Guardians Cruise in Sweep of Cubs As Alex Cobb Takes His Turn to Stabilize Guardians Rotation

[@mutantmangoman]

I love when Jeff points out how bad the Professor nickname is for Rocchio. Couldn’t agree more! I’m with you guys on wanting to try Arias. It’s certainly a risk but I think it’s the best bet. And could be real fun if it works out.

[@LockedonGuardians]

Arias was better last year even than Rocchio has been this year

[@zivohel]

Great show guys like always. I did say at the trade that I really loved the Cobb pickup even with the medicals since his experience and intangibles are priceless for this group

[@LockedonGuardians]

thank you man

[@siegewithme]

Our rotation upgrade is like a glass of ice water after hard work. I love how these two guys throw a lot of quality strikes, Bibee could learn a thing or two from these vets! Great show Jeff and Justin the newest vibes guys 😂❤

[@LockedonGuardians]

chase rate matters and he doesnt have the highest exit velocity on the team right now

[@RyanDudziak]

That walk on Suzuki should have been a strikeout looking. Ball 1 was clearly a strike. So Cobb gets the QS in my head.

[@rward2109]

One of the 2 Strike pitches could've been called a strike easily. I wanna see if Vogt is not so quick with the hook when Boyd, Cobb, and even Williams get back to full load ready. Gotta get a few 7 inning starts here and there to keep the Pen as fresh as possible Imo.

[@LockedonGuardians]

yeah it was a tight call there

[@GuardianofClevelandHeights]

If the organization has decided to make a change at SS, I'd much rather go with bringing Arias back up than signing Rosario again. I will say Noel had the highest exit velo hit of the evening. Yes, it resulted in an out, but any Guardians fan with sense knows this is what we are gonna get from Noel going forward. High risk, high reward, high variance.

[@LockedonGuardians]

its weird how much people just hate arias and refuse to see what he can do

[@charlesdarwin180]

Brewer fan here. Congratulations on beating the Cubs in a sweep. Well, looks like it'll be up the Brewers to make some cracks in your new rotation.

[@siegewithme]

You won’t get a crack at our new rotation… Williams Bibee and Lively are the guys who’ve been holding it down.

[@LockedonGuardians]

rotation was fine offense was the issue

[@mikedr1549]

When I look at this lineup it just boggles my mind that they have the best record in baseball. How is that even possible.

[@rward2109]

Bullpen, Bibee, Lively, Jose, And some timely hitting earlier in the year and of late. Did I mention the bullpen?

[@mikedr1549]

@@rward2109 Oh I think it's 100% the bullpen. But it's crazy to me that they make that much of a difference.

[@siegewithme]

The clubhouse… they all play for each other and they have a lot of guys who are all about making everyone around them better. Jeff and Justin mention that the cubs are a team who plays worse than the sum of its parts. Well the guards play better than the sum of their parts. That’s good coaching/teaching and good chemistry. Oh and the pitching lab sure helps!!

[@Justin-pq3rq]

Well Kwan Batting .325. And Jose and Naylor having 57 Homeruns and 185 RBI between them is a good start.

[@LockedonGuardians]

bullpen is a large large part

[@RobertGrose-jn3nw]

I wonder why Vogt brought in Sandlin to face Bellinger instead of Herrin

[@christoph1596]

Sandlin always comes in with 2 outs and RISP …

[@LockedonGuardians]

not sure either

[@jaked6746]

Man we needed this 5 game stretch & a bit of production from everyone not just our all-stars.. had the Rocchio/SS conversation with my Dad last night in the 5th & 9th inning (he’s a big Rocchio guy). Cannot have these defensive let downs he’s allowing if you’re not gunna hit.. mess ups in a series closer vs the Cubs that almost allows a 6-3 Victory instead of a 6-1 victory is whatever. Those kinds of errors in the postseason get you eliminated. That being said I don’t want to move Giminez

[@jaked6746]

