CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians have three regular season games remaining before a five-day stretch of waiting and preparing for the playoffs to begin. How will Stephen Vogt and his coaches line up their pitching and practice sessions in order to get the most out of the roster on Oct. 5?
Paul Hoynes and Joe Noga look at what’s on the horizon for Cleveland following a weekend series with the Astros.
Listen and read along with an AI-generated transcript of the podcast below.
Read the automated transcript of today’s podcast below. Because it’s a computer-generated transcript, it may contain errors and misspellings.
Joe Noga 0:04 Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. I’m Joe noga. Joined by Paul Hoynes. Hoynes. The guardians. Open the final three-game series of the regular season against a potential playoff opponent in the Houston Astros on Friday. Joey Cantillo will be on the mound, but before we get into previewing that series, just need to talk a little bit about how we got here and and. You know, one of the the big sort of reasons that the Guardians are here obviously is the bullpen, led by Emmanuel, Clase. Recently on a podcast with Chris Rose, Austin Hedges made some remarks about Clase and the season that he’s had the dominance that he has shown over the. I think that the staff that he threw out there was over the 1st 200 innings of his career. Just the the era and how that, you know, compares to some some other all time greats. But just what did you think of what Austin Hedges had to say about? Class A and you know just being the the greatest pitcher he’s ever seen. Up to this point in his career.
Paul Hoynes 1:54 Yeah. You know, I think he covered a lot of ground Joe when he said he’s the best pitcher of all time at this point in his career right now. Class A is pitch just over 300 innings and he does. He does have the lowest era for any pitcher in MLB history, with at least 200 innings with a 1.67. That’s the lowest DRA you know, ever. But you know a lot more goes into it than he. And Austin had said that, you know, he said, you know, he still has to prove. Prove it over the course of a career. He still has to show longevity, but at this moment, if you needed three, if you need a guy that is going to get 3 outs, he’s the best guy out there right now.
Joe Noga 2:44 Yeah, and that says a lot. I mean, Austin’s obviously a guy who knows, knows a lot, has been around a while and knows a lot about pitching. Just the the quality of what Emmanuel Clase is doing right now I think is is sort of what sort of spurts him to to to say something like that. It’s it’s pretty clear to see how confident the Guardians are in Class A when he takes the mound. We saw that when they they talked about him post game post game on. Wednesday night, after a big, you know, big win against Cincinnati, just what does that do for them heading into the playoffs? Knowing that you know they’ve got this hammer out there in the bullpen and and they can, they can swing it there at the end of games and and know that, you know, games are essentially only 8 innings long now.
Paul Hoynes 3:35 Means everything. I think the way Class A is pitched all year. What 47 saves out of 50 opportunities? How efficient he is, how durable he is. So to the rest of the ball club, if you know you have a guy like that at at the end of a game and probably he could maybe even go one and a third or you know four or five out saves in the post season, depending on what. Vote wants to do, but that’s a big, big boost to any ball club.
Joe Noga 4:08 Yeah, I I what do you think the chances are that vogue could use him in a multi inning situation there in the playoffs? It’s it’s not something we’ve seen a lot of.
Paul Hoynes 4:17 Yeah, I think he’s only done it once this year, right?
Joe Noga 4:19 Yeah.
Paul Hoynes 4:19 I think so. You know, I think they’d be careful with that. But you know, he certainly is strong enough. He certainly is durable enough and I think if you get a lead, I mean all of a sudden a vote morphs into a Joe Torre and Mariano Rivera in the postseason.
Joe Noga 4:36 Yeah, that’s it. It’ll be interesting to see just from the beginning of the playoffs there on October 5th. What what it’s gonna look like. Speaking of the beginning of the playoffs for the for Guardians, they’re gonna start a week from Saturday against. The right now likely they’re in the the number two position in the American League. They still have an outside chance at the number one seed, the Yankees just the other night clipped, clinched the American League East. Championship. So they’re sort of locked into that position. The the Orioles are sort of locked into the top wild card spot right now. You know it. It would take a lot for those things to for those two things to change. But if the guardians, I think if they win out over these final three games and if the if the Yankees lose two of three to the. Pirates at home, which is unlikely scenario. You know that that there could be a chance for them to to take that top seed, but right now as we’ve talked, we’ve mentioned many times on this podcast, we don’t necessarily think that that would be an advantageous position to have to go through Baltimore and New York. But home field advantage throughout the American League play offs would be something that would be sort of, you know, coveted by the guardians if that were possible.
