Game of the Week: May 7: CLE @ KC

[Commissioner Erick]

Cleveland Indians (18-9) @ Kansas City Royals (16-11)


CLE: Luis Esparza (2-1, 3.55)
KC: Tyler Alexander (3-0, 2.78)


Indians 3 Key Stats

103: Cleveland’s runs against: Cleveland has been tied for the second best team in the AL at run prevention so far. Their bullpen hasn’t been great, 10th in the league in ERA, so it’s been the starting pitching and defense doing most of the work. The defense has the best Zone Rating in the American League at +9.1 and has committed only five errors, easily the fewest in the PBA. They’ve been fantastic in the early going. The Indians have the second best starting pitching ERA. Luis Esparza will take the hill tonight with a very strong 3.55 ERA to begin the year. The lefty has given up more fly balls, leading to a suppressed BABIP against. His strikeout rate is down, but with such a strong defense, that’s not the worst thing. Kansas City is good at putting the ball in play, so BABIP will be a huge determining factor in how many runs Kansas City scores today.

.865: Addison Russell’s OPS: After sitting out 2028 and playing a partial role in 2027, Addison Russell is reminding the PBA just how big an offensive talent he is. The righty is slashing .311/.379/.485 and is on pace for 4.2 WAR while mostly serving as DH. Big Vesty has helped Cleveland lead the AL in OBP and he has a solid .286 career average against projected Kansas City starter Tyler Alexander.

7-6: Cleveland’s road record: Cleveland has been excellent at home this year, but has struggled on the road, just dropping three straight in Chicago against the White Sox. In a very strong AL Central, they’ll need to play well on the road to avoid another Wild Card Game appearance.


Royals 3 Key Stats:

4: The number of consecutive winless series Kansas City has played. The Royals have lost two three-game series, a four-game set, and split two with Pittsburgh the last two weeks. The slump has dropped them behind Cleveland in the AL Central. The division is certainly tough, but Kansas City dropped sets to the Twins, Tigers, and Rays. Struggling against mediocre teams, Kansas City gets a big jump in competition against the AL Central-leading Indians.

2.78: Tyler Alexander’s ERA: The only team with a better run-prevention unit and starter’s ERA than Cleveland is Kansas City. Alexander has been a huge part of that, going 3-0 to begin the year. He continues to be a master at throwing strikes and limiting home runs. He seldom strikes anyone out, but Kansas City has the second best Zone Rating in the league. Alexander was horrible in Cleveland last year, giving up 13 runs in 6.1 innings in Progressive Field, but in Kauffman Stadium, he had a 2.65 ERA. He’ll hope that holds up today.

.372: Bryce Zettel’s Batting Average: Zettel has been a star for Kansas City. He hasn’t hit for much power yet, but he makes contact, giving himself a chance to have a huge average. He may have been rushed last year and needed time to adjust to PBA pitching, but the experience paid off. Without needing an adjustment period this year, he’s hit the ground running and is third in the league in average.


Questions for the GMs:


For Chris Stephan, Nonnie Williams is hitting .231 this year with one home run. Are you feeling any regret for the contract you handed out?

How have you been able to put together the best defense in the league so far. What moves did you make this offseason or in the past to prioritize that?

This is the first year Javier Baez has had a bench role for you, but he’s hit in limited at bats this year. Do you foresee any chance he makes it back into the starting lineup for you?

For Daniel Kent, what are your thoughts on the Ivan Johnson transaction so far. He’s off to a bit of a slow start with a .222 average.

You’ve been trying to move on from several outfielders, but you don’t have a deep bench. Why are you trying to trade Juan Moreno and Juan Carrasco?

You’re second in both scoring runs and preventing them, but have struggled the last two weeks. What’s been holding you back these last 14 days?


TRIVIA 1: Who is the only Cleveland Indians pitcher to be named Reliever of the Year

TRIVIA 2: Who is the only Kansas City Royals pitcher to be named Reliever of the Year

[Commissioner Erick]

TRIVIA 2: Daniel correctly guessed Alex Claudio

[Commissioner Erick]

Royals 5 - Indians 1

WP: T. Alexander (4-0)
LP: L. Esparza (2-2)

The Kansas City Royals picked up a win at Kauffman Stadium, knocking off the Cleveland Indians, 5-1. Starting pitcher Tyler Alexander played a key role in the triumph. Cleveland falls to 18-10.

Jonathan Bakos, the Kansas City left fielder, contributed a 2-run single in the bottom of the third inning to make the score 2-0, Royals. For the game, Bakos went 1 for 2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once.

"At the end of the day, it's always about your starting pitcher," said Kansas City skipper Daniel Kent.


Questions for the GMs:


For Chris Stephan, Bryce Harper went just 1-4 with two strikeouts. At his advanced age, are you concerned he has just two homers and is batting .225?

Did you agree with your manager bot's decision to pinch hit Massacre, Juan Aguilar, for Ernesto Adames in the eighth?

Tyler Alexander is a good pitcher, but he rarely gets a boatload of strikeouts. However, your team whiffed eight times. Do you feel your club needs to make more contact?

For Daniel Kent, Tyler Alexander struggled in Cleveland last year, but has pitched well at home against the Indians the past two seasons. He's off to a great start at home this year. What allows him to succeed so well in Kauffmann stadium?

You started the lefty Sattler in this game against the lefty Esparza. Why go with Sattler over Camacho?

Josh Young had a nice day with a double and a couple of walks. Ivan Johnson went 0-3 with a pair of strikeouts. Could we see Johnson lose some at bats to Young if his struggles keep up?


TRIVIA 3: Which team has employed the most players currently in the Top 10 in career minimum walk rate (min IP: 1,000). (Player must have pitched at least 1 game for the team, not just been in their system)

TRIVIA 4: Who is the only Right Fielder with at least 250 Doubles, 250 Home Runs, 25 Triples, and 100 Stolen Bases in his career?

[chriscleveland]

I have great confidence that Bryce will get hot when I need him to. I still think he has a lot left in the tank, and he's already been a lot better in May than in April. Don't write him off yet.

I'm grateful whenever Aguilar can get at bats. He deserves to be a starting player, but Contreras is a key player for our lineup, so Aguilar is biding his time to take over the catching position.

I don't feel like our team strikes out too much, but sometimes you're going to have a game like that.

[Commissioner Erick]

TRIVIA 3: Ben correctly guessed Boston

[Commissioner Erick]

TRIVIA 1: Nobody guessed Andrew Miller

TRIVIA 4: Nobody guessed Alex Verdugo