The Cleveland Guardians have played a certain brand of baseball for years, focused on quality pitching and good defense.
Some Guardians’ squads over recent seasons have boasted plenty of power, while others have shown shocking aggressiveness on the basepaths.
For Cleveland to be competitive, however, they need to have a great pitching staff and play good defense.
That is Chris Giménez’s thinking, at least.
“It’s got to be the starting pitching and defense to get the Guardians headed in the right direction,” Gimenez said.
#Guardians win home opener 1-0
From earlier ⤵️@ChrisGimenez5 on @afternoon923FAN: It's got to be the starting pitching and defense to get the #Guardians headed in the right direction https://t.co/aSdAh362wR
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) April 8, 2025
You might agree or disagree with Giménez, but there is no denying he knows a thing or two about baseball and what it’s like to play for the Guardians.
He did it in three different stints, in 2009-10, in 2014, and in 2016 when the team reached the World Series.
He is now part of the pre and post-game shows for Guardians broadcasts.
The recipe sure worked wonders in the Guards’ home opener on Tuesday afternoon, as they defeated the Chicago White Sox 1-0.
A walk-off walk by Nolan Jones represented the only run scored in the game, in the ninth inning.
The Guards committed one defensive miscue, so the game wasn’t 100 percent smooth on that front.
Still, their pitching traded zeroes with the White Sox before finally scoring enough to win.
The offense is a mess, but the run and the win still count.
Ben Lively went five scoreless frames, and Cade Smith, Paul Sewald, Hunter Gaddis, and Emmanuel Clase combined to toss four more.
As long as the pitching performs like this or at a similar level, Cleveland will have a chance to go far.
The offense has to improve, though.
NEXT: Guardians Acquire Pitcher Via Trade
