Post by Commissioner Erick on Jan 20, 2019 23:17:30 GMT -5
Cleveland Indians (94-42) @ Chicago White Sox (89-46)
CLE: Jose Quintana (13-8, 3.37)
CHW: A.J. Cole (8-3, 3.75)
While the Chicago White Sox have had a great season, the Cleveland Indians haven't lost a series of three games or more since dropping two of three in San Francisco just after the All-Star break. Cleveland stands 4.5 games ahead of the White Sox heading into a four game series with the Tribe.
With a three game set with the White Sox the last weekend of the year being the only other remaining series against a winning team, Cleveland can ostensibly clinch a playoff berth with a winning set over Chicago. They'll send Jose Quintana to the mound to take overwhelming control of the division when they face the White Sox in the Game of the Week.
A major reason why the Indians didn't make the playoffs last year is the Francisco Lindor trade. While Lindor netted a strong return for Cleveland, they didn't have the major league talent to replace Lindor's brilliance. This season, Addison Russell's play has made him, while no Lindor, an excellent replacement.
Last season Russell had a good season. He had a positive zone rating, making him a good defender. He had a good eye, giving him a good on-base mark. He hit 17 homeruns, and stole 16 bases in 19 attempts, both good marks.
This year, Russell hasn't been good. He's been great. He has 27 home runs and 92 RBIs thus far, both career highs. With 15 steals, two more will give him a career high, and he's only been caught twice. His zone rating of 4.9 is better than last year and third among AL shortstops. Finally, his .321 is not only a career high by far, but it's third in the AL. Despite being in the same league as Mike Trout and Andrew Benintendi, Russell tops the league in WAR.
Russell's hit his stride, and with it, the Indians have produced the best offense in baseball.
Cleveland's also gotten an amazing season from Mike Papi, a 27-year old rookie with 20 home runs and a .955 OPS. Papi has spent time in Triple A in every PBA season, but has made the most of his time in the majors this year. He was Rookie of the Month for June and August, with his most recent Rookie of the Month coming after a .311 August with nine home runs.
That offense has given support to an exceptionally talented and deep pitching staff, so deep that the team was able to offload Felix Hernandez and improve. Jose Quintana will go tonight. He had a 17-win season last year, and has actually gotten better this year. His 174 strikeouts are approaching a career year, he's only allowed 15 home runs, and his 3.37 ERA is sixth in the league. Quintana pitched well against the White Sox at home this year, but unfortunately for Cleveland's sake, Chicago roughed him up twice in U.S. Cellular Filed as he's allowed eight runs in 10 innings.
The White Sox will hope that continues. They boast the second best offense in the AL, and they actually have the best ERA among AL starting pitchers. A.J. Cole will get the start, and he pitched a gem at home against the Indians in April, allowing just a run on two hits in 7 innings in a 4-1 White Sox win. His only other start against Cleveland saw him get hurt nearly immediately, so he'll be a face the Indians have barely seen this year.
He'll be backed up by an offense that has exploded over the second half, particularly Rafael Devers. Devers wasn't quite having a great home run season the first few months of the year, though he did have a solid 14 after three months. However, Devers has been unstoppable since July. Devers smacked 13 home runs in July and 12 more in August. He has a couple already in September to go with four doubles and a .417 average.
With Andrew Benintendi continuing to somehow improve every season, the White Sox may have fielded the best offensive duo in the league since July. Benintendi may be the best player in baseball outside of Bryce Harper, as he's tied for the AL WAR lead despite missing a few weeks with injury. He has a .424 OBP with more walks than strikeouts, as pitchers simply can't strike him out.
Against Quintana, Benintendi has posted a fairly neutral .278 average without a home run, while Rafael Devers is only 5-21 with no home runs. How those two fare against Quintana tonight may be the difference in Chicago winning the division or hosting a win-or-go home Wild Card Game.
Questions for the GMs:
For David Springgay, you've essentially chosen Bradley Zimmer over Giancarlo Stanton. What does Zimmer provide that Stanton doesn't?
Your team is 10-2 against Cleveland this year. How have you managed to pull that off?
You signed Tyler Lyons late in the offseason and he's turned in an ERA of 1.86, and as a lefty, he's set up to handle most of Chicago's best hitters. How happy are you with the signing and are you looking to extend?
For Mike Ball, you traded for Dansby Swanson at the deadline. How has he changed your team since his acquisition?
Your middle relief hasn't been very good this year. How much do you trust it against an offense like Cleveland's?
