Welcome to Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland Guardians Radio Network. Guardians Weekly is front
to you by Progressive helping Guardians fans save hundreds on car insurance. Hi,
everyone, welcome to Guardians Weekly. Jim Rosenhouse along with you from Progressive Field
downtown Cleveland, where the Guardians are hosting the Kansas City Royals this weekend,
heading into the All Star Break. Another game on Saturday afternoon at four to
ten, and then the finale of the homestand and the proverbial first half of
the schedule pre All Star Break that's on Sunday afternoon at one forty. Coming
up a little bit later on in our show, we will hear from Guardians
utility man David Fry, who has had quite a first couple of months in
the major leagues. Also, we'll visit with Guardians relief pitcher Angel de Los
Santos, as well as field coordinator John McDonald with a farm report of sorts.
And we'll also take it to the other side. The Atlanta Braves were
in town earlier this week and we will visit with their All Star pitcher Spencer
Stryder, who has some great ties to northeast Ohio. That's all coming up
a little bit later on in our show. But first a look back at
the weekend review. The Mighty Braves in town, the team of the best
record in baseball, and it was a three game series that started Monday night
with a four to two victory for Atlanta over the Guardians. And then that's
set the stage for a thriller on Tuesday night. The Guardians got the scoring
started in the third inning compliments of hot hitting. I'm ed Rosario. Alard
brings the hands up, chest tie and lets it fly and Rosario drives it
up the alley and left center. This will take a bounce, go up
against the wall. Freeman scores Quan coming around a home throw to the plate
cut off, Peace scores sliding hand. It's a two run double with two
down for amed Rosario and he stays sizzling hot. Two nothing Cleveland and amand
Rosario, who drove in both runs last night, as come through again with
two down as he split that gamp in left center field. I'm Rosario now
with thirty rbiyes and that was double number fifteen. Atlanta's loaded lineup responded in
the fifth, scoring four times to take the lead, but in the sixth,
the Amed Rosario show continued the pitch and he sends one in the air
pretty deep to left center. Looking up, this bull is gone and Amed
Rosario with a solo home run to left center as given Cleveland life again.
That is just the second home run for a med Rosario. So he had
a two run double up the alley and left center in the third and a
solo homer over the nineteen football to left center here in the sixth, and
that'll be all for Kobe Allard, as Rosario has been a one man wrecking
crew. In the seventh, Tyler Freeman got things started with a single and
then stole second to get into scoring position for Stephen Quan. The two two
pitch swung on line to right field near the line of coon you're running over
it drops for a base game will be tied. Quand with a big turn
to holds at first. Freeman scores from second and Stephen Quand delivers a clutch
two out Army I single down the right field line to tie this game at
four. You don't see Stephen Quand pull them all that often, and he
yanked it down the right field line. Is twenty sixth run banded in Quan
stole second, and then Amed Rosario delivered one more time the center the pitch,
swinging crombo base hitting the right quater, a third pill put Cleveland up
as he crosses home plate and a Madrasario. What a series is third?
He hit his fourth. Army hid a night and he did it with a
pitch clock violation to start the at bat at Atlanta again showed their tremendous power
in the ninth inning as Ozzie Albis tied the ball game with his second home
run of the game, and that sent us to extra innings. Tied at
five. In the top half of the tenth inning, Angel Da Loos Santos
was on in relief picked up the first out in the inning. It was
a fly ball that moved the runner to third, and then Eddie Rosario was
at the plate trying to put the braves on top the pitch, swinging a
little blooper into center field, charging hard at straw. He'll make to catch
taking coming home. He'll your throw to the plate on the fly, tags
make by a diving fry day did it? What a great throw by straw
on the fly of the plate and a diving tag by catcher David fry It
doesn't get any better than that. Wow, And the Guardians continue to go
toe to toe with the Juggernaut Braves. We are tied at five going to
the bottom of the tenth. What a play by Straw and David Frye.
And then in the bottom of the tenth, it was Fry standing in with
two outs, a runner at second and a chance to walk it off.
