For Guardians. Get Over .500 And Then We’ll Talk

It is make or break time for the Cleveland Guardians. They are in the midst of a 12 game stretch where they play some of the teams in Major League Baseball with the worst records. They won a three-game set against the San Franciscon Giants at home and have won the first two of a trio in Colorado against the Rockies.

They then take on the Angels before coming home to play the Royals, who by the way are currently on a six game winning streak.

We know where they are in the standings, 3.5 behind first place Chicago and tied for the last spot in the wild card race, but for us, until they are over the .500 mark, it is difficult to get excited about post-season baseball.

Because really, if you can’t win more than half of your games, you aren’t a good baseball team. If Steven Vogt’s team emerges from this stretch over the break-even mark, then we can feel like it’s a pennant race.

That doesn’t mean we don’t want them to win. We have written about this many times. We have been a fan of this baseball team since 1965 and like everyone else, would like nothing better than to see the franchise win its first World Series since 1948.

However, it doesn’t mean that we will polish a turd and say this year’s edition of the Guardians is a threat to do just that. Nothing would be better if they did it, we just don’t see it.

These Guardians just can’t hit. After finishing last season with the third worst offense in the game, they have improved this season. They are fourth worst. That’s not luck, by the way, it’s a trend. And if the organization doesn’t do something about it in the off-season (if not sooner) we really have to wonder what goes on at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

And for those who point out the one good thing a hitter does in a week (Hey, Petey Halpin hit a HR!!!) let us remind you baseball is an everyday sport. You have to contribute on a nightly basis (hey, he has a 569 OPS). That’s why we keep track of the number of games where a player gets three or more plate appearances and does not contribute offensively.

We understand baseball is a game of adjustments, especially for young hitters. Chase DeLauter has done a great job changing and reacting to how pitchers are working to get him out. Is he perfect at altering his approach? Of course not.

And he is probably the best hitter this organization has drafted since Steven Kwan. Those two are gifted in putting the bat on the ball. But name another hitter who has gotten significantly better since getting called up? Guys like Angel Martinez, Halpin, Daniel Schneemann, and the since released Gabriel Arias, have never understood a ball from a strike.

For Schneemann, he was much better at it in the minor leagues. What happened up here?

But we digress.

Can the Guardians get hot and make a run at another AL Central title and/or a wild card spot? Of course, we saw it last year. But there is a reason that had never been done before. It’s unlikely and difficult.

We hope the 2026 edition can pull it off. But excuse us for not getting excited right now.

What Guardians Should Do With The Rest Of The Games.

The Cleveland Guardians’ struggles since the All-Star break, they’ve gone 9-18, makes it pretty clear to most fans that it is time to look toward 2027 (or maybe 2028). We say that because it would not be a shock if labor issues caused Major League Baseball not to be played next year.

It remains to be seen how long the organization continues to look at salvaging this season, because the players and Steven Vogt will want to keep trying to win games until they are mathematically eliminated, which with the three wild card spots available, may not occur until mid-September.

However, among those who don’t kid themselves on a daily basis, it is time to look towards the next season, and what moves should be made with that in mind.

The Guardians made a move yesterday, bringing back southpaw Logan Allen, most likely because the relief corps has been used a lot and the pitcher he replaced, Franco Aleman, pitched in the last two games and wouldn’t have been available.

One thing we would like to see is playing Angel Genao at shortstop. The 22-year-old switch-hitter looks very mature at the plate, starting his big-league career with a four hit game, and overall has gone 10 for 34 with a home run and just three strikeouts to date. He uses the whole field, which is a good sign, but it is time for him to get an extended look at his natural position.

We like Brayan Rocchio, and we understand that this move is not fair to him, but that’s baseball. Does Rocchio fit in as a utility man next year or can he be used as trade bait? He’s shown he’s more than capable defensively, but he’s blocked at second base unless Travis Bazzana changes positions.

And that might be on the table. We wouldn’t be shocked if the former first overall draft pick went back to the minors where a transition might be started. Since June 1st, Bazzana has hit just .208 with 60 strikeouts in 256 plate appearances. He seems very susceptible to the high fastball. He just can’t lay off.

