Six years in Anaheim without a single game that mattered
Jo Adell had never played meaningful baseball in September. The Angels have not made the postseason since 2014, and he spent six seasons there waiting. A deadline trade to Cleveland changed the whole shape of his year.
The Guardians (78-75) open their last home series of the regular season against the Athletics on Friday. They arrive having taken two of three from the White Sox, winning 7-6 on Tuesday and 6-3 on Wednesday. Adell went deep for two in the first inning of that second game and drove in two more with a single in the next.
“He’s having fun,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “Playing baseball that matters, playing big games in September for someone who’s barely ever done it, that’s a thing. It can feel routine when you’ve got it every year. We don’t take it for granted.”
Try it for $0.99.
Two teams, one record, nine games left
The half-game cushion Cleveland earned on Wednesday evaporated inside 24 hours. Chicago (78-75) handled Detroit 3-1 on Thursday and pulled level at the top of the AL Central. Identical records with nine to play.
Adell has a hit in eight of his last nine games, which is roughly the definition of what Cleveland needs from him right now. “You want to be in an environment where September baseball means something,” he said. “I’m really happy to be able to help these guys and be here for this.”
A rookie matchup nobody scripted
Two 25-year-old right-handers, both rookies, get the ball. Daniel Espino (0-0, 2.92 ERA) goes for Cleveland four days after recording a single out against the White Sox, the lone hit against him a solo shot. It will be his 12th career appearance and just his second start.
Mason Barnett (1-4, 7.08) has come up from Triple-A Las Vegas for this one. The A’s moved him from the bullpen into the rotation in late July, he put up a 10.69 ERA across four starts, and he was back in the minors by mid-August.
Oakland (61-92) arrive from a sweep in Tampa Bay where they were outscored 16-5. Lawrence Butler salvaged something Thursday with his 17th homer of the year, his fourth in six games. Mark Kotsay was not in a mood to spin it: “The lesson of the day is that we defended terribly.”
Discover the rest of the MLB news on our mathodds site and app!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply