Josh Naylor dominates and five other points from Game 1 against the A’s

The Cleveland Guardians kicked off their Oakland A’s series in a big way.

The Cleveland Guardians were able to defeat the Oakland A’s on Monday in a big way, taking them down 12-11 in the 10th inning. It was a game that saw Zach Plesac give up six runs early, and not even make an out in the second inning. Xzavion Curry came into the game as relief and did pretty well, going five innings and only giving up two more runs.

Eventually, the Guards were able to crawl back into the game and eventually take a two-run lead in the 8th, entering it down 8-7 with an Oakland advantage. Emmanuel Clase came in to close out the game in the bottom of the 9th, but he gave up a two-run home run to tie the game.

Eventually, Jose Ramirez’s single and a wild pitch by Trevor May following it, saw the Guardians take a two-run lead in the top of the 10th. A quick save by Eli Morgan and the Guardians got their fourth win in a row.

Six points from Game 1 against the Oakland A’s

Zach Plesac’s poor outing

I’d be more concerned with Zach Plesac at the moment if Shane Bieber didn’t look so average and Hunter Gaddish didn’t fall in on himself. This may be due to the pitch clock, but Plesac doesn’t have a long leash this season. He can’t afford many six-run games, let alone in the first two innings.

Josh Naylor’s big night

Josh Naylor had three hits, two RBIs, one run, and two walks in Game 1 against the Athletics. He was picked by us to be among those ready to breakout this season and it looks early on like he’s doing just that.

Emmanuel Clase’s blown save was not great

Emmanuel Clase got the contract extension that he did because he isn’t known for his blown saves. While Clase did get the win, giving up home runs has to be something he avoids.

Myles Straw off to a great start

Myles Straw is off to the start he needed. With another two hits, he’s got a stat line of .313/.450/.375

Jose Ramirez’s first big game

The team’s best hitter, Jose Ramirez, didn’t have a huge outing against the Seattle Mariners worth talking about, but he did in Game 1 against the A’s; going 3-5 with two RBIs and 2 Runs. The team’s MVP is starting to look like himself.

Josh Bell is striking out far too much

Josh Bell is the only player to get a wider birth beyond just Game 1. He struck out two times in the game, upping his season total to six already. There have only been five games. It’s way too early to stress, but his high rate of strikeouts should be monitored.