Somehow, the Guardians need to get another look at Cooper Ingle, who is terrorizing the International League with an OPS of 999. Yes, we know what he looked like in his brief time with the big club, but he only had 24 plate appearances.

At AAA, he’s batting .306 with 18 homers and has drawn 63 walks. Where to play him might be an issue because the organization obviously doesn’t view him as a catcher, and he struggled in LF in the bigs. However, he could get some at bats at DH, since the Guardians seem to need guys who can hit.

It’s also probably time to see more of Daniel Espino, who has had control issues at AAA (20 walks in 30 innings), but he’s stuck out 39 hitters and has electric stuff. We would also bring Aleman back as soon as possible.

The Allen recall also made us think that Parker Messick’s innings should be limited the rest of the way. He’s already pitched more innings than ever in his career, and with the team falling out of it, there is no reason to overextend him.

These are just a couple of things to do as the season winds down. And if the Guardians go on a winning streak, that’s great. We just don’t see that taking place.

Just When A Hole Might Be Plugged, Another Crops Up For Guardians

Fourth place. That’s where the Cleveland Guardians sit as of this morning, four games behind the surprising Chicago White Sox in the AL Central Division race.

On Friday, May 22nd, the Guardians beat the Phillies 1-0 on Kyle Manzardo’s home run in the 9th to raise the team’s record to 31-22. They had a 3.5 game lead over the Pale Hose and the second-best record in the American League. They were fourth in the league in runs scored, so the offense was generating runs.

Since then, Steven Vogt’s crew has gone 27-39 and the offense has plummeted to third last in the major leagues in scoring. And now the bullpen is collapsing, with only Cade Smith being reliable for Cleveland last in games.

By the way, that’s a 66-game span, which is 40% of the regular season. That’s not a slump, that record over that span shows a bad baseball team.

Cleveland’s front office said they wanted to lean on the organization’s young hitters to provide offense in 2026 after the Guards made the playoffs a year ago despite the 29th ranking offense in the game. That sounds like a good thing, right? But depending on all young players is tough because they tend to have many more ups and downs than a veteran.

And that’s why a priority should have been to get a veteran bat or two to help ease the transition.

Offensively, the Guardians did get two bats at the trade deadline in Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe, and the pair would seem to be the perfect platoon. However, it appears the organization thinks of Adell as an everyday player, and he isn’t very good vs. right-handed pitchers.

The problem is still not enough good hitters in the lineup. The league average OPS is 719. The Guardians have four players above the threshold and one of them is Austin Hedges, which is a complete surprise.

Steven Kwan (.364) and Chase DeLauter (.354) are the only Cleveland players with an on base percentage over .350, and the latter’s slugging percentage of .433 leads the team, which tells you there is no one on the Guardians who can drive the ball.

The organization sent Kyle Manzardo to AAA and his slugging average is 8th on the team, slightly behind Travis Bazzana, Rhys Hoskins, and the recently released Gabriel Arias. Our question here is why does Hoskins stay, while Manzardo, who is tied with him for the team home run lead, get sent back to the minors?

Let us be clear, Manzardo’s swing is messed up, as he is trying to pull everything this season. We wonder who told him to change his approach?

Speaking of approaches, let’s look at Brayan Rocchio, who had a good start to the season. On May 31st, he was hitting .293 with a 789 OPS, hitting mostly in the #9 spot in the order. He had fanned 26 times with 20 walks as of that date and had 4 homers with 27 RBI.

Since then, he’s batted .208 with 39 strikeouts and just 11 bases on balls, and five dingers with 23 RBIs. Did he feel more pressure to provide pop after the injuries to DeLauter, Jose Ramirez, and Angel Martinez? Or was it because the team started hitting him in the middle of the lineup?

He’s batted .232 with a K/BB ratio of 19:4 when batting in the #3, #4, and #5 spots in the order.

Yes, the bullpen is in shambles and frankly, the options to improve it aren’t really there. But don’t think the Guardians’ offense has been saved with the trades made at the deadline. They still don’t have enough good bats.

