The Cleveland Guardians will be trying to kick off their season with a series win when they face the Seattle Mariners in the second game of their four-game series on Friday night.
Hunter Gaddis will get the start for the Guardians. He was 0-2 with an 18.41 ERA last season. Robbie Ray will get the start for the Mariners. He was 12-12 with a 3.71 ERA last season.
Seattle is 7-3 in its last 10 games against Cleveland.
**This preview was written before Thursday’s game was played**
The Guardians bounced back from their disappointing 2021 campaign by winning the Al Central last season, but they were eliminated in the Wildcard round by Tampa Bay. They regrouped in the offseason, improving their offense with players like Josh Bell, who had 17 home runs and 71 RBI last season. They also added Mike Zunino, who will give them some much-needed offense at the catcher position.
With the team already having one of the best pitching staff in the league, they believe their new offensive weapons will help them go on a deep playoff run this season.
Cleveland averaged 4.23 runs per game last season. Their .254 batting average was seventh in the league. Their .316 on base percentage was 12th, while their .383 slugging percentage was 21st.
Steven Kwan led the Guardians with a .298 batting average, while Jose Ramirez led the te am with 29 home runs and 126 RBI.
Cleveland’s pitching was one of the best in the league, with the team giving up 3.88 runs per game. Opponents had a .230 batting average against the Guardians, which was sixth in the league. Their 3.46 ERA was sixth, while their 1.16 WHIP was fifth.
Gaddis made only two starts last season. In his last appearance, he gave up eight hits and seven runs in four innings, leading to an 8-2 loss to Chicago. They will need a significantly better performance from him if they want to win this game.
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