The pitch Fry with a line drive to left Rosario going back toward the line
he kid make the Cats base hit game winner. In the scores, Rosario,
David fry being mobbed at second base, a walkoff, two out RBI
single the left by David Frye and Cleveland's got it's fifth wakoff win of the
year and they shocked the Atlanta Braves and ten innings tonight, six to five.
What a win for Cleveland. Atlanta bounced back and they took the series
finale eight to one over the Guardians on Wednesday. On Thursday, Kansas City
came to town. They scored a run in the first inning to take an
early lead, but it wouldn't last long as Andre Simenez let off the bottom
half of the second inning. Now they'll wind up. Now the O two
swung on hit high deep to right. Back goes Melendez. Track wa gone
number seven for Andres Himenez, and we've got a won one ball game.
Well you don't see that very often, do you, folks. A home
run that a guy hits foul, and then in the same at bat a
legitimate home run that stays fair. And Andre Simenez, gearing up for what
could be a big second half, has tied this ball game at one.
It's stay tied at one until the sixth. That's when the Guardians power surge
continued, beginning with Jose Ramirez posey one for two, a single the pitch
and he sends one in the air deep left field on its way to the
porch. Gone and Cleveland has a two to one lead, and Jose Ramirez
clearing the nineteen football in left and putting it onto the home run porch.
I guess the Guardians feel like, well, since the Braves left town,
why don't we pretend to be Atlanta and play home run derby. Next up,
Josh Naylor. Now the pitch to Nailer. He swings and drives it
high dat to right there she goes back to back Jack's and just Nailor makes
it a three to one ball game. H no down about it. Bomb
to right and a mere Garred having such a good year suddenly as given up
two long balls. Third time Cleveland's gone back to back. They did it
against Miami in April. They did it at Baltimore in May. Later in
the sixth, the Kansas City error led to another run, making it four
to one, and then bone Nailor finished off the beginning. Coming through with
two outs, Snyder the one old pitch and it swung on yank to write
down the line, it goes fair ball. It's headed for the corner.
On his way to third is Brennan. He's being waved home. Here comes
the relay thrown. It's going to be cut off. There will be no
play at the plate. Scoring is Brennan from first. On the two odd
Army I double into the right field corner by bone Nailor, and that breaks
an old for nineteen skit and the Guardians have a four run up rising and
they now have a five to one lead. The Guardians added one more run
in the eighth on a mile Straw RBI single, and then in the ninth,
Nick Salmon was on to finish things up the next pitch, swinging a
little dribbler left side, charged by Ramires. A third bare hand grabbing throw
got'em ball game. What a play by Hosie and the Guardians when Game
one in this four game series by a final score of six to one.
So a nice start to the series on Thursday night, setting the stage for
Friday Night. And the Guardians got it going early in this one. In
the first inning, I'm ed Rosario with a double, Jose Ramirez walked,
and then Josh Naylor continued to rack up the RBIs now the set, I'll
look back. Now the pitch, Naylor sends a liner to center that's of
a sit. Rosario being waved told Isabel's throw is going to go to third,
scoring easily as amed Rosario. Ramirez stops a second and Josh Nailer,
against a left hander, has now knocked in sixty two runs, the fourth
most RBIs in the American League. In the fourth, Nailer started it with
a single and that brought Josh Bell to the plate. Pitched to him,
launched high and deep to left. Way back there, bleacher bound home run
Josh Bell four. Bell number nine a two run shot and the Guardians are
in front. Three nothing. Yeah, Bell trying to break out of it
in a big way, and they launches one into the bleachers and the Guardians
have a three run lead. Meanwhile, on the mound, Aaron Savali looked
as sharp as we have seen him in a long time. The payoff a
swing and a flyball straight away center so that it'll be caught by Miles Straw
and that'll be the night for Aaron Savali. My goodness, was he brilliant
tonight. Seven shutout innings for Aaron Savali. He made a hundred pitches tonight.
