowed two hits, hit a batter however did not yield a stroll whereas putting out 4 over six shutout innings.
Although Pepiot landed on the injured listing with a knee an infection days later, that efficiency is a part of a nine-start stretch through which he’s 4-2 with a 2.31 ERA. He needed to grind at instances on Saturday in Baltimore whereas permitting six hits and two walks, however solely a single run, in 5 1/3 innings throughout a 7-1 conquer the Orioles.
“We had a superb plan going into it,” Pepiot mentioned. “Once they did get guys on, let one pitch take us to the subsequent one after which get ourselves out of conditions.”
In two profession outings (one begin) towards Cleveland, Pepiot is 1-0 with a 0.90 ERA.
The Rays (71-75) took two of three at Baltimore, then went to Philadelphia this week and totaled seven runs whereas being swept within the three-game set.
Regardless of Tampa Bay’s offensive futility towards the Phillies, Yandy Diaz is batting .400 with eight RBIs in his previous 10 video games. He is 2-for-5 with two doubles towards Cleveland’s scheduled Thursday starter, Gavin Williams (3-8, 5.25 ERA).
The precise-hander will look to bounce again after he did not make it out of the primary inning on Saturday towards the Los Angeles Dodgers. Williams yielded three walks and two hits and was charged with 5 runs whereas getting simply two outs in a 7-2 loss.
Williams allowed three runs and 4 hits in 12 innings mixed over his earlier two outings.
“Simply sort of overthrowing just a bit bit and yanking the ball, and so he simply did not have the command,” Vogt mentioned.
Williams had inconsistent command at Tampa Bay on July 13, when he allowed three hits and three walks by way of 94 pitches however solely two runs (one earned) in 5 innings throughout Cleveland’s 4-2 victory. In two profession begins towards the Rays, he has no choices and a 1.80 ERA.
–Discipline Degree Media