Guardians Need Bullpen To Get Back To Form Quickly.

Early in the season, Guardians’ starter Joey Cantillo was being brought along slowly. He made 91 pitches in his first start of the season on March 28th in Seattle and then didn’t hit the 90 mark again until May 11th.

There were games when he was doing quite well too. We are thinking particularly of a start against the Royals on May 6th when he allowed just one run in five innings and was removed despite throwing only 70 pitches. Cantillo has not thrown more than 98 pitches in a gane this season.

Slade Cecconi, just put on the injured list, but who has been in the rotation all year, has hit the century mark for a pitch count just once. Parker Messick has done it four times, once because Steven Vogt let him start the ninth inning (and rightly so) because he had a no-hitter. He threw 112 that night.

Tanner Bibee, now in his fourth year in the big leagues has hit 100 pitches, which by the way in an arbitrary mark set by organizations to supposedly limit injuries, only three times this year, and we pulled once while throwing a shutout for eight innings at just 83 tosses.

Only Gavin Williams, who is a large man at 6’6″ and 250 pounds has been given some rope by Vogt and pitching coach Carl Willis, going over the 100 mark six times.

This is probably one reason the Guardians have used only seven starting pitches this season, and went to the All-Star break using just five.

However, for every action there is a reaction. Cleveland has put a lot of burden on the bullpen to win games and right now, the relief corps is leaking a bit of oil.

For example, Hunter Gaddis, who has pitched in over 70 games each of the last two seasons and has been in 45 this year, has allowed six runs in eight innings over the last month.

Lefty Erik Sabrowski was dominant early on, pitching in 25 games by the end of May allowing just four runs in 21 innings (1.71 ERA). He then went on the IL with some elbow tenderness, and since he’s returned has allowed 9 runs in 10.2 innings, and prior to his stint on the IL had fanned 38 with 13 walks.

After coming back, it’s 14 Ks and 9 walks.

The ‘pen’s other southpaw, Tim Herrin has had problem throwing strikes in each of the last two years, Since his tremendous 2024 campaign, where he had a 1.92 ERA with 68 strikeouts and just 25 walks in 65 innings, Herrin has 76 Ks and has issued 53 free passes in 80.1 frames.

And even Cade Smith has shown a bit of wear. Although he hasn’t allowed an earned run in seven appearances since being in the Midsummer Classic, he has walked seven in those outings. Before that, he had walked just 11 hitters.

Only Colin Holderman (45 appearances, 2,22 ERA) has been reliable until last night’s debacle and if the Guardians want to make another playoff run, they need a solid relief group. The struggles made the front office go out and get Craig Yoho from Milwaukee, and he did a good job in two of his three appearances.

Perhaps they can get a boost down the stretch from Franco Aleman or Daniel Espino. The Guardians also just signed veteran lefty Ryan Borucki, who has held left-handed hitters to a 530 OPS in his career.

Maybe Vogt will give the starters a little longer leash over the next two months, but in reality, the Guardians are going to need the bullpen to start putting up some zeroes at the end of games if they want another playoff appearance.

With Trading Deadline Coming, We’d Get A Bat. What Is The Front Office Thinking?

The Cleveland Guardians resume their season Friday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates and when they start play, they will have a little over two weeks before the MLB trading deadline which ends on August 3rd.

We doubt the front office will do anything major and might not do anything at all. However, the offense still ranks 29th in the big leagues and has been in that area now for a year and a half.

Our guess is the brass will look at the return of Jose Ramirez as a major event (and it is), but we believe a good offense needs seven effective bats in a lineup, and the Guardians will still be well short of that. And remember, the front office should plan things based on a worst-case scenario mindset.

For sure, Cleveland should be in the relief pitcher market because right now Steven Vogt can only have confidence in Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, and Colin Holderman. Franco Aleman might be able to slide into the “circle of trust”, but in watching post-season baseball, a team can never have enough solid relief pitchers.

Back to the hitting, with Ramirez back, the Guardians have what we would consider three solid bats: Ramirez, Chase DeLauter, and Brayan Rocchio. We understand the optimistic fans will ask, what about Travis Bazzana, Angel Martinez, Kyle Manzardo, etc.?

