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Hey, Hoynsie: The old saying is good pitching stops good hitting. That was true in 1995. Never thought Atlanta could stop Cleveland’s great hitting in the World Series, but they did. The Yankees’ monster payroll has beaten up Cleveland’s great bullpen in the ALCS. It’s not supposed to happen that way. — Virgil Houser, Gustavus, Ohio.
Hey, Virgil: The Braves pitching staff in 1995 was great, but the two to three extra inches they received from the umpires on the outside part of the plate made them even better in that World Series.
The one thing about the postseason is that talent, the kind that costs big money, almost always wins. Combine the talent of Yankee hitters like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton vs. a bullpen that has been ridden hard all year and sometimes things happen at inconvenient times.
Hey, Hoynsie: Where does the Guardians’ 7-5 win in Game 3 of the ALCS rank among your Cleveland all-time postseason wins? For me, it’s No.1, and I’ve only been a fan for 70 years. — David England, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Hey, David: I’m glad you enjoyed the game. I’m glad it made the top of your list. For me, it’s hard to rank. I just try not to have a nervous breakdown trying to make deadline while writing about them.
Lane Thomas is under the Guardians control through the 2025 season. He is eligible for arbitration this winter.Getty Images
Hey, Hoynsie: Do you think the Guards will at least try to sign Matthew Boyd and Lane Thomas for next season? — Bruce B., Cleveland.
Hey, Bruce: I do think they’ll try to sign Boyd, who will be a free agent after the World Series. Boyd has pitched well and seems to like it here, so we’ll see how that goes.
Thomas is still under team control through 2025 and is eligible for arbitration this winter.
Hey, Hoynsie: Has Brayan Rocchio’s postseason performance cemented his lock on shortstop for the foreseeable future? — Jim, Boardman.
Hey, Jim: Rocchio isn’t approaching Omar Vizquel status, but he’s certainly making a case for himself. He’s had a strong postseason offensively and has played some great defense along with second baseman Andres Gimenez.
Like most young shortstops, the routine play can give him problems at times. But he’s put together a strong year.
Hey, Hoynsie: What has happened to Andres Gimenez’s power? Granted, it wasn’t Ruthian, but he showed more power in 2022 and 2023? Why haven’t we’ve seen any glimpse of Ben Lively in the postseason after he grinded wins for the Guardians all year? — Chuck, Youngstown.
Hey, Chuck: I’ve asked myself the same question. Gimenez hit 17 homers in 2022 and 15 in 2023. This year the total dropped again to nine.
Still love his defense, but he’s slipped as a two-way player.
Lively was added to the ALCS roster when Alex Cobb injured his back during Game 1 at Yankee Stadium. He pitched 1 1/3 relief innings in Game 2 the next day.
He was banged up at the end of the season, but for as much as the Guardians got out of Cobb, could Lively have given them more in his two starts?
Hey, Hoynsie: Cleveland’s vaunted reputation for developing (starting) pitchers is going to be tested. I don’t think Tanner Bibee is any better than a No. 3 starter. They almost have to sign Shane Bieber and hope for the best. To not sign him relegates them to, at best, third place in the AL Central. — Dave B., Avon.
Hey, Dave: I disagree with you about Bibee, and If I’m not mistaken, third place is where a lot of people picked the Guardians this year.
Guardians right-hander Shane Bieber.Diamond Images/Getty Images
Hey, Hoynsie: When Shane Bieber is with the club, is he providing advice or assistance to the young starters? Does Matthew Boyd do that, too?— Roger Amoroso, Macedonia.
Hey, Roger: That would an all-around yes.
Bieber, Trevor Stephan and Sam Hentges, all on the injured list, have been with the team during the postseason. This is a tight team. They look for each other.
Hey, Hoynsie: Cade Smith, Tim Herrin & Hunter Gaddis have had amazing years in the bullpen. With the state of team’s starting pitching, what are the chances of any of them gettin stretched out as a starter for 2025? Could Gaddis’ bullpen revival be a similar path we saw for Carlos Carrasco? — Joe and Anthony, Independence.
Hey, Joe and Anthony: I don’t see that happening. The Guardians have a good thing going with Smith, Herrin and Gaddis, three homegrown arms, in the bullpen.
Carrasco had already established himself as a starter when the Guardians put him in the pen because he was struggling. It was former Cleveland bulllpen coach Kevin Cash who convinced then manager Terry Francona to give Carrasco another chance as a starter.
Gaddis, at this point, is a bigger asset to the G’s as a reliever than a starter.
