Tomoyuki Sugano and the Baltimore Orioles entered the season with high expectations. Neither has lived up to the hype, potentially setting the stage for them to part company before the July 31 trade deadline.
Baltimore hopes to turn things around as it continues a four-game set in Cleveland on Tuesday night, when rookie right-hander Brandon Young (0-4, 7.52 ERA) takes on Guardians rookie left-hander Joey Cantillo (1-0, 4.17).
Cantillo has made three career appearances (one start) against Baltimore, posting an 0-1 record and a 7.20 ERA. He faced the Orioles as a reliever twice in April, permitting a total of one run in one inning.
In all, Cantillo has made 24 appearances this season, with his only three starts coming this month. He gave up four runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and no walks in 5 1/3 innings his last time out, on July 13 against the Chicago White Sox.
Young has made six starts for the Guardians, but this will be his first time facing the Orioles. He allowed a season-high seven runs on nine hits, including four homers, in 4 1/3 innings against the Miami Marlins on July 13.
The series opener on Monday featured another subpar performance by Sugano, who only lasted 3 2/3 innings and gave up four runs, three earned, a season-high four walks and six hits. He fanned four and didn’t figure into the decision as the Orioles lost 10-5.
The 35-year-old signed a one-year, $13 million contract with Baltimore after spending 12 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball in his home country of Japan.
With the Orioles out of realistic postseason contention, his name has been front and center in trade speculation, but the right-hander doesn’t want to be dealt. Sugano is 7-5 with a 4.54 ERA in 19 games.
“Not at all,” he said through an interpreter. “I really want to stay with this team. Moving forward, I want to play with this team as long as I can.”
Sugano had a 5-3 record with a 3.04 ERA through 12 starts, but he has pitched poorly since June 8. His 7.88 ERA during that timeframe is among the worst in the majors.
Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez hit a three-run homer in the first inning on Monday, marking the league-leading 16th allowed by Sugano in the first three frames. His ERA in the first third of games is 6.16.
“He made some mistakes in the first and a future Hall of Famer put a three-run homer on him,” Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said postgame. “We’ve seen him really good at times and saw flashes tonight, but he just couldn’t command the ball.”
Ramirez, a seven-time All-Star third baseman, has pushed the Guardians back into the playoff race after a 10-game losing streak from June 26-July 6 put them in serious trouble. They have pulled within 3 1/2 games of the final American League wild-card spot.
The Monday blast made Ramirez the sixth player in history with seven 20-homer/20-steal seasons, joining Barry Bonds (10), Bobby Bonds (10), Bobby Abreu (nine), Carlos Beltran (seven) and Eric Davis (seven).
“We talk a lot about Josey and we run out of adjectives because we all love watching him play,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “I mean, that’s one of the big reasons we love our jobs here is we get to watch him play.”
The Guardians have won nine of their past 11 and could be less than two weeks away from the return of former AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Bieber will throw three innings or 40 pitches at Class-A Lake County on Tuesday. His presence in the clubhouse has already been welcomed.
“Anytime you have someone like Shane Bieber in the clubhouse, you get better because he’s such a good teammate,” Vogt said. “He cares about the guys so much and brings energy, just by having him around.”
–Field Level Media