He two hited Kansas City, striking out nine, didn't walk a bad
her. Trevor Stephen worked a scoreless eighth, and then Emmanuel class A was
on to close things out in the ninth. The next delivery swung and banged
up the middle near second. Rozario flips to second one. He made his
turns the game, handing double play ball game and the Guardians have climbed back
to five hundred as tonight, Savali Stephen close. They combine on a brilliant
two hit shut out and Cleveland is a winner, three to nothing in a
ball game that didn't even come close to taking two hours to play. So
a good week for the Guardians and they will try and finish strong with a
day game on Saturday and another one on Sunday before the All Star break begins.
Stay with us when we come back. We'll hear from utility man David
Fry. That's next four. I wish I was a better golfer. Wore
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say driver dyscun A not available in all states or situations. Welcome back to
Guardians Weekly, cham Rosen House along with you from Progressive Field and downtown Cleveland.
Great to have you with us for baseball talk on the radio. Heading
into the ball game on Saturday afternoon David Fry has had quite a first couple
of months in his major league career. Got an opportunity in early May to
join the big club, and he has been nothing short of sensational in a
difficult role. And we had a chance to visit with him after his big
night on Tuesday with a great play at the plate defensively and then he drove
in the game winning run, And when we caught up with him, he
said, that's about as good as it gets for him. I mean,
yeah, for sure, it was a lot of fun. Luckily a defensive
play, I didn't have to do too much. Mile was just kind of
put it on, put it at home plate for me and make it easy
for me. And then yeah, I was glad we could get the hit
and get the win. Can you explain to fans what that feels like when
you see the ball go over the outfielder's head and you know it's a base
hit that's going to win the game. What happens after that and how does
that impact you as time goes by, Like, as you're watching the play
happen, you're kind of trying to stay in baseball mote or whatever, and
then once it hits the ground you win, you kind of just black out
and you're so excited. Everybody's just going nuts around you, and you weren't
sure where you no. At first, I thought for sure it was a
hit, and then I looked up at Rosario the left fielder running it down,
and I was like, Holy goad, he's gotta beat on it and
he's gonna catch it and luckily solid drop. You haven't caught a whole lot,
but it seemed like you had all the fundamentals in place to make the
play properly. And how much are you able to prepare for that type of
situation so that you're ready when it happens. Yeah, it's something we did
quite a bit in spring training, you know, with the new rules where
you can't block on plate, so it's something like we practice quite a bit
kind of just the footwork on how to receive it and that way you're not
in the way and get a violation. And so something that hadn't happened in
the game a whole lot for me, but we definitely worked on what's the
toughest part of that play, making sure you catching get the tag in.
How was your head? It looked like it took a pretty good shot.
Oh yeah, it was fine. It didn't feel it at all. On
David, it's been a it seems like it's been a whirlwin for for you
since you've been called up, with some really good things happening. Just breaking
it down though your swing and your approach at the plate. How comfortable are
you getting at this level where you feel that you can produce? Yeah,
I mean as I get more of bats, that definitely feel more comfortable hitting.
Coaches have done a great job talk with me about approach as far as
pinch hitting or just when you're not playing a lot and you get a start,
just how to attack that day and what the approach is going to be.
And so they felt me out a whole lot with that. How big
a challenge is it to be in the outfield at a portion of the game
and then finish it behind the plate, Yeah, I mean it's it's definitely
tough, but I mean it makes it fun. You're really not overthinking it,
that's for sure, because you're going from position to position and you're just
trying to be an athlete and just help the team win anyway. And the
outfield fairly new for you, based on experience in the minor leagues. Yeah,
I don't even know the amount of games I're playing the minors, a
handful of ten to twenty, but yeah, something that hadn't done in a
little bit. But after every ending, I feel more and more comfortable out
there. Team wise, it's been going really well for about a month now,
where the wins are more than the losses and certain things are falling into
place. And what are you seeing from this team? It's really encouraging.
I think it's just the same group every day. Everybody comes in with super
positive attitude, and even like when we don't feel like we're playing our best
baseball, we're still finding ways to win. And obviously a big part of
that is our pitching. Our starters give us a chance to win every night.
