Travis Bazzana gave the Guardians a little of everything in Game 3, and that’s exactly why Stephen Vogt may be facing one of his biggest calls of the postseason.
Bazzana’s bat showed up with a solo homer off Kevin Kelly in the eighth inning, a reminder of why he spent much of the year as one of Cleveland’s most productive players. He finished the season with an OPS+ that was 10% better than league average, made the All-Star team and showed a strong clutch gene. But the glove has been a different story all year, and it was on full display Saturday in the Guardians’ 7-3 loss to the Rays.
The second baseman committed a first-inning error and also should have been charged with another in the fifth on a ground ball from Richie Palacios. Neither mistake ended up leading to Rays runs, but that kind of sloppiness carries a different weight in October.
One misplay can swing a series. Two can change the shape of a game.
Vogt has already made it clear he’s aware of the issue. He’s used Angel Genao as a late-game replacement at second base five times this postseason, and he did the same thing five times in the final week of the regular season. Still, there’s a difference between protecting a lead late and making a bigger postseason adjustment.
That’s where the decision gets uncomfortable. Bazzana may be a long-term piece for the Guardians, but he opened Saturday hitting .148 in the postseason, and his defense has stayed front and center. Genao has only two at-bats in the playoffs, but at this point it’s fair to wonder whether Cleveland would be getting a cleaner option with the glove.
If Vogt keeps Bazzana in the lineup, the defensive questions aren’t going away either. They could even bring back the talk from earlier in the summer about a move to the outfield. That idea has always come with obvious complications: Bazzana stands 5-foot-11, which would make him one of the shortest outfielders in baseball, and his arm ranks in the 11th percentile.
Steven Kwan is a smaller outfielder, but he brings one of the best arms in baseball. Bazzana does not.
That’s a discussion for another day. Right now, the issue is simpler: can the Guardians live with Bazzana’s defense long enough for his bat to matter? On Saturday, he offered a little proof on both sides of the argument.
In Other News...
Guardians Loss May Have Quietly Set Up The Rest Of This Series
The Guardians did enough early to make Game 4 feel like a chance to even the ALCS, but the game slipped away once the Rays pushed across runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Even so, the loss may not have been as damaging as it first looked, because Cleveland managed to avoid leaning too heavily on the bullpen and preserve its most important relief arms for the rest of the series.
That matters with the matchup still hanging in the balance, especially after Tampa Bay also went through several pitchers in the same game. Both clubs now have some moving pieces to sort through on the mound, and the way each staff is managed over the next few days could end up shaping the rest of the series just as much as the score from Game 4. [Read more 🡒]
Travis Bazzana May Have Just Changed Cleveland's ALCS Outlook
Travis Bazzana delivered his best postseason game yet in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, reaching base three times against the Tampa Bay Rays and giving Cleveland a jolt when it needed one. The rookie second baseman finished with a home run, a walk, a run scored and an RBI, and his first career playoff homer helped spark a rally even in a loss.
For a Guardians lineup that has been searching for steady production in a tight series, Bazzana's timing mattered almost as much as the box score. Cleveland did not finish the job, but the performance helped level the matchup at two games apiece and hinted at a player who may be starting to settle into the postseason stage at exactly the right time. [Read more 🡒]
Tanner Bibees New Postseason Role Says Plenty About Clevelands ALCS Crunch
Tanner Bibee went from opening day starter to a different kind of October weapon for Cleveland, and that shift says plenty about how the Guardians are trying to survive the grind of the postseason. After making only one brief appearance in the playoffs, Bibee is now being slotted by Stephen Vogt as a length option and bulk reliever, a role that can bridge innings when the bullpen needs help and the game threatens to drift into the late stages.
Vogts view of Bibee also hints at how tightly the Guardians have to manage every arm as the schedule gets more demanding. With the club moving deeper into the ALCS picture, Bibee looks likely to be part of the plan in the coming games, whether the situation calls for extra innings support or simply someone who can take the ball and keep Cleveland in range. [Read more 🡒]