Despite what the scoreboard said, no, the Guardians don’t play football

The Cleveland Guardians had an odd spring training game against the Texas Rangers

The Cleveland Guardians had a lopsided game against the Texas Rangers on Monday. If you caught any of the spring training game from yesterday and were confused about what sport you were watching, let me assure you, it was not a football game despite what the final score may tell you. The Rangers defeated the Guardians 25-12 in a game that will likely matter very little for the rest of the year, but it sure is an interesting moment in this young season.

The spring training game saw the Guards go through 11 pitchers to get the spring training contest over, with Logan Allen struggling from the jump. Allen, not to be confused with hot prospect Logan T. Allen, struggled all of last season, and his woes continued for him on Monday. He went one inning, giving up four runs on three hits to set the tone of the day.

The only other major league pitchers who threw innings however were Sam Hentges, Justin Garza, and Alex Young. None of the four men are seen as being guys the club is relying on.

The Cleveland Guardians best hitters on the day

Giving up 25 runs is embarrassing, even if it’s an exhibition game. Yet, there were some highlights. Some young prospects, like Gabriel Arias and Steven Kwan, each had multi-hit days. Bradley Zimmer, who’s fighting for his baseball life at this point, had two RBIs on the day, while Ernie Clement went 1-2 with an RBI.

Some names, like Bo Naylor (0-1) and Owen Miller (0-3) are names the club needs to succeed to help balance the offense and didn’t have great days.

For Naylor, it’s unlikely he wins the battle for catcher, as most people believe Austin Hedges has it set, despite his poor offensive performance last year. Miller succeeded in the minors but it took him nearly all year to hit .200 in the majors.

Both men are seen as future building blocks for the club but for now, they’re in unique holding patterns.

One game isn’t going to make or break a career, especially not a spring training outing, but still, how often do you see almost 40 runs in a game?