The week held only three regular-season games for the Guardians, and they… did not go well to say the very least. However, that’s not to say there wasn’t anything good to come out of All-Star week.
Guards Make Noise in Philly
In their very first All-Star Game, Guardians rookies Parker Messick and Travis Bazzana alongside veteran closer Cade Smith made their name known to the millions watching Tuesday night’s Midsummer Classic. Messick appeared in the second inning for the American League, striking out one and throwing seven
strikes on ten pitches. Smith, while normally a closer, came in for the sixth inning, striking out two on twelve pitches. Bazzana had a bit more of a quiet day, striking out in one of two plate appearances, but he was part of a forceout of Iván Herrera in the ninth inning. Overall, it was an extremely successful outing for the young Guards.
Bazzana Shines Bright
While he, offensively, didn’t make much noise in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, Travis Bazzana made up for it Saturday night. The Guardians were down 3-0 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, and were able to tie it up thanks to a pair of RBI singles from Chase DeLauter and Kahlil Watson. Then, with Steven Kwan on second and one out in the bottom of the ninth, Bazzana came to the plate. He saw one pitch from Dennis Santana, a ball, and that was all he needed to take the next one deep into center field for a walkoff win. While the team couldn’t keep that momentum going into Sunday’s finale, it was a relief to take at least one win from the series.
Martínez Nearing Return
It was announced on Saturday that Angel Martínez began a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. Recovering from a food fracture, he has been on the Injured List since June 16th. In a rain shortened game, he went 0-2 with two groundouts. While he didn’t get to play the next day thanks to more rain, he’s still on track to make a few more appearances with the Clippers before returning to the big league club. There’s no set date for his return just yet, but it’s clear we’ll be seeing his name in the lineup in no time.
