'Going to do him a world of good': Guardians pitcher Zach Plesac passes crucial tests

Zach Plesac’s voice carried a tinge of hope that it is all coming together, both for him and the Guardians rotation.

The 27-year-old right-hander may have felt like he wasn’t upholding the team's starting pitching standard. Entering Sunday, his 4.93 ERA stood fourth among regular starters. He hadn’t recorded a road victory in four previous outings. On May 24 at Houston, he was shelled for seven runs on nine hits in 4⅔ innings.

Two crucial innings for Plesac in the Guardians’ 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles Sunday at Camden Yards gave him confidence as he turned in his second consecutive quality start and his third of the season.

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Plesac (2-4) went six innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits with no walks and eight strikeouts as the Guardians (24-25) took the three-game series and won for the fifth time in their past six games.

“I struck some guys out today, finally, been looking forward to that,” Plesac told reporters in Baltimore. “Continue to keep it sharp moving forward.”

Plesac built off his no-decision on May 30 against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. In 12 innings in his past two starts, Plesac has posted a 2.25 ERA, giving up three earned runs on nine hits, walked none and struck out 13. He allowed a home run in each game.

“I just feel like I’m much more comfortable with how I’m moving,” Plesac said. “The past couple weeks I’ve just been trying to find it. ... I have a better mindset going to attack a pitch in a particular moment. It just comes down to making pitches.”

Entering the day, the Guardians had supported Plesac with 2.74 runs per nine innings. That didn't improve much Sunday, as they picked up all their runs on a homer by Andrés Giménez in the first inning.

But taking the mound with a 3-0 lead gave Plesac a mental boost.

“Yeah, it’s always good going in there and not trying to be too fine. Just go in there and pound the zone, not give in to certain situations,” Plesac said. “It’s definitely huge."

After giving up a two-run home run to Ryan Mountcastle in the fourth, Plesac encountered more trouble in the fifth. The Orioles put runners on second and third with none out, but Plesac struck out Jorge Mateo and Austin Hays and Trey Mancini lined out to left.

“He competed like crazy,” Guardians manager Terry Francona told the media in Baltimore. “He threw a really good change-up, especially to left-handers, which is understandable. You're not going to throw it a ton to the righties.

“I thought when he got tested in that fifth inning, he reached back and got some fastballs we hadn’t seen. But he wasn’t just throwing, he was commanding and competing. That’s going to do him a world of good because I know that’s been on his mind.”

Plesac credited catcher Luke Maile for helping him work out of the jam.

“It’s crunch time. Those are big moments; I need to step up and make some pitches,” Plesac said. “Luckily it wasn’t the heart of their lineup. Me and Maile ... he made some great pitch calls in big moments, and I executed when I had to.”

Plesac had thrown two long innings in a row, and Francona said he thought about lifting him after the fifth. But Francona stuck with him and Plesac turned in a 1-2-3 sixth, setting down Anthony Santander, Mountcastle and Ramon Urias.

“That’s huge, uplifting for me, knowing that I wanted that inning,” Plesac said. “My pitch count was about 90. Just talking with him ... certain situations call for a clean inning or a guy to come out of the bullpen.

“At the end of the day I wanted it, he trusted me and we executed.”

Plesac has finished with a winning record in his previous three seasons in Cleveland, notching a career-high 10 victories in 2021. His lowest ERA was 2.28 in eight games during COVID-shortened 2020. He's starting to regain his form and believes fellow members of the rotation are as well.

Shane Bieber (3-3, 3.12 ERA) looked like himself in his last start, striking out 11 Orioles in seven innings in Friday’s 6-3 victory. Triston McKenzie (3-5, 3.75) has been the most consistent of the regular five. Cal Quantrill (2-3, 3.52) is in a similar spot as Plesac, with the Guardians scoring two or fewer runs in five of Quantrill’s nine starts. Aaron Civale (2-3, 7.84) is on the 15-day disabled list.

The starters' identity as a strong, sometimes dominant staff is now within sight.

“I think so. We’re getting to it right now,” Plesac said. “Just feeding off each other, getting to the midpoint of the season and starting to find a groove.

“I think it’s important for us to keep hammering away, keep paying close attention to detail and refining as the weeks go by.”

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/clevelandguardians. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians Zach Plesac puts together quality starts