Manzardo is suffering through a bad season. He’s hitting just .215 with an OPS of 669, a hundred points behind last year’s 768 figure. Can he have a much better second half? Of course, but over the last month, he’s hit just .165 and a 550 OPS.

Bazzana is hitting just .222 with a 685 OPS over the last 28 days. This could be the ups and downs a rookie experiences, but the front office should be a tad concerned, particularly over the 26 strikeouts in those 90 plate appearances.

And although Martinez adds some pop with 23 extra base hits and a .442 slugging percentage, he is very inconsistent at the plate, prone to hot streaks and deep slumps, mostly in our opinion because of a 53:7, strikeout to walk ratio.

It would help greatly if Steven Kwan’s resurgence over the past month (748 OPS) can continue. He could be a fourth solid hitter.

What we are saying is president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff should be looking for a hitter between now and August 3rd.

We understand the prospect lovers will say what about Ralphy Velazquez and Angel Genao at Columbus? Again, they are rookies and you don’t know what you will get. Cooper Ingle had great numbers at AAA, but he was overmatched when he came up. And we still have confidence he can be a solid hitter in the big leagues.

As for Genao, could he be a piece used to get a proven hitter, particularly one who hits right-handed? The best deals are made from depth, and it appears like the Guardians are set at the keystone spots with Rocchio and Bazzana.

That said, we know the front office is loath to give up prospects, so it likely won’t happen.

What is more likely is a deal for someone like a Lane Thomas giving up marginal prospects. Don’t forget the organization figures to do something with Bo Naylor too.

How much that moves the needle is up for debate.

Is the goal is to get a first-round bye and ultimately get to the World Series, the batting order needs to be more formidable. Can the management pull the trigger and help the team currently on the field?

Bullpen Hiccups Causing Guardians Concern

With the All-Star break starting tomorrow, hopefully the bullpen of the Cleveland Guardians can get plenty of rest because they seem to be running on fumes as of late and that gives Steven Vogt less options he can depend on.

First, two of our rules for relievers are don’t walk people and don’t give up home runs. In other words, make hitters earn their way on base, and in addition, make them score runs by bunching hits together, particularly tough in today’s game.

Right now, Vogt has three relievers who challenge the first of those rules–

Shawn Armstrong: 28.2 IP, 16 BB
Erik Sabrowski: 27.1 IP, 20 BB
Tim Herrin: 32.1 IP, 19 BB

The lowest point of the relief corps’ season came Wednesday night in Minnesota, when Armstrong entered the game with a 5-3 lead and walked two batters. He was relieved by Sabrowski, who walked the three batters he faced before Hunter Gaddis rescued him.

Minnesota tied the game without swinging the bat. The quintet of free passes allowed them to tie the game.

Right now, Vogt probably trusts three pitches when the Guardians have the lead. Obviously, one is All-Star Cade Smith, who leads the AL is saves with 28 and has fanned 61 hitters in 43.1 innings. He’s also allowed just three long balls, two of them coming in one game.

Hunter Gaddis started the year on the injured list and then struggled a bit when he joined the team, but has been solid for the most part. Since May 1st, he has a 1.85 ERA with 21 Ks in 24.1 frames, allowing just one HR in that span.

The third pitcher is the surprise, Colin Holderman, signed as a free agent over the winter. We always like Holderman when he was in Pittsburgh, where he had two solid years in 2023 and 2024 and struck out over a hitter per inning.

But last season, he had a 7.01 ERA with the Pirates and his walk numbers went up and the strikeouts went down.

He started with year with the big-league club but was sent back to AAA after allowing two runs in his first two games. Since returning in late April, he’s posted a 1.43 ERA with 36 punchouts in 32.1 innings and hasn’t allowed a round tripper.

Herrin is currently on the IL after taking a line drive off the elbow and Sabrowski had elbow problems earlier and they are the only lefties at Vogt’s disposal. And both have a tendency to put people on base. The latter was very good early on, but since his elbow started giving him a problem, it’s been dicey bringing him into games.

