Game 2 of Series Against the Giants

3 Things Preview For Today’s Game:

1 – Cal 

Cal Quantrill is back on the bump Tuesday night and is having a great September so far.  In his two starts, he has gone twelve innings, only giving up two runs for a 1.50 ERA. 

2 – Tied in the Loss Column

After last night’s loss to the Giants, the Guardians are now tied in the loss column with the Tigers for 3rd place.  They are still a game up but have played two more games than the Tigers. 

3 – Bo

Bo Naylor is having a sizzling September batting to an .348 average so far along with having a home run and 5 RBIs.

Guardians Notes

The Cleveland Guardians are currently standing at a 68-77 record for the season. They are trailing by 7.5 games in the American League Central Division and are 12 games behind in the wild card race, making their postseason prospects look bleak. The team has been struggling recently, losing seven out of their last nine games.

In their latest game against the Giants, they suffered a narrow defeat with a score of 5-4 in the 10th inning. LaMonte Wade Jr. of the Giants delivered the decisive walk-off hit. Despite the loss, Josh Naylor provided a highlight for Cleveland by hitting a home run.

Looking ahead, Cal Quantrill is set to start for the Guardians on Tuesday. The right-handed pitcher has a 2-6 record this season with an ERA of 5.70 over 15 starts. In his last game against the Angels on Thursday, Sept. 7, he pitched six innings without allowing any earned runs and only three hits, but it ended in a no-decision. His ERA stands at 5.40 for road games and 5.67 for night games. However, he has shown improvement in September with an ERA of 1.50 and an ERA of 4.15 against the American League West Division. Despite his efforts, the Guardians have lost six of Quantrill’s last seven starts and have a 7-8 record when he starts.

Offensively, the Guardians have been struggling this season with a .249 batting average, ranking them in 15th place. They have scored the third-fewest runs and are ranked 16th in hits. Despite hitting the fewest home runs, they have struck out the least amount of times among all teams. Their batting average is .252 for road games and .245 since the All-Star break. In September, they are hitting .253 and have maintained the same average against the National League.

Guardians Stats and Insights

GUARDIANS PROBABLE PITCHER – Cal Quantrill

• Quantrill (2-6, 5.70 ERA) makes his 16th start. He has a 1.46 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, and 5.2 K/9 through 79 IP.
• Last start: No-decision, 6 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K in a 3-2 road loss vs. the Los Angeles Angels Thursday
• 2023 road splits: 1-2, 5.40 ERA (43 1/3 IP, 26 ER), 5 HR, .277 opponent batting average (OBA) in 8 starts

GUARDIANS TRENDS

• The Guardians have been underdogs in 74 games this season and have come away with the win 32 times (43.2%) in those contests.
• This season, Cleveland has been victorious 16 times in 45 chances when named as an underdog of at least +113 or worse on the moneyline.
• The Guardians have an implied victory probability of 46.9% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.

Giants Notes

The Giants are 74-70 this year. They are currently 13.5 games back of first place which is held by the Dodgers. San Francisco is 1.5 games back of a wild card spot which is held by the Diamondbacks. The Giants have won four straight games entering Tuesday night. In their last game, they won 5-4 in the 10th inning over the Guardians. LaMonte Wade Jr. hit the walk-off hit to score the winner. Mike Yastrzemski hit a solo home run in the first inning to set the tone for San Francisco in the win. 

On Tuesday, the Giants will start Sean Manaea. The left-handed pitcher is 4-5 this season with an ERA of 5.00. He has started six games this season and has come in relief 27 times. Manaea last started back in early May where he pitched 2.2 innings against the Nationals. His last appearance was against the Cubs on Wednesday, Sept. 6. He pitched three innings and allowed two earned runs in the no-decision outing. Manaea has an ERA of 3.74 during home games. He also owns an ERA of 5.75 during night games. He has started two games and has relief pitched seven games versus the American League, in that time, he has an ERA of 2.35. The Giants are 5-5 in Manaea’s last 10 appearances. 

The Giants are hitting .240 from the plate this year which ranks eighth lowest in the league. They have scored the ninth fewest runs and they have recorded the eighth fewest amount of hits. San Francisco has struck out the fifth most times. They are hitting .243 during home games and .226 since the All-Star break. They are hitting .260 during the month of September. But, they are hitting .223 against the American League. 

Giants Stats and Insights

GIANTS PROBABLE PITCHER – Sean Manaea

• Manaea (5-5, 5.00 ERA) makes his 7th start and 34th overall appearance. He has a 1.32 WHIP, 3.8 BB/9, and 10.6 K/9 through 93 2/3 IP.
• Last start: No-decision, 3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 1 K in an 8-2 road loss vs. the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday
• 2023 home splits: 2-4, SV, 3.74 ERA (45 2/3 IP, 19 ER), 7 HR, .212 OBA in 4 starts and 12 relief appearances

GIANTS TRENDS

• The Giants have entered the game as favorites 73 times this season and won 41, or 56.2%, of those games.
• San Francisco has entered 48 games this season favored by -133 or more and is 27-21 in those contests.
• The oddsmakers’ moneyline implies a 57.1% chance of a victory for the Giants.

Final Thoughts/Pick

The Giants showed a strong performance at the plate in the series against the Rockies, which makes them a good bet for this game. However, it’s a close call as Sean Manaea has been struggling recently, while Cal Quantrill has been impressive in his last two starts.

In September, the Guardians have a 113 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers over 100 plate appearances. Conversely, the Giants have a 136 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers in the same month over 201 plate appearances. In terms of bullpen performance over the past ten days, San Francisco has posted a 4.50 ERA and 3.99 FIP, while Cleveland’s bullpen has struggled with a high 7.13 ERA and 5.58 FIP.

Our Pick: Take Giants and the Money Line

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