So whenever you have that, you feel like you got a good chance
to win. And winning games late it's it's not always easy. Something going
on in that dugout that that's comforting to know that that you're never out of
a game. Yeah, I mean, all the guys stay positive and even
like if you have a couple of bad at bats early, you know,
like everybody's like, hey, stay ready. You never know you're going to
get a chance to win it late, and that's everybody talking to everybody.
So I mean, we all know it could be a different guy every night,
but we feel like we got a good group of guys once or nine.
You were that different guy last night. Thanks laugh for coming back.
Appreciate it. That's David Fry, one of the great stories of this season
for the Guardians. Young man who has really made a mark at the major
league level. Stay with us when we came back. We'll head out to
the bullpen and check in with Angel de los Santos. That's next now,
the high hold and the one two pitch swung on broken bad roller to short
Rosario will hurry the throw kits McKenna and another good job by Dla Santos.
Seven of the books level and leading Baltimore. Twelve date. Guardians Weekly continues
from Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland. Jim rosenhouse along with you this weekend,
and we had a chance to catch up earlier this week with Angel de los
Santos. He has done great work for the second best bullpen and all of
baseball, and he's been a big part of that. With translation help from
Aggie Rivero. We checked in with de los Santos and talk to him about
the start to his season. We've seen an uptick in his velocity, some
good command, and he says he can't be any more pleased with how the
first half of the season is gone for him. I think, I think
where we're having a good season, I think we're been working really hard to
exactly to get this result. You to maintain that performance in this season,
I'm most important to be able to have to continue the season like this and
Phoenisy season the same way. How are we doing it right now? And
just looking back at your career, you're you're finally in a spot where you're
consistently in the major leagues and contributing. What's the biggest difference since you've been
with this organization as opposed to earlier in your career, Well the luckiest.
I think it's a continuation of different things, you know, building up from
the works for several years and now showing up. Um, you know,
on previous teams, I also had the chance to work and put my effort.
But I feel here's what I've been able to feel comfortable and getting all
this results to show up in a way, so really fortunate and you know,
thinking of for the opportunity to be able to have those results right now
with this team, and you've been used in late game situations with the game
on the line. What does that mean to you to be in that spot
where you can really impact a winning effort by your team. So la but
all the luck, it's good to have a type of confidence. But I
feel we've been able to do this as a group. You know, the
bullpen group has been able to put up an effort and provide the results whenever
they're needed, whenever the game is on the line or not. I feel
the Bullpen as a group has been able to do a great job and you
know, just hoping for good that continues giving us that strength to be able
to performing this way through the end of the year. Team wise, bullpen
out there, nixt Salon, Eli Morgan doing some great work. And of
course the back end guys Trevor Stephen and uh and anual class say, how
do you guys pick each other up? What is that team dynamic that allows
you to have good success night in a night out there were luck isn't really
generally the work that we're doing as teammates, you know, like we really
feel for each other feel whenever somebody's not getting good results. So I think
that way that when you're actually the genuine use of the world of teammates,
we're able to share for each other, help each other, and like to
help us. You know, do that Estra, that we need to help
not only for us, but also for our teammates. So I feel generally
being good teammates and seeing the whole bullpen as a group. And you have
a new coach, new ballpen coach and Rigo Beltran, and I know you
mentioned earlier that that he's helped you a lot. How has he helped you
this season the lagams and doing content one, I think it's I'm very happy
for him seeing how his career has developed in a way because I met him
last year when he welcomed me in Columbus when I started the year of Columbus,
and I feel we hit it off. We had a really good connection
in terms of where how we communicate, the where have we you know,
how you care about me? But one most importantly how I listened to him
as well, to listen to what he had to say. So I feel
he's been really good for his career, but also for us and here having
him here in the team and they were how he has helped me be a
better a better player. Angel, thank you for the time, appreciate it.
Thanks Aggie, Thank you guys. A's Angel de los Santos part of
a dominant bullpen for the Guardians and some nice translation helped there from Agi Rivero.
