Guardians trying to get Myles Straw back on track; Bullpen ties MLB scoreless innings record
The Guardians acquired Myles Straw at last year's trade deadline and then signed him to a longterm extension this spring to finally bring some stability to Cleveland's center field situation, something that had escaped them for years.
But while manager Terry Francona has repeatedly insisted that Straw's elite defense affords him more chances to remain in the lineup, his recent hitting woes have only worsened.
Straw hasn't been able to repeat his offensive success following last year's trade from the Houston Astros, when he hit .285 with a .739 OPS after coming to Cleveland. This season, those numbers have dropped to .199 and .524, respectively. His OBP has dropped nearly 100 points, from .362 (with Cleveland) to .274 this year.
All of it led to Straw dropping from the leadoff spot to the bottom of the order while the Guardians had hoped to get him going at the plate. But, Straw has only sunk further into a slump. Over the last four weeks, Straw is just 7-for-69 (.101) with 11 strikeouts.
In Tuesday's game against the Baltimore Orioles, which the Guardians went on to win 5-1, Straw was given a day off in center field. It's unclear if the break from the lineup will continue for multiple days. But it's an attempt to allow Straw to reset.
"It's a hard one for me because I value what Myles does in center field so much, and I talked to him a little bit today, he understands," Francona said prior to Tuesday's game. "Like, 'Hey man, it'd be nice to just get you back to where you are.' And he gets it. So we're just trying to do the best we can and sometimes you're not really sure."
Defensively, Straw has been playing a Gold Glove level. Among qualified center fielders, Straw's 13 Defensive Runs Saved are second to only Kansas City's Michael Taylor (14). No other center fielder has half as many DRS. It's that defense that afforded Straw such a long leash, but his slow showing at the plate has been trending the wrong direction.
"I think there's a lot to be said for confidence," Francona said when asked about the difference between 2021 and this year. "Sometimes you get beat up in this game and then it beats you up and it kind of affects your mental, it starts to affect your physical. It's been a pretty tough go for him. He started to turn a corner and then went right back to where he was. One thing I'll say, it has never affected his center field play, ever. So that's why it's a little hard for me sometimes to maybe not play him. But if we can get him going back to being who he is, that would help us more."
The nod in center field Tuesday night went to rookie Will Benson. A common saying in baseball is that "the ball will find you" in a number of situations. That was certainly true, but Benson passed every test thrown his way by making two highlight-reel catches at the wall in center, including one leaping grab that robbed Rougned Odor of extra bases.
Benson hasn't quite gotten going offensively since being promoted to the majors, entering Tuesday hitting just .133, though in only 30 at-bats. But his play in center field Tuesday night, as the Guardians try to get Straw a break, was another case of a rookie position player providing the pitching staff with a boost.
"Will's just like the rest of them — he's an extremely talented player," said Cal Quantrill, who allowed just one run on one hit in Tuesday's win. "I mean, you saw just pieces of it today. That guy can do anything. It's awesome watching them play with confidence and the fact that he made those two plays today, I think it kind of transferred into the offense. So sometimes it's like we have all the confidence in the world in the rookies, and they need to feel what we feel. So today I think he felt that a little bit."
Guardians bullpen matches MLB scoreless innings streak in 2022
The Guardians bullpen has been among baseball's best all season. But they've taken it to another level over the last two weeks.
With three hitless innings in Tuesday's win, the Guardians bullpen hasn't allowed an earned run over their last 30 1/3 combined innings, which matches the Milwaukee Brewers for the longest such streak in the majors this season.
James Karinchak has been central to that success, as he extended his own scoreless streak to 21 consecutive innings, the longest by a Cleveland reliever since Andrew Miller went 30 1/3 innings in a row without an earned run from September 2016-May 2017. All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, Trevor Stephan and Nick Sandlin have also been instrumental in the Guardians grabbing and holding onto first place in the American League Central largely thanks to a shutdown bullpen.
"They've been so good all year that this almost doesn't feel strange," Quantrill said. "This is kind of what they've been doing. I just feel so confident that if I hand them the ball, with a clean inning and with the lead, then the game's over."
In the month of August, the Guardians bullpen is first in fWAR (2.1), ERA (1.81) FIP (2.44) and K/9 rate (11.57).
"For a while, and again, because we are young or inexperienced, we've had some ups and downs, but it seems like when's someone had a down, someone would step in and maybe pick up where they were, so it didn't hurt us so much during games," Francona said. "Now, it seems like, and hopefully it stays this way, guys are getting on a little run where we've gone to Eli and he's been better, Sandlin has been pretty good, Trevor seems to have the split back, which really helps him, Karinchak has given us a huge lift. It starts to fit better and not only helps you when you're winning, but when you're down a run or two, it gives you a chance, so it's all important."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians trying to get Myles Straw back on track, start Will Benson
