The Cleveland Guardians escaped with a big win.
They managed to shut down the Kansas City Royals but couldn’t get much going at the plate.
That’s because manager Stephen Vogt used Nolan Jones and Jhonkensy Noel in the lineup despite their limitations against left-handed pitchers and with other options available.
“Cleveland Guardians won last night again but the Jones and Noel starts vs. LHP still perplex me. The combo finished 0-for-6 with four strikeouts. Jones and [Kyle] Manzardo are both hitting .188 vs. LHP on the season, but the true story is the difference in their OPS. Jones .476 OPS vs. Manzardo .724 OPS. [C.J.] Kayfus has only had 17 AB’s at the MLB level vs. LHP and has just two hits, but he’s put up very good numbers vs. them over three minor league seasons. Noel vs. LHP is hitting just .130 with a .329 OPS on the year. Manzardo should have been at first base with Kayfus in right field,” Guardians Prospective wrote on X.
Cleveland #Guardians won last night again but the Jones and Noel starts vs LHP still perplex me. The combo finished 0-for-6 with four strikeouts.
Jones and Manzardo are both hitting .188 vs LHP on the season but the true story is the difference in their OPS. Jones .476 OPS vs…
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) September 10, 2025
While Manzardo has been given an opportunity, and will get more playing time now that Carlos Santana is with the Chicago Cubs, it seems like Vogt still doesn’t trust him against lefties.
Granted, Manzardo hasn’t been the most proficient hitter against left-handed pitchers this season, but he’s been much better than either Jones or Noel.
More than that, his newfound power makes him the type of hitter who’s always just one swing away from doing something special.
Fortunately, the Guardians won the second game of the series against a team that could spoil their postseason aspirations.
But that’s not going to happen very often when they score only two runs.
Cleveland has plenty of offensive limitations as it is, so it definitely needs to be put in the best position to succeed.
Hopefully, that will be the case for the remainder of the season, starting with finishing a sweep of Kansas City.
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