Paul Hoynes 6:02 No doubt about it, you like to play at home. They’ve got the best record in the American League at home, so it’s many home games as they can play. I think they’d be satisfied. But Joe, this is a post season. You got to go where the schedule says you go and you got to win. You going to have to win on the road, no matter no matter what, so. I think you know, they’re just they’ll they’ll be ready for whoever they play in the in the ALDS.
Joe Noga 6:29 Yeah, it should be very interesting to see how the the seating works out right now. As of last night, the Minnesota Twins were unable to beat the Marlins in 13 innings. A real exciting game to to to sort of watch. And you know, a very costly loss to the twins. Their hopes for a playoff spot are on life support right now. They cannot afford to lose another game over these final three. If they do, they’re out. And it pretty much guarantees the. Tigers and Royals are are in, if you know any win by the Tigers or Royals. Also eliminates the twins. So not a great situation. The the the the twins. Sort of catastrophic fall since they left Cleveland for the last time. They they’ve just been on a downward spiral and things haven’t gotten any better. It looks like they’re going to be out on the outside looking in. For the playoffs.
Paul Hoynes 7:33 Just really an unfortunate turn of events for the twins. They came into Cleveland in in mid-september, lost three out of four and they’ve been, you know, on the bobsled, bobsled ride to hell ever since. So you know, who knows what’s going to happen at the end of this season? I don’t know if Rocco Bell delis in trouble there, but you know, they were in the postseason hunt for a long, long time this season and. To lose it, you know, in the final days of the season. Really, really stings.
Joe Noga 8:07 Yeah, it’s it’s going to be tough for for them obviously, but they they put themselves in this position. So they have no one else, nobody to blame with themselves at at this point. Looking. Around the the postseason picture right now. Did you see what happened with Atlanta and the the Mets in terms of their their most two recent games got rained out? And there’s some question as to whether or not those games. Need to be played or will be played on Monday following the end of the regular season? They’re scheduled for a doubleheader if necessary in Atlanta on Monday the 30th. Sort of a weird circumstance and a weird byproduct of the way that the the post season expansion has gone with, you know, teams using percentages in terms of tiebreakers instead of head to head. You know, instead of 163rd game. To determine that that situation so you know, Mother Nature sort of threw a monkey wrench into the into Major League Baseball’s plans.
Paul Hoynes 9:13 No.
Joe Noga 9:21 But depending on how the two teams fare over the weekend against Milwaukee and for the Mets and Kansas City for the Braves, it could determine whether or not you know those final two games are played.
Paul Hoynes 9:38 Wow. Yeah, I did not. I did not realize that. Joe, geez. And you know, you hear about, you know, teams like maybe playing one, you know, 161, something a game gets rained out and they’re out of contention. But for two games not to be played, that’s interesting.
Joe Noga 9:56 Yeah, and the the usually in that circumstance the you know, the Commissioner’s Office has to say, well, OK, you know that game really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t have to be made-up. It doesn’t have to be played, but these two games are, you know, between the two teams contending for one of the the the final playoff spot. So you know, you pretty much have to make sure these games are are, are crossed off the list and the only the only data they can be played in Atlanta would be on September the 30th. Now, what happens if it rains that day? You know, there is a hurricane, I believe heading up the from the Gulf Coast. So you know it is not a real sure thing that those those two teams will even be able to play.
Paul Hoynes 10:41 Like the Mets right now are 87 and 70 in second place in the wild card that the Diamondbacks are 88 and 71 in 3rd place, and the Braves are outside looking in by just one game out. Joe at 86 and 71. So that’s about as close as you can get.
Joe Noga 10:59 Yeah. And you know, it’s the Braves need help to to get in, and they need the Mets to, or they need somebody to to lose in order for them to to sort of jump up into that spot. But you know, and they’ve got to take care of business against Kansas City and it’s a Kansas City team that’ll be motivated to to win in order to improve its playoff positioning as well. So we’ll see, but. No team right now is hotter than Detroit. Detroit has won what, five straight games? They’re in good shape to to really have come all the way back into this playoff position. Is is AJ Hinch worthy of manager of the year consideration for the job he’s done?
