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Valera hits two home runs in back-to-back games…

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Valera hits two home runs in back-to-back games | Guardians minors roundup for Aug. 20

George Valera. (Ross D. Franklin – The Associated Press)
George Valera. (Ross D. Franklin – The Associated Press)
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Triple-A Columbus Clippers (2-3) at Syracuse Mets (Mets)

It has been a disappointing season of offensive production in the Cleveland outfield, and it has been a mostly disappointing season for outfielder George Valera, who many hoped would knock on the door for a major-league callup this year. This week could at least start a campaign to get Valera a look before the end of the 2023 season. He has started to hit the ball harder lately, and had back-to-back two-homer games this week, both Clippers wins, 6-5 on August 17 and 9-4 win on Aug. 19. Valera also added two hits, including a double on Aug. 16 in a 7-3 loss. While he was held hitless in the series finale with Syracuse on Aug. 20 and is still hitting under .200 this year, he had an .874 OPS in August coming into Aug. 20, which both Valera and Cleveland needs.

Valera wasn’t the only Clipper with a multi-homer game in Columbus’ 9-4 win on Aug. 19. Jose Tena has turned his season around in the second half, earning him a promotion to Columbus and his big-league debut. He was hitless in the finale against Syracuse as well but his two-homer game was part of a 4-for-5 effort overall, giving him six hits in the series overall.

Though he didn’t have a multi-homer game this week, Johnathan Rodriguez did have two more homers, with solo blasts on Aug. 15 in a 6-4 loss and one on Aug. 19 himself. He had one hit in all five games of the series and has six homers in August, and eight since he got to Columbus overall. He’s still running a 34-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio that will likely catch up to him at some point.

The one thing Joey Cantillo has needed to refine in order to get a big-league opportunity, aside from pitching a full healthy season for the first time since 2019 is his control. In August, he started to show improved control. He struck out five and walked just two in five innings in Columbus’ 7-3 loss on Aug. 16. This month, he has just five walks in 15 2/3 innings and 18 strikeouts. He walked 10 in in 14 1/3 innings in July. Cantillo has been pitching on the same day as Noah Syndergaard, and appears to be lined up to do it again next week, if Cleveland wants to make a change. But would they put a fifth rookie in the rotation with Xzavion Curry joining Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen?

Speaking of rookie pitchers, it looks like Cody Morris is back to pitching out of the bullpen after Cleveland had briefly taken steps to stretch him out as a starter in the wake of injuries and trading Aaron Civale. He tossed two scoreless innings with three strikeouts on August 19 and should get innings in the bullpen in Cleveland when rosters expand in September.

Columbus will host the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) Aug. 22-27.

Double-A Akron RubberDucks (2-4) vs. Erie SeaWolves (Tigers)

Beyond graduating Peyton Battenfield, Allen, Bibee and Williams to the major-league rotation at points this year, there hasn’t been any breakout development in Cleveland’s pitching factory below Triple-A. Cantillo staying healthy has been a good sign, but Ross Carver may have turned in the pitching performance of the year in the system on Aug. 19. He struck out 12 in six innings while allowing just a hit in and a run against no walks, and he only needed 83 pitches to do it. Carver’s ERA at Akron is 6.85 for the year, but he now has 27 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings in August and eight walks, showing more swing-and-miss stuff lately. Cleveland acquired Carver in November from Arizona for Carlos Vargas in a 40-man roster clearing move.

Staying on the pitching side of things, Jack Leftwich’s success in 2022 was another promising arm from the 2021 draft class. He’s struggled to stay healthy and consistent this year but did strikeout six in four innings, walking two and allowing two runs in game two of the doubleheader with Erie on Aug. 18, a 6-4 loss.

Juan Brito continues to be a model of consistency this year, especially in Akron. Through Aug. 19, he had an .852 OPS, adding five hits for the week, including a homer in the 9-2 loss to Erie on Aug. 19.

Bryce Ball is 25 and was released by the Cubs organization when Cleveland signed him to take at-bats at first while Joe Naranjo was out with an injury. Ball had a hit in all six games against Erie, including three hits in the 4-2 on Aug. 15 and a homer on Aug. 18 in the win in the first game of the doubleheader over Erie. He’s shown some power but not much else.