@@stanleyhaynes6171 where did I say I can’t stand Rocchio? I like the kid and think he has a good profile, when I mention the errors and the worries about those types of things I’m talking in relation of THIS YEAR & THIS 2024 TEAM. Is that our best option RIGHT NOW for a postseason run? I’m not sure it is. But I don’t hate Rocchio and I don’t think we should ship him out

[@LockedonGuardians]

right now I would settle for the all stars rebounding which just hasnt been a thing

[@dennisquigney3809]

Rocchio has the 6th highest defensive WAR of all players in the MLB. He is a truly gifted fielder. That's why he is still here.

[@dennisquigney3809]

Arias has no range. He is Aloof in the field. He hits well one week and then goes on a 4 week swoon. He is not the answer.

[@abyz1467]

@@dennisquigney3809 humbly disagree. Arias has pretty good range and he has the best arm on the entire team.

[@dennisquigney3809]

@jg7102 he has a 1.8 defensive war and is 6th in the league per baseball reference. Check it out. His offense has been very underwhelming, but his value on defense is much higher than all the alternatives. And remember the team is built to play defense, steal bases, be athletic and outpitch your opponent. He helps with these things. And he's 23 and a former top 100 prospect.

[@dennisquigney3809]

@abyz1467 They tried to give Arias the job last year for 2 months and he struck out 3 out of every 4 plate appearances.

[@abyz1467]

@@dennisquigney3809 jg doesn’t like facts

[@Justin-pq3rq]

Just want to point out that Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor having 57 Homeruns and 185 RBIs between them is awesome. And we still have 38 games to go. It’s completely plausible that they could both have 35 HR and 115 RBI between them. Locked on Guardians when is the last time we had 2 players have that much production. Was it 2017??

[@LockedonGuardians]

feels like it had to be right thinking was likely JRAM and Lindor maybe 2018

[@Justin-pq3rq]

@@LockedonGuardians they are definitely the heart and soul of this team. And a deadly combination. I saw a stat last nite. The only duo in MLB that has more homers and RBI. Is Judge and Soto. That’s pretty dam good company. And a ton of great duos they are ahead of.

[@charlesdarwin180]

So, I guess with the day off for Cleveland, no more locked on shows until after the Brewer series.

[@LockedonGuardians]

We are 5 days a week during the season

[@RyanDudziak]

Potential discussion topic: Do you guys think Kwan has gotten a bit to interested in homers? I was happy with his increase in power, but it feels like he tries to lift everything now and is popping up like crazy. Seems like he’s forgotten his role a bit.

[@LockedonGuardians]

hes been below average since the break badly so

[@keneneverett5879]

Last week: we may never win again This week: we may never lose again 😂

[@LockedonGuardians]

this weekend we might never win again

[@nathanpage4887]

Cobb struck out Busch and should have been out of the inning. Umps are garbage!

[@LockedonGuardians]

yeah he has been squeezed

[@mickgogle2125]

rocchio got go!! to Columbus now !!!!

[@LockedonGuardians]

doesnt seem like its going to happen for whatever reason

[@dougk2196]

Magic number is 37 when you factor in the tiebreaker

[@LockedonGuardians]

good point

[@ssamaco]

Maybe, just maybe Arias would be a guy who settles in and clicks if he's an everyday player, that's the only thing I can think might save us. But I honestly feel like I want to be done w him, I'd rather bring back Rosario, seems like our best option doesn't it? Maybe i"m wrong.

[@LockedonGuardians]

I think there is a chance development is not a straight line

[@AndrewPolander]

Boyd right now has the definite edge over Cobb as our #3 or #4; depending how you feel about Lively, because he is a lefty and looks better!

[@LockedonGuardians]

depends on the team to me if a team is more lefty then Boyd more righty then Cobb

[@jameskeene4412]

I think we know Arias isn’t the answer either. I’m fine with trying Brito but I am against trying Arias for the 4th time and watching him flail about

[@LockedonGuardians]

he was good last year

[@kurtsmith7104]

Cobb was ok we can win with him he is off my shit list for a start.....

