Gavin Williams toes the mound on Monday night for the Guards as he looks for his third MLB victory.
The Guardians head into Monday night’s game losers of six out of eight. The Guardians are now only a game and a half up on the third-place Tigers in the standings, one in the loss column.
The WAR is a popular stat used in baseball, so I thought this would be a good time to see who has the best WAR on the Guardians currently.
According to Fangraphs for hitters:
1 – Jose Ramirez (4.3)
2 – Steven Kwan (2.7)
3 – Andres Gimenez (2.6)
4 – Josh Naylor (2.2)
5 – Bo Naylor (1.4)
According to Fangraphs for pitchers:
1 – Tanner Bibee (2.9)
2 – Logan Allen (1.7)
3 – Emmanuel Clase (1.7)
4 – Shane Bieber (1.7)
5 – Aaron Civale (1.6) traded to Rays
The Guardians find themselves ranked 28th in the Majors when it comes to runs scored. Their recent three-game losing streak saw them muster only three runs in total. In their most recent match on the road, they suffered a 2-1 defeat to the L.A. Angels. Despite this loss, their pitching was solid, limiting the Halos to just three hits, while the Guardians managed eight hits themselves. Notably, Kole Calhoun contributed two hits and accounted for their lone RBI in that game. Throughout the season, their struggle to score runs has been evident, although they boast a respectable eighth place in team ERA among all baseball teams.
The Guardians lack power in their batting lineup, with only four players having reached double digits in home runs. The leader in this department is Jose Ramirez, with a batting average of .277, 22 home runs, and 73 RBI. He recently ended an 11-game homer drought by hitting one in the game prior to their last outing. Josh Naylor, batting .306 with 16 home runs and 85 RBI, tops the team in RBI and has accumulated five of them in the last four games. As for their performance on the road this season, the Guardians have a record of 32 wins and 40 losses.
Taking the mound for the series opener is Gavin Williams, who holds a record of 2-5 with a 3.34 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. In his recent start, he delivered a strong performance, allowing only one run on a solitary hit over five innings, contributing to a 2-1.
The Giants find themselves in the midst of a heated playoff race, and their recent series against the Rockies provided a much-needed boost as they completed a sweep, outscoring their opponents 24-12 over three games.
In their most recent matchup, they secured a 6-3 victory, thanks to three home runs from Joc Pederson, Mitch Haniger, and Thairo Estrada. For the season, San Francisco ranks 14th in the Majors in team ERA and shares the 20th spot in runs scored. Estrada, with a batting average of .274, 12 home runs, and 45 RBIs, leads the team in hitting and has hit a home run in each of the last two games, accumulating four RBIs. J.D. Davis, who boasts a .252 batting average, 17 home runs, and 64 RBIs, leads the club in RBIs and missed the previous game but is not injured and is expected to start in the upcoming game. So far this season, the Giants have performed well at home, with a record of 41-31.
Taking the mound for Game 1 is Alex Cobb, who holds a record of 7-6 with a 3.74 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. In his last outing, Cobb struggled, allowing four runs on six hits in just three innings during a 4-0 road loss to the San Diego Padres. However, the Giants had won his two previous starts. In his penultimate start, which happened to be his last home appearance, he came tantalizingly close to a no-hitter, missing it by just one out. This will be Cobb’s first start of the season against the Guardians.
The Giants enter this series opener in superior form, having recently swept a series, while the Guardians have experienced back-to-back losses and six defeats in their last eight games. Cleveland currently sits in 28th place in the Majors for runs scored, managing only three runs in their previous two games. It’s unlikely they will find much success against Cobb, who had a shaky performance in his last outing but was impressive in his most recent home start, nearly achieving a no-hitter.
On the other hand, the Giants have amassed 24 runs in their last three victories. Although they are expected to score some runs in this game, it won’t be an abundance as they face Williams, who has been a strong performer on the road this season. San Francisco is poised to secure the win with timely hitting at home, extending their winning streak to four games.
Our Pick: Take Giants and the Money Line
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