Finally, Franco Aleman continues to dominate in Double-A, striking out five in two innings on Aug. 16. His outings are becoming more spread out with his last appearance coming with three days of rest in between. The 2021 draft pick now has 26 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings since his promotion to Akron with just two walks and five hits coming against him.

Akron heads to Altoona (Pirates) August 22-27.

High-A Lake County (4-2) vs. Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals)

Lake County rattled off four straight wins to start the series with Peoria, even though mother nature forced them to play two double-headers in the series with a pair of rainouts.

Steven Hajjar, one of two players to come over in the Will Benson trade from the Reds, turned in maybe his best performance of the year, striking out eight in six innings, allowing a run on two hits and walking three as the Captains won, 5-1.

Parker Messick followed up his 11-strikeout performance last start with a 10-strikeout performance on Aug. 18 over six innings with two runs allowed on three hits. He didn’t walk a batter but he did hit two batters in the outing, a 4-3 walkoff win for Lake County.

In that walkoff win, Chase DeLauter had a game-tying double in the ninth and came around to score on an error for a little league homer to win the game. The Guardians 2022 first-round pick went 7-for-16 in five games played with a double, two RBI, a walk and a strikeout. He’s hitting .382/.311/.539 in 27 games at Lake County so far.

Jake Fox used the Peoria series to continue his strong second half, going 5-for-18, adding a triple and then a homer in the 12-2 loss in the August 20 finale. Fox is hitting .283/.333/.453 in August.

Dayan Frias was held hitless in the August 20 finale but had hits in the first four games he played, including a triple.

Ethan Hankins picked up his first professional win in game one of a doubleheader Aug. 19, striking out five in five innings, allowing a run on two hits and walking just one. He was up to 97 mph with his fastball in that one.

The Captains concluded a 12-game home stand and now hits the road for a 12-game stint, Aug. 22 through Sept. 3 at Beloit and Cedar Rapids.

Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats (5-1) at Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros)

Shortstop Jose Devers’ surprising power surge continued this week. He now has 10 homers this season, homering on Aug. 16 in a 4-0 Hillcats win, and then again on Aug. 19, a 6-4 win. Devers has three homers in August and eight since July overall. He came into Aug. 20 hitting .259/.336/.413. He had a .909 OPS in June, .819 in July and .944 in August.

Catcher Robert Lopez has had some good moments this year and added a homer and five RBI on the week, the homer coming as part of the Hillcats’ 15-7 win on Aug. 17 where they scored eight first-inning runs. Lopez is hitting .350/.471/.625 in 40 at-bats this month through Aug. 19.

2023 draft pick Alex Mooney didn’t have a strong week but in that 15-7 win on Aug. 17, he doubled twice in the first inning.

Fellow 2023 pick, CJ Kayfus,was 3-10 in three games played with a double, two RBI and five walks compared to two strikeouts.

The Hillcats got plenty of strong pitching this past week as well, with 2022 draft pick Adam Tulloch striking out eight and walking three, while not allowing a hit in five innings in a 4-0 win Aug. 16.

2022 draft pick Jackson Humphries made his non-complex league debut last week and didn’t get out of the second inning. In his second start on Aug. 18, the left-hander struck out six in five innings and allowed a run on two hits as the Hillcats won, 3-1.

2023 draft pick Jay Driver made his non-complex debut on Aug. 17 and allowed a run in two-thirds innings thanks to four walks. He allowed two more runs on three hits in an inning pitched on Aug. 20. Fellow 2023 pick Zane Moorehouse gave up five runs on two hits while walking two in 1/3 of an inning in his non-complex debut Aug. 17. He threw a scoreless inning on Aug. 20.

Lynchburg comes home to host Delmarva (Baltimore) August 22-27.

Notes from Arizona

1B Kyle Manzardo made a pair of rehab appearances in Arizona this past weekend. Manzardo came to Cleveland in the Aaron Civale trade to Tampa Bay back on Aug. 1. 2023 first-round pick Ralphy Velazquez made his first appearance in the field this past week, first base and catcher, and hit his first pro homer on Aug. 19.

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