You've gone 2-10 against Cleveland this year. What is it about them that you've struggled with?
CLE: Jose Quintana (13-8, 3.37)
CHW: A.J. Cole (8-3, 3.75)
While the Chicago White Sox have had a great season, the Cleveland Indians haven't lost a series of three games or more since dropping two of three in San Francisco just after the All-Star break. Cleveland stands 4.5 games ahead of the White Sox heading into a four game series with the Tribe.
With a three game set with the White Sox the last weekend of the year being the only other remaining series against a winning team, Cleveland can ostensibly clinch a playoff berth with a winning set over Chicago. They'll send Jose Quintana to the mound to take overwhelming control of the division when they face the White Sox in the Game of the Week.
A major reason why the Indians didn't make the playoffs last year is the Francisco Lindor trade. While Lindor netted a strong return for Cleveland, they didn't have the major league talent to replace Lindor's brilliance. This season, Addison Russell's play has made him, while no Lindor, an excellent replacement.
Last season Russell had a good season. He had a positive zone rating, making him a good defender. He had a good eye, giving him a good on-base mark. He hit 17 homeruns, and stole 16 bases in 19 attempts, both good marks.
This year, Russell hasn't been good. He's been great. He has 27 home runs and 92 RBIs thus far, both career highs. With 15 steals, two more will give him a career high, and he's only been caught twice. His zone rating of 4.9 is better than last year and third among AL shortstops. Finally, his .321 is not only a career high by far, but it's third in the AL. Despite being in the same league as Mike Trout and Andrew Benintendi, Russell tops the league in WAR.
Russell's hit his stride, and with it, the Indians have produced the best offense in baseball.
Cleveland's also gotten an amazing season from Mike Papi, a 27-year old rookie with 20 home runs and a .955 OPS. Papi has spent time in Triple A in every PBA season, but has made the most of his time in the majors this year. He was Rookie of the Month for June and August, with his most recent Rookie of the Month coming after a .311 August with nine home runs.
That offense has given support to an exceptionally talented and deep pitching staff, so deep that the team was able to offload Felix Hernandez and improve. Jose Quintana will go tonight. He had a 17-win season last year, and has actually gotten better this year. His 174 strikeouts are approaching a career year, he's only allowed 15 home runs, and his 3.37 ERA is sixth in the league. Quintana pitched well against the White Sox at home this year, but unfortunately for Cleveland's sake, Chicago roughed him up twice in U.S. Cellular Filed as he's allowed eight runs in 10 innings.
The White Sox will hope that continues. They boast the second best offense in the AL, and they actually have the best ERA among AL starting pitchers. A.J. Cole will get the start, and he pitched a gem at home against the Indians in April, allowing just a run on two hits in 7 innings in a 4-1 White Sox win. His only other start against Cleveland saw him get hurt nearly immediately, so he'll be a face the Indians have barely seen this year.
He'll be backed up by an offense that has exploded over the second half, particularly Rafael Devers. Devers wasn't quite having a great home run season the first few months of the year, though he did have a solid 14 after three months. However, Devers has been unstoppable since July. Devers smacked 13 home runs in July and 12 more in August. He has a couple already in September to go with four doubles and a .417 average.
With Andrew Benintendi continuing to somehow improve every season, the White Sox may have fielded the best offensive duo in the league since July. Benintendi may be the best player in baseball outside of Bryce Harper, as he's tied for the AL WAR lead despite missing a few weeks with injury. He has a .424 OBP with more walks than strikeouts, as pitchers simply can't strike him out.
Against Quintana, Benintendi has posted a fairly neutral .278 average without a home run, while Rafael Devers is only 5-21 with no home runs. How those two fare against Quintana tonight may be the difference in Chicago winning the division or hosting a win-or-go home Wild Card Game.
Questions for the GMs:
For David Springgay, you've essentially chosen Bradley Zimmer over Giancarlo Stanton. What does Zimmer provide that Stanton doesn't?
Your team is 10-2 against Cleveland this year. How have you managed to pull that off?
You signed Tyler Lyons late in the offseason and he's turned in an ERA of 1.86, and as a lefty, he's set up to handle most of Chicago's best hitters. How happy are you with the signing and are you looking to extend?
For Mike Ball, you traded for Dansby Swanson at the deadline. How has he changed your team since his acquisition?
Your middle relief hasn't been very good this year. How much do you trust it against an offense like Cleveland's?
You've gone 2-10 against Cleveland this year. What is it about them that you've struggled with?