[@rward2109]

Ok? Helluva great game from your #4 or 5 starter.

[@natew1639]

Helluva great game, couldn’t agree more. Unclear to me why people are so down on Cobb. Seems like a perfect fit to me.

[@rward2109]

@@natew1639 Perfect fit! Especially considering u didn't give up any Major prospects for him. There's always a chance a prospect can become a star but those are far and few between.

[@LockedonGuardians]

hes been solid

[@stevenhill7614]

Would love to see Brito

[@LockedonGuardians]

just hard to play him due to defense

[@stevenhill7614]

It's not to late to move him !

[@LockedonGuardians]

we will see

[@glenlongwell2216]

I think you see arias next month and then likely he gets moved on from unless he goes on a torrid pace. I think the org is moving on from him even if Rocchio is... frustrating a lot of the time

[@LockedonGuardians]

you might be right

[@stanleyhaynes6171]

@Locked On Guardians The unnecessary criticism towards Rocchio is utterly embarrassing and here's why. He is in his first REAL season of major league baseball. For context purposes, I'm going to compare him with Cleveland's all-time favorite Short Stop Omar Vizquel. Omar Vizquel's rookie season, he had 1 Home Run and 20 RBI's with a .220 batting avg in 143 Games. Right now, Rocchio has 5 Home Runs, 26 RBI's and a .205 Batting avg in 108 games witch is 35 fewer games. As for actual fielding ability, Rocchio has 9 Errors in 108 starts thus far with a .975 Fielding percentage. Omar Vizquel's rookie season he had 18 Errors with a .971 Fielding percentage in 143 starts. Rocchio has half as many Errors. Not only that, but let's go on to look at the fact that it wasn't until Vizquel's 4th season, yes 4th where he had above a .250 batting avg. A player who fell only 133 Hits shy of 3,000 for his career. And as for his Gold Glove seasons, he had 15 Errors his first Gold Glove Season, 20 Errors his 4th, 10 his 5th, and 15 his 7th. The unnecessary criticism that Rocchio has received not just from you, but from the majority of Cleveland is astonishing. A great short stop provides good to great defense and the better they are defensively. The less necessary it is for them to excel on offense- Ozzie Smith exhibit A and Omar Vizquel exhibit B.

[@LockedonGuardians]

hes not those guys and a lot of metrics have him closer to average than great, errors have little value for judgement and this is just silly osrry

[@kaeleenwescoat-oneill3755]

Rocchio is Smalls from The Sandlot but not as endearing. Just lost, overwhelmed, and trying extra hard to be likable.

[@kaeleenwescoat-oneill3755]

Don’t get me wrong.. I’m rooting for him to be better. I want things to click for Bryan. He’s just got those annoying little brother vibes.

[@LockedonGuardians]

thats an interesting one I had not thought of

[@RobertGrose-jn3nw]

Again zero production out of the 7,8 and 9 hitters

[@LockedonGuardians]

it only got worse

[@stevenhill7614]

I am so over the Rocchio thing. Hopefully Columbus is in his future.

[@LockedonGuardians]

I agree

[@davidwindell]

It’s too late in the year. This team is set. Just leave it alone. Rocchio is really the only weak spot in the lineup and he is even coming around. I don’t want to hear about Gabby. He’s had his turn. This is Rocchio’s chance, and he’s actually got fantastic defensive metrics. You switch those two and Rocchio and Gabby would just switch positions with gabby struggling and Rocchio tearing up AAA. Idc about errors. Every team’s leader in errors is their SS, and his offense is getting better slowly. You can’t give a guy 300 PAs and give up. That’s why we haven’t settled on a guy yet- it takes time. I also don’t want to hear about Brito. He’s putting up a mediocre offensive season in an absolute bandbox.

[@abyz1467]

Brayan?

