Brayan Rocchio drove in a pair of runs on two hits, including a home run against Chicago on Monday.
GUARDIANS
Guardians hitters feast on White Sox rookie starter in 8-5 spring training win
Published: Mar. 18, 2024, 7:02 p.m.
By Joe Noga, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians wasted little time giving White Sox rookie righty Drew Thorpe a rude welcome to the American League Central Division.
Cleveland collected 10 hits and scored eight runs in the first three innings off Thorpe on Monday, including home runs by Chase DeLauter, Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio in an 8-5 spring training win against Chicago at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.
Thorpe, who was traded twice this offseason in a pair of blockbuster deals that took him from the Yankees to the Padres to Chicago, is the No. 3 prospect in the White Sox farm system according to MLB Pipeline. One of the key pieces in the trade that sent Juan Soto to New York, Thorpe was flipped to the White Sox on March 13 when the Padres acquired right-hander Dylan Cease.
His first encounter with an AL Central foe is likely one he would just as soon forget.
Rocchio doubled to open the first inning and scored on an RBI single by Myles Straw that deflected off the glove of Yoan Moncada at third and into right field. David Fry followed with an RBI double, and after a single by Austin Hedges, DeLauter delivered his third home run of the spring.
Arias kept things going with a home run to left on the second pitch he saw before Torpe settled down to retire the next three batters.
DeLauter, Cleveland’s top pick in the 2022 draft out of James Madison, is slugging a whopping .952 in 21 Cactus League at-bats with a double and seven RBI. Earlier on Monday, the club reassigned No. 2 prospect Kyle Manzardo to minor league camp, but DeLauter remained with the big league club, fueling speculation that he still has a chance to make the Guardians’ opening day roster.
Thorpe’s troubles continued in the second as Rocchio worked ahead in the count and homered to right on a 3-1 count. Rocchio, locked in a battle with Arias to be Cleveland’s opening day shortstop, is starting to heat up with six hits in his last four games, raising his spring average by 112 points in that stretch.
Thorpe did not finish the second inning, but used the spring training re-entry rule to return in the third, giving up a one-out single to Deyvison De Los Santos and a double to José Tena before Rocchio brought in Cleveland’s final run with a ground out.
Guardians starter Tanner Bibee, coming off a dreadful March 13 outing where he surrendered five runs in three innings against the Cubs, allowed a run on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. He worked out of a jam in the first after a hit by Benintendi and a walk by Moncada, getting Luis Robert Jr on a fly out before striking out Eloy Jimenez and coaxing a ground ball out of Andrew Vaughn.
Scott Barlow pitched a scoreless sixth inning with a pair of strikeouts for Cleveland. Barlow has not allowed a run in his last five appearances and has eight strikeouts in five innings during that stretch.
Tanner Burns walked three and allowed a pair of runs in the seventh, and Tyler Zuber surrendered a pair of runs as he walked two and struck out two in two-thirds of an inning.
Next:
The Guardians are set for split-squad action on Tuesday. Cleveland will host Milwaukee at Goodyear Ballpark with a first pitch set for 4:05 p.m. ET. Lefty Logan Allen (1-1, 2.16) takes the mound for the Guardians while the Brewers send right-hander Colin Rea (0-0, 2.25) to the mound. The game will air on WTAM 1100 AM and the Guardians Radio Network. Meanwhile at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Cleveland RHP Jaime Barria (0-1, 10.13) faces Colorado RHP Dakota Hudson (1-1, 6.75) in a game slated to start at 4:10 p.m.
