The Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Astros could meet in the postseason, but for now, the two teams’ winners aim to finish the regular season strong when they begin a three-game series Friday in Cleveland.
Cleveland (92-67) won its second American League Central title in three years and advanced to the first round of the postseason. Houston (86-73) clinched its fourth straight AL West crown and will host the best-of-three wild-card series starting next Tuesday.
Rookie left-hander Joey Cantillo (2-3, 4.63 ERA) is the Guardian’s scheduled starter on Friday. It will mark his ninth career appearance and eighth start since his debut on July 28 against the Philadelphia Phillies. He never faced the Astros.
Cantillo did not contribute in a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sept. 19 after allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks with six strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings. He had won his last two starts, allowing one run in 12 innings during that span.
Cantillo’s start comes after Cleveland first baseman Stephen Vogt pitched a bullpen game to beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-2 on Wednesday.
Vogt made his decision vindicated when seven relievers combined to allow one run on six hits and two walks with eight strikeouts.
The Guardians’ league-low 2.59 bullpen ERA would tie the Seattle Mariners for the lowest total in a season since 2014. Cleveland’s bullpen also offers the fewest walks and strikeouts per inning (1.04), fewest home runs per nine innings (0.73) and has the second-highest slugging percentage (26.1).
Closer Emmanuel Clase’s record 47 is the highlight, but the rest of the bullpen has struggled.
“They’ve been steady for us all year,” Vogt said. “They have been throwing the ball very well.
“I can’t ask for more than what this animal has done this year. And again, we saw in the show how good they were.”
As for Houston, right-hander Ronel Blanco (12-6, 2.88) has the starting job in the series opener.
Blanco allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in six innings in a 10-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. He has thrown 13 scoreless innings over the past three games. Blanco is 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA and an opponent OPS of .647 this month.
In his one career appearance against Guardian, Blanco allowed two runs on five hits and four walks and three strikeouts in four innings. Did not contribute in a 3-2 home win on August 2, 2023.
The Astros’ 8-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday marked the first time left-hander Yusei Kikuchi was on the mound following his July 29 trade deadline acquisition from the Toronto Blue Jays.
Kikuchi delivered his third straight quality start by allowing two unearned runs on four hits and one walk with eight strikeouts in six innings. In 10 starts with Houston, Kikuchi is 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 76 strikeouts over 60 innings.
With Houston locked in as the No. 1 seed 3 of the postseason, Kikuchi provided the rotation depth the Astros desperately needed while looking for another postseason push.
“We needed to have someone like that who could give us innings and allow us to get in a position to run,” Houston manager Joe Espada said of Kikuchi. “And you did that.”
–Field Level Media