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PHOENIX — Ready or not the season is here.
Asked if he was ready for 162 games of exhilaration and worry, rookie manager Stephen Vogt said, “Albie (bench coach Craig Albernaz) and I were talking about it in the eighth and ninth inning and we’re going, “It’s time to go. We’re ready and the guys are ready. It’s go time.”
The Guardians open the regular season on Thursday night against the A’s at Oakland Coliseum.
They left Arizona on Tuesday after losing, 6-1, to Arizona at Chase Field. Yes, the roof at Chase was open, but no it did not rain as it did Monday night to cause Arizona’s 6-0 victory to be called after six innings.
Triston McKenzie (1-2, 3.07) looked strong in his fourth and final spring start. He got burned by Blake Alexander’s two-run homer in the fourth that gave Arizona a 3-1 lead, but other that pitched well.
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McKenzie responded to Alexander’s homer by striking out the next three batters. He finished the game with seven strikeouts in six innings. He allowed three runs, two of them earned, on four hits.
“I was happy to get through six innings,” said McKenzie. “I felt good all the way through.”
Asked how he felt about his entire spring, McKenzie said, “I made it out of spring so it was a good one.”
Last year McKenzie injured his right shoulder on his last start of spring training and spent most of the year on the injured list.
“Triston was efficient,” said Vogt. “He went six innings, 80 pitches, we’ll take that from him every time.”
Cleveland catcher Dom Nunez was helped off the field after a collision at the plate in the seventh. With runners on first and second, Tommy Troy singled to left. Jake Fox’s throw home took Nunez directly into the path of Wildred Patino.
The collision knocked Nunez head over heels as Patino scored and the runners advance. He limped off the field with the help of two trainers. Nunez was invited to spring training on a minor league deal.
The inning unraveled from there as second run scored on Nick Sandlin’s wild pitch and a third on a passed ball charged to catcher Zac Fascia.
“Nunez has a bruised quad, but he should be all right,” said Vogt.
The Guardians took a 1-0 lead in the first off Brandon Pfaadt. Steven Kwan reached on a leadoff single, took second on a ground out and scored on Ramon Laureano’s two-out single to right.
Arizona came right back to tie the game with a run in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by Lourdes Gurriel.
Corbin Carroll opened the inning with an infield hit to first. He stole second and went to third on catcher David Fry’s throwing error.
Cleveland left the desert with a 14-15-2 record. The Guardians managed only four hits.
Next: The Guardians will workout at Oakland Coliseum on Wednresday in preparation for Thursday’s season opener.
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