CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The middle of the diamond can be a lonely place.
“You tend to keep to yourself throughout the game,” said Zach Plesac, starting pitcher for the Guardians when they open the home season Friday night against San Francisco. “You come into the dugout. You don’t talk to anyone.”
In his last start, Plesac said he felt like he had a “little buddy out there on the mound with me.” The little buddy was the computer-generated voice from PitchCom, an electonic device that allows catchers and pitchers to communicate without a catcher giving finger signals.
Plesac, in his first start of the season, threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Royals on Saturday at Kauffman Stadium. The Guardians lost, 1-0, in 10 innings, but Plesac came away a PitchCom convert.
“I like it,” said Plesac. “I noticed myself coming into the dugout and talking to more people. I felt more comfortable trusting my voice because I was hearing one throughout the whole inning. The voice says the pitch and location.”
The catcher wears a wristband with buttons to call pitches and locations. It’s transmitted to the pitcher and the middle infielders through a transmitter in their hats.
Plesac said it’s an honor to pitch the first home game in Guardians history. He’ll face San Francisco’s Carlos Rodon, a familiar foe to him and his teammates. Last year Rodon, pitching for the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field, threw a no-hitter against Cleveland on April 14.
Not only did Plesac face Rodon that night, but he was the starting pitcher two more times when the team formerly known as the Indians was no-hit a record three times last year. It happened a fourth time against Tampa Bay, but that was in a seven-inning doubleheader and didn’t count as an official no-no.
But that was last year. This is a new season and Plesac feels like he’s in a good spot.
“I’m excited,” said Plesac. “It’s an honor to pitch the Guardians’ first home opener. It’s going to be exciting.”
Friday’s game will also be the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson becoming the first Black man to play in the big leagues. While Robinson broke the barrier in the NL on April 15, 1947, fewer than three months later on July 5, 1947 Larry Doby did the same in the AL with the Indians. Robinson and Doby will be honored before Friday night’s game.
The Guardians’ pitching plan coming out of an abbreviated spring training because of the lockout has stayed the course as the rotation makes its second turn. The first starts by Shane Bieber, Plesac, Cal Quantrill and Aaron Civale were limited to between 70 and 74 pitches. Plesac ventured the deepest into a game when he went 5 2/3 innings against the Royals. Quantrill earned the first win by going five innings in a 17-3 win over Kansas City.
Bieber made his second start of the season on Tuesday in Cincinnati. He left with a 4-2 lead in the sixth after throwing 79 pitches, but a two-run homer by Tyler Naquin off Anthony Gose took Bieber out of the equation for a win in the Guardians’ 10-5 victory.
McKenzie made his first start on Wednesday, throwing four scoreless innings before being removed after 67 pitches, 75% of which (50-of-67) were strikes. It was McKenzie’s second appearance, his first coming in the season opener April 7 when he pitched three innings of relief in a 3-1 loss to Kansas City.
The 6-5 McKenzie will now take a regular turn in the rotation.
“We’re trying to strike a balance,” said manager Terry Francona, concerning the use of his starters.
When the Guardians were in Kansas City, Francona mentioned that in a normal season, teams would still be in the fourth week of spring training. It’s the reason the starters have been on a strict pitch count and will continue to be for the next couple of weeks.
Francona wants to win as many games as possible in the early part of the season, while keeping his rotation and the rest of the pitching staff healthy. Cleveland is carrying 15 pitchers on the 28-man roster for that reason. When rosters are reduced on May 1, teams will be limited to 13.
Another part of the Guards’ pitching plan is doing well. When they broke camp, they did so with several relievers who could pitch more than one inning. Eli Morgan, Logan Allen and rookie Konnor Pilkington are starters by trade. The idea was to have them as a safety net in case a starter faltered.
Morgan relieved McKenzie on Wednesday and pitched three innings to earn the win in the 7-3 victory. He’s allowed one earned run in five innings.
“We feel he can be a weapon for us,” said Francona.
Allen, in Sunday’s ragged 10-7 win over the Royals, pitched two scoreless innings in the middle of the game to earn the win.
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