Matt Festa has a rubber arm and Vogt likes him, but the problem is he doesn’t have dominant stuff, allowing six dingers in 38 innings. As noted, Armstrong has problems locating the strike zone.

Maybe the answer is Franco Aleman, a rookie, but the manager doesn’t trust him yet. He’s pitched in four games since his recall but hasn’t been put into any high leverage situations until yesterday when he pitched the 8th in a 4-1 Guardians’ win.

Vogt needs more options he can trust as the season goes on or he risks exhausting his three best options and perhaps watching them falter in late August and September. So, either a pitcher like Armstrong has to rediscover throwing strikes or the lefties start pitching better or the front office is going to have to find more options.

And if the Guardians get to the post-season, no doubt a good relief corps is a must.

How Managing Has Changed And Steven Vogt

We recently read John Miller’s outstanding book The Last Manager, about Earl Weaver, the great manager of the Baltimore Orioles from 1968-82, during which the Orioles were the best organization in the sport, winning World Series once and two other American League pennants.

He had a .583 winning percentage as the skipper and was one of the first, if not the first, manager to use statistics, keeping track of how individual hitters did against different pitchers and making out his lineup accordingly, even though to others, the moves didn’t make sense.

The book is called the last manager because baseball is certainly different today. The front offices around the sport have more and more influence on how a roster is used, so although Cleveland fans wonder why Steven Vogt has a certain person in the lineup, keep in mind that it is more likely an organizational decision, not just Vogt’s.

Making decisions on a hunch is gone. And like many things about baseball and all of professional sports for that matter, change is not always for the good.

We say that because Vogt has come over more criticism this year it seems. First, any manager would be under more scrutiny when every game they play is decided by one or two runs, which is most Guardians’ games are decided by. So, pitching changes, who pinch hits, and when substitutions are made seem to be amplified when Cleveland loses 3-2.

These same decisions wouldn’t be a blip on the radar if the Guardians won 7-1. That’s just how it is.

What happens is managers today become robots. The game becomes sort of scripted, pre-planned if you will and only something weird causes the script to be altered. For example, we think the Guardians in their pregame meetings go over scenarios where they believe it will be advantageous for say Rhys Hoskins to bat for Kyle Manzardo.

It doesn’t matter if Manzardo has gone 3 for 3 in the game, with say a double and two home runs, if a certain pitcher comes in that Hoskins has had success, or should have success, he will likely pinch hit.

To most fans and reporters, that seems crazy, but that’s the way it is.

It’s also why a player goes 3 for 4 today but is out of the lineup tomorrow. Sometimes it’s a planned day off for the player, but we still think the player would (or may) go to the skipper and say he feels good and wants in. But it likely won’t happen.

When teams make a strange move on firing a manager, it’s more likely that decision is made because he is no longer aligned with the front office on who should play and who shouldn’t rather than he lost his connection with the players.

Also, the front office wants to justify why a play in on the roster, which is why Gabriel Arias keeps getting chance after chance after chance. Our guess is the powers that be look at Arias’ power and his arm and just can’t quit him. Even though he continues to have contact issues.

We aren’t a Vogt enthusiast, he’s fine but not a great manager (yes, we know two Manager of the Year Awards) but his best trait is he has all the players rowing in the same direction. He keeps that clubhouse together and he communicates well with his players. But know the role of the skipper has changed greatly in the last 25 years in baseball.

It’s very much an organizational game. Sadly, the manager doesn’t have the same juice.

Why Platoon When It Clearly Isn’t Working?

The Cleveland Guardians like platooning. They did it under Terry Francona and it has continued under Steven Vogt. Most years, the Guards lead all of baseball in having the platoon advantage (left-handed hitter vs. right-handed pitcher and vice versa) for hitters.

This year, they also seem to be emphasizing the reverse platoon, which is a left-handed hitter who has more success vs. left-handed pitching, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Our question here is despite using the platoon advantage as much as they do, Cleveland ranks near the bottom in runs scored over the past year and a half. So, why do they continue to do it.

In 2013, Francona used Ryan Raburn vs. lefties and he delivered, hitting .308 against southpaws with a 1020 OPS. More famously, for the 2016 American League champions, he used Lonnie Chisenhall and Brandon Guyer in rightfield.

