The Cleveland Guardians are getting ready for a big three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on the road.
Cleveland is coming off a matchup with the San Francisco Giants, and now they will turn their attention to another National League West squad. The Guardians are battling for playoff positioning right now, fighting for a spot in the crowded American League wild-card race.
While the Rockies are one of the worst teams in baseball, they can’t be taken lightly. Colorado has one of the better offenses in the league, so Cleveland will need to be on its A-game to ensure they can grab some wins.
At this point in the season, every game matters, so the Guardians will have to stay focused against the Rockies. The two sides have not played each other yet this season.
Guardians vs Rockies Probable Pitchers
Friday, August 21: LHP Joey Cantillo vs RHP Tanner Gordon
The Guardians will be turning to Cantillo in the opener, with the lefty looking to keep up the strong work. In his last outing, Cantillo went six innings, allowing one run on one hit against the San Diego Padres.
The 26-year-old owns a 3.80 ERA this season, making 26 starts. Cantillo has been a quality arm for Cleveland over the last three seasons.
Gordon will be going against the Guardians in this game, with him holding a 5.55 ERA over 17 appearances (five starts) this season. Against the Giants, Gordon fired four shutout innings, allowing three hits, while striking out four.
Saturday, August 22: RHP Tanner Bibee vs RHP Gabriel Hughes
Bibee gets the ball in the second game for Cleveland, and he’ll be looking to put together another good outing. In his last start, the righty fired six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits against the Padres.
Overall, Bibee has a 4.01 ERA over 26 starts this season, throwing 150.1 innings. Against a tough Rockies offense, the right-hander will want to get into a rhythm early on to set the tone.
Hughes, like most pitchers for the Rockies, has struggled fairly heavily this year, posting a 6.69 ERA over eight appearances (seven starts). In his last outing, Hughes allowed seven runs on eight hits over four innings against the Giants.
Sunday, August 23: LHP Foster Griffin vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano
Griffin takes the mound for Cleveland here, with him looking to shut down the Rockies. The left-hander was the big acquisition for the Guardians at the trade deadline.
Against San Francisco in his last start, Griffin fired six innings, allowing one run, while striking out six. Griffin owns a 4.20 ERA in three starts with the Guardians this year.
Colorado will turn to Sugano in the finale, and he’ll try to bounce back after being roughed up in his last outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Los Angeles scored six runs on seven hits over five innings against the right-hander.
How to Watch Guardians vs Rockies
First pitch for Friday’s series opener will take place at 5:40 p.m. PT/8:40 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Rockies.TV, Guardians.TV, and in the MLB.com app.
First pitch for Saturday’s game will take place at 5:10 p.m. PT/8:10 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Rockies.TV, Guardians.TV, and in the MLB.com app.
First pitch for Sunday’s series finale will take place at 12:10 p.m. PT/3:10 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Rockies.TV, Guardians.TV, and in the MLB.com app.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Guardians Announce Starting Pitchers Ahead of Important Series vs Rockies appeared first on HEAVY.