Paul Hoynes 11:42 He’s gotta be Joe. I mean to rally this team after, you know, they trade a Flaherty at the trade deadline, you know, kind of raise the white flag. And this team just kept coming. It seemed like they pitched a bullpen game every other day. Now they’re. They, like you said, they’re they’ve won nine of their last ten, five straight, 85 and 74 in a in a tie with. Kansas City for the you know, the second and third wild card spot. Just he’s done a great job.
Joe Noga 12:15 Yeah. And really the the top three contenders for the American League manager of the year vote right now, Steven Vogt, Matt Kataro and and AJ Hinch, all from the American League Central. All because nobody expected any of those teams to be in the positions that they’re in. I think you know without tipping any sort of, you know, news or or anything like that. About a vote, I would say, Steven. Stephen Vogt would probably have the advantage in that situation just because his team won the division.
Paul Hoynes 12:50 Yeah, yeah, you know, I mean and not much was expected of the the Guardians. You know Kansas City, Detroit, I think we’re, you know, there was a lot of talk about the Tigers after they finished second last year. A lot of talk about the twins. The Guardians were coming off an 86 loss season. Votes first season as a manager, taking over for Terry Francona, a team that really got no help during the offseason. A little, you know. Little if no help, I should say during this offseason and you know, they won this thing going away, Joe.
Joe Noga 13:27 Yeah, it was those inside the clubhouse would say that those two editions that they made via free agency in Ben Lively and Austin Hedges made all the difference in the world for the team. However, that you’re right. It wasn’t like they were the the Royals going out and basically buying a new pitching staff with the veterans that they brought in and and having it pay off the way that it did with Seth Lugo and Michael Waka and and and and that kind of thing. So. Yeah, that’s it’s just been. Like a heck of a season that it’s actually making the the vote for the manager of the Year award a little more, more interesting than I think a lot of people would have thought. Maybe at the at the trade deadline or at the beginning of August, things looked like they were pretty much locked in. But now they’re they’re sort of up in the air. All right. Want to remind our listeners, guarding subtext is the best way to get updates on this final series of the year as we head to the playoffs. Go to guardian Cleveland, guardians. On cleveland.com. Cleveland.com/subtext or send a text message at 216-208-4346. It’s 399 a month to subscribe and we love to hear from you there, Quincy. The scenes coming out of Oakland last night both inspirational and heartbreaking as the the Oakland as play their final game at the Coliseum. You know, scenes of, you know, fans holding signs and fans trying to to rip. You know, seats out of the the the Coliseum and and run off with them groundskeepers, shoveling shovels of dirt into water bottles for fans to take home. Just, you know, a bunch of and and you know, as as Clevelanders who, who watched the Browns leave in in the in the 90s and and were without their team for, you know, several years. It it really does sort of make you feel a certain way? For you, as someone who you know for more than 40 years has been going to that that venue and and and watching games at that at that ballpark. You know what? What are those scenes like for you to watch and and what kind of feelings are you having? Just knowing that the the Coliseum is not going to be there as a as a, you know, a destination for? Four Major League Baseball teams anymore.
Paul Hoynes 15:56 Yeah, Joe, I I feel sad for the Oakland fans. I feel sad for the players that have played there, that it seemed like, you know, Dave Stewart was there, you know, with Oakland, you know, and he was wearing sunglasses. So hide that he was crying and you know they, you know, I just just, you know, it just seemed like a untenable situation that just kept getting worse and worse and worse. And the thing you know, I was reading some stories about it. The the mayor of Oakland was at the game and that was one of the the kind of the the, you know, the roadblocks of this whole thing about they couldn’t get a new stadium they could. They wouldn’t. Couldn’t even sign a lease for them to stay, and they have to move to Sacramento to to a minor league ballpark for three or four years until the a new ballpark’s built in Las Vegas.
Joe Noga 16:39 Mm hmm.