Chisenhall batted .294 with a 784 OPS vs. righties, while Guyer blistered left-handers at a .336 clip, compiling a 1021 OPS. That’s an effective platoon. Both players have to be productive when they get opportunities.

As for this season, that’s simply not the case. Some of the numbers for the players Vogt is platooning are downright ugly. For example, the Guardians signed Rhys Hoskins in spring training to help against right-handers, as the roster is pretty left-handed hitting dominant.

The problem is Hoskins is 10 for 68 (.147) vs. LHP and has just three home runs. His OPS is 619 because he’s drawn 15 walks. Another right-handed bat counted on by the organization, David Fry, is hitting .171 (12 for 70) with two homers, although again, he’s taken 16 bases on balls.

Gabriel Arias, long thought of as a source of power from the right side is 3 for 20. Stuart Fairchild signed in the off-season because he hit lefties was 2 for 15 with eight strikeouts in his brief time in Cleveland.

Meanwhile, Kyle Manzardo, often benched with a southpaw is starting or pinch-hit for if a left enters a game is 12 for 45 with a homer and seven walks against them. However, he is hitting .222 with nine homers against right-handers.

We get the organization wants to play Travis Bazzana every day, but he is dreadful vs. southpaws, batting just .153 (11 for 72). We wouldn’t bench the former first overall pick against them because he needs exposure to them, but he probably shouldn’t be hitting leadoff against them.

And if you want to give Steven Kwan a break at times, it should be when a lefty starts because he’s just 13 for 83 against them (.157) with a terrible 469 OPS.

Another issue is no one is really doing well against right-handers, who throw the majority of pitches.

Bazzana has the highest OPS vs. RHP at 902, batting .295 and a .379 on base percentage. The next best is Fry, who doesn’t get many opportunities because he only seemingly plays vs. lefties. He’s 12 for 44 with two homers and eight walks, so we ask the same question we asked after Ramirez went down, why isn’t he in the mix at third base?

Kahlil Watson and Brayan Rocchio, who has been solid all year, are next.

The major point is the organization seems married to the platoon advantage. The problem is that it’s not working. We know the Guardians can be stubborn, but it might be time to rethink the strategy.

Looking At The Guardians, Halfway Through.

The Cleveland Guardians reached the halfway point of their season prior to the weekend series against Seattle with a record of 42-39, respectable considering only four teams in the American League are over the break-even mark.

They’ve done this despite a month-long hitting slump, as they have tread water during this period where they have not been able to score runs, going 10-13 in June to date. Steven Vogt’s crew will likely be without their best player, Jose Ramirez, for another month (hopefully less), so can they sustain their place in the standings without him?

After a decent start offensively to the season, the offense has returned to the bottom of the AL, and remember, for the most part, teams that score runs in the regular season make the post-season. They rank last in OPS, last in slugging, and 14th (second last) in on base percentage. And we’ve documented in past posts, that the “slump” started in the middle of May, not when Ramirez, Angel Martinez, and Chase DeLauter went down with injuries in the same game.

Once again, the outfield has been a problem. While first base is the lowest position ranking according to WAR in the AL, the next two spots belong to leftfield and centerfield. Part of this is the poor year Steven Kwan is having. The two-time all-star is arguably the worst hitter in the league this season, with an OPS under 600 (575), a batting average of .210 and a slugging average less than his on base percentage (.319 OBP and .256 slugging).

How have the Guardians remained above the .500 mark? As usual, the answer is pitching. Cleveland has still only used five starters this season, remarkable in today’s game. They rank 4th in the AL in ERA, and they have the league leader in saves in Cade Smith, who has 26.

Parker Messick has emerged as a potential all-star, with a 2.67 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 94.1 innings. One thing to watch with him is his innings. The most he’s thrown in any season is 133, so no doubt the front office will try to control that in the second half.

And while Gavin Williams hasn’t had a good June, he’s been picked up by Tanner Bibee, who has been outstanding in his four starts, putting up a 1.71 ERA.

