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Rough Day: Struggling Eddie Guardado Walks In Run, Blows Top, Gets Ejected, Offers Apology

Posted on April 30th, 2009 9:28pm by Evan Grant
Filed under Baseball, Bullpen, Texas Rangers

ARLINGTON - Here is how the last day of Eddie Guardado’s April unfolded: Called on to face one left-handed hitter, he issued four consecutive balls to walk in a run; he jawed with home plate umpire Angel Campos while being removed from the game, gesturing wildly; got ejected after being removed; flung his cap and glove into the stands.

And if that wasn’t enough, after it was all done, Guardado admitted he was probably in the wrong about the argument in the first place.

“It’s not his fault; it’s mine,” Guardado said after the Rangers 4-2 loss to Oakland. “It was all me. I went back and looked at the video and there is nobody to blame but me. Even if one of the pitches should have been a strike, it was my fault.”

So why the big blow up?

It’s been a work in progress.

Guardado has basically been transitioned into a situational lefty, a role he hasn’t played in quite some time, and he’s struggled to get back into the routine.

He’s faced either one or two batters in each of his last four outings and three of the last four lefties to face him have reached base. Lefties have a .571 on-base percentage against him for 14 plate appearances this season.

“That’s what is frustrating,” Guardado said. “It builds and it builds and it builds. I just let it out today. I said my peace and I should have just moved on.”
Guardado is expected to receive some type of discipline for his actions, particularly relating to the glove and cap toss, but it’s not certain if he will be suspended by Major League Baseball. Guardado is a well-respected veteran in the game and also said he would formally apologize to Campos for his actions. Those factors could potentially mitigate the severity of any disciplinary action.

And though he’s struggled at his new role, it appears that, at least for now, Guardado’s job on the roster is safe. But his margin for error shrinks with each rough outing.

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4 Comments to “Rough Day: Struggling Eddie Guardado Walks In Run, Blows Top, Gets Ejected, Offers Apology”
  • Tom B @ May 1st, 2009 at 2:57 am

    I had forgotten what ‘Veteran Leadereship’ for the young guys looked like but now I remember.
    One loss each month doesn’t look like much but at the end of the season, instead of being 81-81 you are 75-87 or 87- 75.

  • David C @ May 1st, 2009 at 6:36 am

    Nice to see a guy whose going through a really tough time performance wise be man enough to admit he was wrong and apologize, apparently sincerely.

    Had to think about Kenny Rogers, whose apology to Larry Rodriquez was about as sincere as a snake.

  • becca @ May 1st, 2009 at 10:18 am

    Eddie’s a good guy. It’s good to hear his side of it, of what was going on. Do you think he’s unhappy where he’s being used as a transitional lefty or is it just a matter of getting in the routine? Can he perform as they are wanting him? I mean, does he still have it in him? I realize his position is ‘safe’ for now. But that’s dependant on him being able to perform successfully in that role.

    Hope he can get it figured out. And hey, at least he didn’t throw a chair.

  • Longhorn Matt @ May 1st, 2009 at 2:33 pm

    I have to admit that as much as I love Eddie, I was disappointed with his outing yesterday. He was brought in to get one guy out, then proceeds to throw four straight balls. The worst was that each pitch seemed to be further outside than the last. Instead of bringing the pitches in over the plate, they went further out. Eddie just looked like he could not place his pitches. Given the benefits of having Eddie on the team, I am more than willing to give him some slack, but he has to be able to get out lefties when they call on him to do so. I hope he can earn back his nickname and become a pitcher that the Rangers can trust “Everyday.”