[@LockedonGuardians]

gabby looked better a year ago then ROcchio has this year

[@ryanad5566]

I think Jeff put it best: I don’t know if Arias will be the answer, but at least for right now Rocchio sure as hell isn’t. Arias went thru the trouble to make an adjustment in the minors and is now raking. Give him the shot and let Rocchio think about some things for awhile.

[@LockedonGuardians]

Arias a year ago looked better than Rocchio ever has

[@anthonyg813]

Rocchio got to go! Let Arias play SS. It's rather have Rosario back than play Rocchio!

[@LockedonGuardians]

getting to that for me

[@life5161]

Rocchio stinks!! On my MLB The Show franchise him and straw the first ones to go.

[@LockedonGuardians]

fair enough

[@justintaylor6604]

Is Lane Thomas ok? He’s been so bad since the trade. Does he have a late season surge in him? I’ve seen enough of Rocchio this year, and I’d like to see Arias get those AB’s now. There needs to be a change. I’d like to also see them make a change with Schneeman and/or Freeman because they just aren’t getting it done right now either.

[@TheKLeifheit13]

Ideally: Fry to IL, bring up Manzardo Schneemann to AAA for Martinez Rocchio to Narnia for Arias

[@justintaylor6604]

@@TheKLeifheit13 I agree, they need to optimize this offense in time for the playoffs.

[@GuardianofClevelandHeights]

@@justintaylor6604 ​ until the poor defense costs a run or two in the playoffs and then people will be excoriating the front office for giving up defense when playoff runs are so precious.

[@AndrewPolander]

NOT at all a fan of L.Thomas concerning his pre-set my back stance...looks uncomfortable and slow with the bat...hard to watch!

[@TheKLeifheit13]

@@GuardianofClevelandHeights right now it's poor no matter who you put there. Rocchio's been bad, Arias was bad, Schneemann is bad. The best defensive shortstop on the roster outside of Gimi is probably Freeman right now and he can't hit his way out of a wet paper bag

[@SpicyG91]

I’m so happy to see the starting rotation finally piecing together. The bats are also starting to heat up a bit. But, can we please get Amed Rosario back via waivers and finally get rid of Rocchio?? We need some consistency and strength.

[@abyz1467]

Rosario is a terrible shortstop though

[@SpicyG91]

So is Rocchio. And our other options. At least Rosario has some pop to his bat. And there’s already team chemistry there with the core. I’d rather see him in there for a postseason run.

[@abyz1467]

@@SpicyG91 Rocchio is objectively a good shortstop. I’d take Rosario back for his bat but wouldn’t let him near the infield if I could avoid it. I agree Rocchio should go though, it’s not 1985 we can’t have our starting shortstop hit .198 with 3 homers.

[@SpicyG91]

@@abyz1467 I’m glad we can agree on a few things. It’s hard to find middle ground on the internet these days lol. We all want the same things, to get better and to win that WS 💪🏻

[@abyz1467]

@@SpicyG91 👊🏻

[@ssamaco]

"He doesn't provide offense, he doesn't provide good defense, he only provides humor" Jeff with the quote that basically sums up Bryan Rocchio's career better than anything. I've been saying for MONTHS he's not a major league SS, can we please please please be done w this? And no more Arias. Try something else, anything else.

[@LockedonGuardians]

slowly changing they didnt go to him as a defensively replacement on Sunday

[@Justin-pq3rq]

Should have just kept Rosario. He was top 5 in mlb in BA with men in scoring position and 2 outs. When we traded him. Yes he was average fielding wise. But his solid .270 compared to Rocchios .203 would look pretty dam good in this lineup. And he was a veteran leader and loved in the clubhouse especially by Jose. But what do I know.

[@LockedonGuardians]

defense was an issue and he was on his way to FA I get it

[@Justin-pq3rq]

@@LockedonGuardians I was referring to just paying him. That way we had him for this season instead of this Rocchio, arias, Schneeman crap.