Paul Hoynes 16:47 But who knows? It could take another twister turn from then, but you know I I always like the Coliseum. I know a lot of people didn’t like it. The locker rooms. Were small. It flooded all the time. But you know, I’d, I’d like to vibe. You know, I’d like to take in the Bart out there from San Francisco and walking across that concrete bridge it all. It always made me feel like some futuristic Mad Max movie, you know? Platform is covered with razor wire and fence, and you walk. You’re walking across there into this concrete. You know, edifice and you know, when they built mount.
Joe Noga 17:33 Knock, Davis.
Paul Hoynes 17:34 Davis, you know that the ballpark never kind of changed after that. It was never the same. It went before they built that to get the to keep the Raiders there. I thought it was a nice ballpark. It was. It was a beautiful ballpark, but that kind of changed it.
Joe Noga 17:49 Yeah, and it it, it really has been passed by in terms of you know it’s outdated obviously and and and those kinds of things. But there there was a a certain charm to it. I mean, I remember covering a game there and and, you know, leaving the park and seeing on Twitter that the the next group of reporters that came in discovered Opossum living in the the the air duct. Above right where we were sitting during that whole 3 game series so. Yeah, there is some different things you had to deal with at that place, but. I you know it. It’s got a lot of history and you know, 4 four World Series championships were won there and you know the the earthquake series was was played and, you know, at that at that venue.
Paul Hoynes 18:36 Yeah.
Joe Noga 18:39 So again, just a lot of history and I think the the home plate was taken dugout and it’s going to be taken to. You know. Cooperstown so we asked Steven Kwan, who grew up in the area. You know? He said. He didn’t grow up in as fan, but he he’s, you know, was going to be watching the the final game there just because he knew that there would be a good crowd there and then that would be kind of neat to see. So yeah, just, you know, not a great look for for the major leagues. I think they should have had, like you said, that the Mayor of Oakland and John Fisher, the owner. I think they should have made. Two of them sitting sitting in a booth, sitting together and and just watch. You know what their sort of obstinance, you know, rot with those fans, you know, force them to watch what the you know what what they created there. As it came down the the final game there so the as one the the final game three to two in the Oakland Coliseum. And like you said next year the plan is for them to move to a minor league stadium while they’re. Their new digs in Las Vegas are being built. Alright, looking ahead to tonight, the Guardians open a three-game series. The last three-game series of the season. We talked yesterday about how they’ve rearranged their pitching for this. This three-game series with Joey Cantillo going today, Ben Lively tomorrow and then an opener with Gavin will. Scheduled to throw out of the bullpen on Sunday. What do you expect from the series? I believe the Astros could be without Jordan Alvarez, who’s dealing with a knee issue. You know, this is these two teams are are pretty much locked into their playoff positioning. So there’s not a lot to play for and and you really don’t want to tip your hand to an opponent that you’re going to potentially see a week later.
Paul Hoynes 20:41 Yeah, it should be interesting, Joe, you know, Verlander’s going Saturday has a long history against Cleveland. It’ll be interesting to see how what, how he looks. You know, Blanco is going Friday night. He you know, he threw a no hitter earlier in the season for the Red Astros, and it’s just gonna. I’m anxious to see how Gavin Williams does coming out of the bullpen on Sunday. But yeah, you’re right. Alvarez Alvarez is staying back in in Houston. He’s got a sore knee and they’re going to treat in the knee and he’s not making a trip with the ball club.
Joe Noga 21:19 Alright, that’s gonna wrap up today’s edition of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. Hoynes will check in with you again on Monday and talk to you then.
Paul Hoynes 21:27 Alright, Joe.
Got a question you want answered on the podcast? Register for Guardians Subtext to hear your Cleveland Baseball questions answered exclusively on the show. Send a text to 216-208-4346 to subscribe for $3.99/mo.
Want our podcast delivered directly to your phone? We have an Apple podcasts channel exclusively for this podcast. Subscribe to it here.
You can also subscribe on Google Play and listen on Spotify. Search Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast or download the audio here.
If you or a loved one has questions and needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 or the National Council on Program Gambling Helpline (NCPG) at 1-800-522-4700 or visit 1800gambler.net for more information. 21+ and present in Ohio. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
