Guardians Vs Carlos Rodon - 6/3/25
How do the Guardians match up against the Yankee lefty?
Now we embark on a big June stretch for the Cleveland Guardians. Shane Bieber’s return seems to be rearing its head. The starters have shown a pulse. The test at immediate hand? A set of three in the Bronx against a very strong Yankee squad.
Repertoire
Carlos Rodon is a lefty that is capable of popping the radar gun, but usually will not overwhelm you with velocity. He can dip deep into a bag of tricks when necessary, but lives predominantly on that 4-Seam, Slider, and Changeup trio.
Rodon is in the midst of a resurgence year in New York, with the best results and peripherals that we have seen from him since migrating east from Chicago after a quick stop in San Francisco. Obviously, Guardians fans know him well from his days on the south side of Chicago but that was with a nearly entire different cast of Guardians characters sans Jose Ramirez and Carlos Santana.
Player Matchups
If you happen to be a lefty sizing up Rodon from the batters box, you can wean him down to a two pitch guy, in essence. Since the beginning of 2023, 89 percent of Rodon’s pitches to lefties are of the 4-Seam or Slider variety. The other four offerings are seldomly displayed in these particular matchups.
Conversely, right-handed hitters have a little more to consider. It is still mostly 4-Seam and Slider, but he is much more willing to mix in the Changeup and Curve here.
The premier opportunities for the Guardians in this matchup come with the pair of guys in the lineup that know Rodon best — Jose Ramirez and Carlos Santana. We also see favorable outlooks for Kyle Manzardo and Angel Martinez, though the former figures to have the night off with David Fry’s return to action and inability to play the field.
On the flip side, this would be an ideal night to give either Daniel Schneemann or Gabriel Arias a rest. Due to Arias’ platoon favor, it would make sense to lean towards giving him the nod. Although, you will not see Will Wilson’s name listed here and he could very well get the start in the infield. It would not be a poor choice, there just is not much data to go on to include him in this analysis.
Though Nolan Jones does not match up particularly well, there are not many better options.
Gage’s Preferred But Also Practical Lineup
Steven Kwan - LF
David Fry - DH
Jose Ramirez - 3B
Carlos Santana - 1B
Jhonkensy Noel - RF
Angel Martinez - 2B
Gabriel Arias - SS
Bo Naylor - C
Nolan Jones - CF
Over 1.5 Total Base Plays
Disclaimer - Definitely do not take this as gambling advice. This is for recreational purposes only. Taking gambling advice from me is not wise. Trust me.
Jose Ramirez and Carlos Santana are easy over 1.5 total base calls, considering they will get ample opportunity and profile well. This author is even tempted to push towards over 2.5 total bases for Jose Ramirez at +180. Ramirez is typically a balanced bat, so finding extreme positive or negative matchups is rare. He just loves fastballs of similar variety to Rodon.
2025 Total Base Plays Results
See, I told you not to take gambling advice from me.