The bullpen has to develop some depth though. Hunter Gaddis looks like he is back after a slow start with an IL stint to start the year. Colin Holderman has been a find, with a 1.55 ERA in 28 games, allowing just one homer and 13 hits in 29 frames.

Erik Sabrowski missed some time with elbow inflammation, and he’s been fine too with 42 Ks in 22.1 innings. But the rest of the ‘pen has had issues.

Matt Festa, everyone’s favorite, has allowed six long balls in 34 innings. Shawn Armstrong, the Guardians’ main free agent, has given up three dingers and walked 12 in 23.2 frames. And Tim Herrin, the other southpaw wias Sabrowski, has struggled to throw strikes, walking 19 in 28.2 innings.

Daniel Espino might be an option down the road, but right now he’s showing he’s not ready to pitch in the big leagues. Which leaves the question as to why Franco Aleman, with an 0.33 ERA at AAA isn’t with the big club.

However, to win a third straight Central Division title, and with the AL West struggled, a bye into the Division Series, the Guardians are going to need to put more runs on the board. They have had a bottom of the league offense now for a season and a half.

Getting DeLauter back help, but hopefully the front office can get a solid bat at the trade deadline. It would certainly save the fingernails of Guardians’ fans everywhere.

It’s Tough To Watch, But Numbers On Guardians’ Offense Are Uglier

On May 18th, the Cleveland Guardians defeated the Tigers 8-2 to raise their record to 27-22 and following the game their team OPS was 708.

After Tuesday night’s 2-1 loss to the White Sox, the Guards fourth defeat by that score in June alone, the team OPS sits at 681. Cleveland’s on base percentage has dropped 15 points in that time span and the slugging percentage has dipped 12 points.

The team batting average has dipped five points. They’ve scored more than four runs in a game just six times. It’s really amazing that Cleveland has gone 15-17 in that span.

Note the date though. The injuries to Jose Ramirez, Angel Martinez, and Chase DeLauter occurred on June 13th, the offense was struggling for three weeks before that trio went down.

What has happened? After the first two series of the season, when the Guardians fanned 10 or more times in four games, they did so just five times until a game two days later after the aforementioned victory over the Tigers.

Since that May 18th contest, a span of 32 games, Cleveland hitters struck out 10+ times in 15 games, including seven of the last nine. It’s difficult to get hits when you don’t put the ball in play.

In that win over Detroit, Guardians batters walked seven times, the 18th time in the first 49 games they drew five or more bases on balls in a game. In the last 31 games? That’s happened just five times, and in those games, the Guardians scored at least four runs in four of them.

Granted, Ramirez and DeLauter are two of the most patient hitters Cleveland has, ranking 1st and 4th in drawing free passes on the team, but Martinez rarely walks, so there’s that.

Look at some of the strikeout to walk ratios of some of the players who have been forced into service since June 13th when the injuries occurred–

Gabriel Arias 25 K/2 BB
Petey Halpin 15 K/1 BB
Kahlil Watson 9 K/1 BB

And we haven’t even mentioned the weird stat line of Stuart Fairchild, who has 27 plate appearances and has fanned in over half of them (14) but also has drawn seven walks. Add in three hits, and somehow, he has a .407 on base percentage and a 565 OPS.

That’s unique.

It’s not just the new guys who are struggling either. Daniel Schneemann is hitting .133 during this period with a woeful 408 OPS. David Fry, who we thought should be in the lineup more now with the injuries, is 5 for 33 (.167) with a 639 OPS, and is in the midst of a 1 for 23 skid.

Over the last 30 days, Guardians’ hitters rank 4th in all of baseball in striking out. The three teams with more are Cincinnati, the Angels, and the Orioles. Those teams have all hit at least 28 home runs as a team. The Guardians have 19, the lowest during that span in MLB.

Two AL Central teams, the Twins and Tigers have each more than doubled Cleveland’s homer total over the last month. That’s not good either.

Solutions? Get back to being more patient? Swap some players with Columbus? It does speak to developing hitters, something the organization has struggled with for a while now.

But they have to figure it out soon or they will be in a big hole when Ramirez does get back.