Stay with us. Will have our final segment when we return after this
on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network. Whoever just hit those breaks hard for
no reason was definitely not you. Eric never breaks randomly on the highway,
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the edible in all states are from Allegiance, First Ball Swinging Christian Gooseban Bank
set up the Middle Tiny Mac makes a sliding stop, gets up, throws
out Goosebann. What a play by John McDonald. Well, I was over
here, no one as a special assistant. We're in spring training, and
I told Marsha Byre, I said, Margat, I don't think you're gonna
want to hear this. I said, but I don't think that's your best
defense and shortstop. I was talking about Omark really and he looked at me
like I had four heads. And I said, that kid McDonald because he
was young, and you know, I said, he's as good as anybody
i've seen with you know what gets the glove. So for us to have
him around our organization for a couple of reasons. Not just for the defensive
because he was as good as anybody, but the kind of person he is,
I mean, shooty disease, as quality as you get. Welcome back
to Guardians Weekly. We're a progressive field in downtown Cleveland. Jim rosenhouse along
with you this weekend. Great to have you along with us, and as
we talk baseball on the radio and normally we have an update on the minor
league system with Rob Sortfolio, the director of player Development, but we had
a chance to catch up with John McDonald, who was in town this week.
Johnny Mack, the former Cleveland Indians player, broke into the major leagues
with the Indians and had an outstanding major league career for several different ball clubs.
Now he's firmly entrenched in player development with Cleveland. He's the field coordinator
for the Guardians minor league system, and we asked him what brings him to
Cleveland for a couple of days as he takes a look at the big league
club, or we spent so much time at our affiliates that you sometimes we
forget that our players that we've become up through our organization and that they're here
in Cleveland, that we can still go in and see them too. And
it's nice coming in here, being around our coaching staff, being around our
front office, being able to go up into the offices during the course of
the day and then watch the way our players work here as major leaguers and
finding more about what their development process is and the things that they're working on.
Is even when you're a big leaguer, you still have things to work
on every day, and you know, during the day, it's always a
good time to come out here and watch some of those things or here from
the players about the specific things that they're working on to then be able to
share back with our coaches and the minor leagues and just have a greater understanding
that it's all development all the time. It doesn't stop when you get to
the big leagues. Yeah, you mentioned that. It's interesting because this is
the week of the amateur draft, so all the scouts are in town and
you hear that continuity. How important that is from even before kits are drafted,
if they're thinking about that getting them into the system and then having that
continuity, and has that changed it all in an improving way during your time
in the organization, both as a development person but also maybe as a player
way back when. Yeah, I think we always thought that way with Cleveland
coming up as a player, how important development was and patients that you have
with players and understanding and getting to know them, didn't know how to like
not just what they need to work on, but how they are best coached,
and those things are only figured out through a large process of the coaches
that are coaching them, the scouts that saw them early on to be able
to have some context about what that players like and getting to know that player
and how things aligned, so you can have conversations with players about what it
was like when they were growing up, how they initially learned, how they
got to be and have the habits that they have, and then how it's
important for us to be able to identify you and maybe inefficiencies and movements in
ways that best practices in the minor leagues turned into best backs in the big
leagues, and to help connect the dots with the players on what they're doing,
but where their future movements what those could look like as they try to
compete at higher levels each year. And Chime mac, I always love to
pick your brain about some of the infielders that you see in the system.
And we had a chance to see Brian Rokio earlier this year and pretty smooth.
But what are you saying from him as he continues his development mainly at
Columbus this year. I think Brian's grown a lot since you guys have seen
him. He's been been here twice, I believe, and the things that
he's learned. I think when you watch Jose Ramirez and Andres Jimenez and I'm
at Rossouri, when you watch them work they all do it differently, and
there are things to take from watching major league players work, watching the other
teams work, and seeing what good looks like, and good usually looks like
some sort of work toward constant improvement. And Brian going back down to Triple
A is he brings those things back down there with him. So maybe some
new habits and some new ways to do things. Maybe it's changing in the
speeds in which he works, Maybe he goes a little bit bit hard.
