3 Terry Francona mistakes that cost the Guardians Game 5

The Cleveland Guardians are among the youngest teams in baseball, making them extra reliant on their veteran manager, Terry Francona. He failed them on Tuesday night.

Tito is one of the best managers in baseball at his best. Getting the Guardians this far — on the brink of an ALCS spot — is an accomplishment in itself. Cleveland has a bright future, and Francona should play a major role in that.

However, he is not immune from criticism. In Game 5 alone, Francona made some puzzling decisions that had major consequences for a Cleveland baseball team that couldn’t afford any mistakes.

Francona will surely have explanations for his decisions, and most will give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s earned that right. But if the Guardians manager had chosen a road less traveled, perhaps it would be Cleveland heading to Houston on Wednesday, rather than the Yankees.

Terry Francona mistakes: Pitch around big bats

Francona made several mistakes with his pitching staff in Game 5, but we’ll start with the obvious.

Aaron Judge hasn’t played well this series, but the last few games he’s started to heat up. In Game 5, Judge went 2-for-4 from the plate, which included a solo home run. Giancarlo Stanton, meanwhile, opened the scoring with a three-run homer of his own off Aaron Civale.

New York lives and dies by the long ball. While it’s tough to pitch around both Judge and Stanton, for them to succeed, one or both of these lineup stalwarts must come up large. On Tuesday, both killed the Guardians.

That indicates a lack of strategy or communication from the Cleveland coaching staff, and arguably some shoddy scouting to boot.