Two division leaders square off in Cleveland tonight as the Rangers and Guardians meet. Now, they are by far the worst divisions in baseball, but that’s besides the point.
The Rangers are 42-42 with a -8 run differential, 15th in team wRC+ at 101, 17th in baserunning runs above average at -1.3, 15th in defense at -11, 11th in starting pitcher ERA at 4.09 (3.99 FIP), and 11th in bullpen ERA at 3.82 (4.23 FIP).
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The Guardians are 44-40 with a -8 run differential, 26th in team wRC+ at 91, 14th in baserunning runs above average at +1.6, tenth in Defense at -4.7, fifth in starting pitcher ERA at 3.66 (4.09 FIP), and 14th in bullpen ERA at 3.94 (3.85 FIP).
On paper, these teams look very evenly matched. The Guardians are going to need to do better than the 1-0/2-1 run-scoring strategy to win this series.
MATCHUPS:
Game One, Monday, 7:10PM – Parker Messick, LHP 2.67 ERA (3.15 FIP) vs. Tyler Alexander, LHP 2.62 ERA (3.33 FIP)/Winston Santos, RHP (5.66 FIP in the minors this year).
Game Two, Tuesday, 6:40PM – Tanner Bibee, RHP 3.78 ERA (4.56 FIP) vs. Jacob deGrom, RHP 3.55 ERA (3.58 FIP)
Game Three, Wednesday, 1:10PM ET – Joey Cantillo, LHP 3.87 ERA (4.33 FIP) vs. MacKenzie Gore, LHP 4.05 ERA (3.33 FIP)
The Rangers are led by Justin Foscue 132 wRC+, Joc Pederson 124 wRC+, Josh Jung 123 wRC+, Nicky Lopez 115 wRC+, Jake Burger 114 wRC+, Brandon Nimmo 111 wRC+, and Ezequiel Duran 109 wRC+. The Guardians are led by Travis Bazzana 119 wRC+, Chase DeLauter 111 wRC+, Brayan Rocchio 107 wRC+ and Kyle Manzardo 101 wRC+. Small sample size, but Kahlil Watson has a 112 wRC+ this year so far.
This would be the ideal time for the bats to come alive for Cleveland. How do you see the series going? Let us know in the comments below