He has begin to learn more about how to step up your game and how
to keep on tweaking it in a positive way, so he can see improvements
on the field in Columbus. But with a with a mindset of being back
here in Cleveland, you can't just you can't just think it's gonna happen over
time. You have to learn and learning in the big leagues. Taking that
back to the minor leagues is an awesome way to do it. Not to
put you on a spot, but but can you give us maybe a name
that that we haven't heard too much about her, or someone a little bit
deeper in the system that you see and you say, you know what,
there might be something here. So I'm uh in Triple A right now,
Daniel Schneeman has really started to hit the baseball. It's his first year with
us that he's being a little bit more steady at one position. He's been
playing a good bit of shortstop, and he played more shortstop when Brian was
up here and and mixed with him a little bit during the year, so
he's got an opportunity to play on a consistent basis at short, second,
third. He's he can also play some first. He's played there for us,
and he's a versatile player that's swinging the bat. He's been with us
since we drafted him to BYU and he's really coming to his own as a
player. Another we're excited to have chased the latter back. He had an
injury that he had from when we signed him and missed all of last year.
In the first half of this year, he's back playing and getting off
to a good start in Lake County right now. It's really exciting to see
him just getting going and being out and is this his first time plan at
an affiliates It's exciting. I'm headed at the Lansing tomorrow to see him,
so I'm kind of excited to do that, and I think all of our
organizations excited to see him back playing. You mentioned that traveling up to Lansing
to go see a player and a team to go see the team. Yeah.
How much enjoyment have you gotten out of this position. I know you've
done several different things and player development, but this seems to really be a
broad brush of things that you get to do. It's very enjoyable. I
mean development of players. I felt like as I was a player, I
mean trying to develop myself or working with other players, working with me and
getting to work with younger players as I was getting older, and the natural
progression of staying in player development and helping our not not just the players,
but we have staff members that are excited to learn every day. I'm learning
every day. Our front office is learning just how to be a better a
better coach, a better learner, a better thinker. The things in baseball
that we're constantly learning more about, and sometimes it's the same thing, we're
just learning a different approach or a different way to teach it to another player.
That's I know, that's what's fun about baseball. It's any any size
player, any anybody can be a very productive baseball player and finding the ways
to help them have the most success out of their ability. And that's it's
a really enjoyable process and in so many different ways with our you know,
twenty seven twenty twenty nine players, some however many we have it at each
affiliate at times sometimes there's more with guys on our il or guys on our
development list and our coaches. We have different numbers of coaches at each affiliate.
There's always something new to talk about every day we walk into the clubhouse.
It is always great to see you. Thanks for coming by, and
I know we'll see you again down the road. My pleasure, Rosie.
Thanks. That's a Guardians field coordinator, John McDonald. And we'll finish up
this week with a visit from Spencer Strider, the all star pitcher for the
Atlanta Braves. And you may say, well, wait a minute, it's
Guardians Weekly. Why are you interviewing someone from the Braves. But Spencer Strider
with some really good ties to Northeast Ohio. He grew up in Tennessee,
but has a ton of family in the Northeast Ohio area, including Rocky River,
and he talked about why this trip for Atlanta to Cleveland is so special
for him. Yeah, it's it's, um, you know, Progressive Fields
as a special place to me and my family and you know they're they're from
the Cleveland area and so I've spent a lot of time here. And I
said to somebody, like everything, everything I know and love about baseball is
um sort of stemmed from from following the Guardians and when they were in the
in the Indians and um, yeah, it's a special place, so you
grow up an Indians. Span was it was it hard to come back here
for the opposition? I mean, obviously you're you're fitching for the raise,
but was it kind of odd in that regard? No, I wouldn't say
it was odd. I think it's it's it's cool. You know, I
got to walk to work at Progressive Field, So, um, whether I
do that ever again in my life, it's it's great to say I've done
it, and it's it's it's awesome to just have been a fan and walk
around the park and see the places I used to watch games and now'll be
on the field and you know, it's that's uh sort of a dream come
trun away. And just to cement how big a fan. You were explain
to us what was going on in the fall of twenty sixteen. What games
did you attend during that playoff run for Cleveland? Yeah, yeah, we
were here for Game six and seven and that was uh something that you know,
and growing up, my family would tell me about the teams of the
nineties and the ninety five and ninety seven World Series and I would watch him
as a kid and think, man, if the paper make it to a
World Series, we've kind of go. And um, sixteen was a special
year for for the Cleveland and UM had the opportunity to go to the World
Series and we definitely didn't want to pass up. And so we were fortunate
enough that they made it to Game six and seven. Looking back, I
wish they might have clinched it or wanted a little earlier. But yeah,
to to see Roger Davis at the home running Game seven, that was as
one of the coolest moments of my life, and um it was. It
was a special experience for my family, just my my grandparents are such big
Cleveland fans and and um, you know, for me to grow up a
Cleveland fan and appreciate it the same way they did, it was. It
was a cool, cool moment when the world did they get tickets for a
Game seven of a World Series. We uh we we definitely went to the
bank and pulled out of the savings, but it was money well spent.
