Hunter Gaddis looked phenomenal and 5 other things as the Cleveland Guardians close out the Oakland A’s

Hunter Gaddis looked good in his second outing of the season for the Cleveland Guardians, as they took Game 3 from the Oakland A’s.

The Oakland A’s made Game 3 an interesting one. They rallied in the 8th to score four runs, with rookie Tim Herrin giving up three of those runs on his own. The Guardians had scored two runs in back-to-back innings, thanks to timely hitting from Cam Gallagher and Andres Gimenez, both men driving in two off of a double and a single respectively.

Usually, a 4-0 lead is pretty easy to protect but Nick Sandlin and Herrin allowed one home run apiece. Sandlin gave up one to Ryan Noda (what a great last name), and then Herring gave up a three-run home run to former Cleveland Guardians first basemen, Jesus Aguliar.

While it’s always great to see former players thriving, that home run could’ve waited until the Guardians left Oakland, that’s all I’m saying. The Guardians rallied in the 10th with two more runs, a Will Brennan sacrifice-RBI that scored Andres Gimenez, and then a Steven Kwan single that drove in Myles Straw.

The Guards won 6-4 in 10 innings to move to 5-2 on the season.

Here are five things from the Cleveland Guardians’ 3rd game against the Oakland A’s

Hunter Gaddis’ bounce-back game

Hunter Gaddis bounced back in a big way. He gave up just one hit and just two walks while striking out four. It isn’t utter domination but he was able to hold the A’s bats at bay with some great stuff.

Rookie woes

Tim Herrin’s stat line is rough. He walked two guys and then gave up a three-run home run. It happens, the rookie will learn, but it didn’t help his Rookie Class to see Gabriel Arias go 0-3 with two walks. Granted, getting two walks isn’t shabby but after his Game 2 outing, it would’ve been nice to see more of that developing power he has.

Clutch play from the reserves

Cam Gallagher and Will Brennan stepped up for the Guardos. Gallagher drove in two today, while Brennan drove in another in the Guardians’ win over the A’s.

Why the Guardians carried three catchers

Oh, so that’s why. Mike Zunino had an off day so Cam Gallagher got the start. Yet, he was pulled from the game so that Will Brennan could pinch-hit for him. After Brennan did his thing, the Guardians then put in Meibrys Viloria to finish the game. This allowed some flexibility for Terry Francona and while another reliever would’ve been better still, at least this rare occasion shed some light on the decision.

Myles Straws shows up

Myles Straw got on base three times today, and now has a split of .364/.517/.409. We’ll have to see how long Straw continues this hot start. It may be a fluke or it may be his new normal. Only time will tell.

Josh Bell and Amed Rosario continue to struggle

Josh Bell went 1-5 with two strikeouts today. He and Amed Rosario are both chasing at some bad pitches. Rosario and Bell lead the team in strikeouts with nine and seven respectively through seven games. Andres Gimenez is also tied with Bell for seven strikeouts, but his slash line is .321/.387/.464. Bell’s is .091/.276/.091 and Rosario’s is .182/.200/.182. So when they raise their slash to Gimenez’s level, they can stop being singled out for striking out like Adam Dunn in his prime.