4/25/24 - Game 25 - Guardians Versus Chase Anderson
How many hitters will Anderson see? It would appear uncertain but here’s how the Guardians hitters match up.
A series rubber match will bring the Guardians a chance to avenge being dismantled by… Cooper Criswell? Ouch.
There are 162 of these things, though. The Guardians offense will try to take down Chase Anderson on getaway day before jetting to Atlanta. Yes, that 36-year-old Chase Anderson.
The Red Sox rotation is in a heap of injury trouble, so they will turn to a journeyman right-hander that has worked out of the bullpen so far in 2024. As for Anderson’s starting pitcher potential, all but one of his relief appearances have been of the multiple inning variety with a pair of three inning appearances. It seems reasonable to pencil Anderson in for three to four innings or between one and two trips through the Guardians order.
Repertoire
Matchup Grades
Another day, another strong Josh Naylor matchup. What else needs to be said at this point? He is well-suited to dominate any kind of right-handed pitcher. And has begun to hold his own against lefties.
This is a perfect Jose Ramirez spot. Everything Anderson throws is right up his alley. I would look for Anderson to try to attack him with some kind of sinker-changeup tandem but the Red Sox arm should steer far clear of 4-seam fastballs that catch any plate.
Stephen Vogt needs to get Gabriel Arias into this game. Righty fastballs that hover in Anderson’s velocity range are his bread and butter at the major league level. Be it his cutter, sinker, or 4-seam, I would look for Arias to be impactful. Which fastball to utilize against Arias will be a tough choice for Anderson, but the selection needs to be paired with steady dosage of sweepers and changeups. Last week, Arias rifled a 98 mile per hour exit velocity seed off the green monster off of Anderson in relief to tally a ninth inning insurance run.
There are a few factors that contribute to such a strong grade for Estevan Florial. Florial loves right-handed heaters and these make up about 60 percent of Anderson’s pitch mix. Additionally, the lefty is more equipped to handle the slower breaking stuff from righties. Consequently, the absence of a hard slider looms large.
We embark upon another poor Ramon Laureano situational matchup, though it could be expected to see his name on the lineup card from a rotational standpoint. With a lefty to start this weekend’s series in Atlanta, there will be better opportunities to get him reps this weekend. If Laureano does get the nod, Anderson would do well to steer clear of repeated 4-seams and sinkers.
Gage’s Lineup Pick
Kwan - LF
Gimenez - 2B
Ramirez - DH
Naylor, J. - 1B
Freeman - CF
Florial - DH
Arias - 3B
Fry - C
Rocchio - SS