What's been some of the biggest keys for you that's allowed you to develop and
then have success at this level, which isn't always the easiest. Yeah,
I think, you know, I gave a lot of the credit to to
just our player development and um in our organization and especially the coaches and the
players up up here at the big league level. Um. You know,
I was very raw when I was in the minors, and they did a
very good job of sort of funneling me into my skill set and letting me
focus on what was going to make me successful and what I was good at
and not worry about things that maybe I will have to think about later in
my career. I'm thinking about now at the big league level. And then
um that that's kind of the same same U sort of help I've been given
at this level with Travis behind the plate and Sean this year and and you
know Cranny sal Our catching coach. I mean, they've taught me a ton
just about getting deep into games and how to actually use my skills to to
get out so not just um, you know, go out there. When
I was in the minors, I would just sort of fizzle out by the
third and um, you know, strike everybody out, but not be too
effective. And so it's sort of harnessing that that skill set to be successful
for the team. You mentioned success for the team. Every team has ups
and downs. This is a really good ball club in a real good stretch
right now. What's it like to come to the ball park the last month
or so where it seems like every night you have a better than great chance
to win. It's really unlike anything I've ever seen or been a part of.
Um, I mean every part of our team is firing in all cylinders
and and is some of the best in the league. So um yeah,
I mean it, I said the other day, just there's no there's no
panic, There's there's really very little pressure. Speaking from my perspective of being
on the mound, I don't have to be perfect. I mean my job
is to just go as get anny many ounce as I can, and I
know our offense is going to pick us up and pick me up and and
like I said, that the player development and the staff here are so good
at preparing us and putting us in positions to be successful that if I just
go out and focus on attack on the glove and executing pitches one one at
a time, then we're almost always be in a good spot, uh come
the end of the game. So, um, it's been a phenomenal uh,
you know season so far, and and um, hopefully we can keep
it going. All right, we'll finish with this. You won't get to
pitch in this series. Bryan Snitger's known as a player's manager. Was there
any politicking on your part to try and somehow figure out a way to make
it happen? If there wasn't a ton there were some moves behind the scenes
between the players to maybe finagle the rotation a bit, but those ultimately didn't
work out. And yeah, I was watching the raid artist. See if
it rain, maybe I get pushed back to day and I get to pitch
here. But you know, it is just a great experience to be here.
And like I said, this is a stadium in a city that has
a very special place with me. And if nothing else, this is cool
for my family to be here and see me walking around in the field and
and me in the dugout. So yeah, very very grateful to be here.
Enjoy the week, Thanks so much for coming back. Yeah, thank
you anytime. By one of the bright young pitchers in Major League Baseball and
a fun visit Spencer Strider. Check him out at the All Star Game.
He'll be pitching as one of eight Atlanta Braves who made the All Star Team
for the National League. How about that. That's gonna do it for this
week's edition of Guardians Weekly. As always, thanks to Brian Matze for helping
to put together our show each and every week. We'll catch you next week
from Texas as the Guardians open play post All Star Break against the Rangers.
Until then, this is Jim Rosenhouse reminding you that you've been listening to Guardians
Weekly on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network. Guardians Weekly has been brought to
you by Progressive helping Guardians fans save hundreds on car insurance.