Successful? Yes, But Still A Disappointment For The Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians’ season came to an end Monday night in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays. Two things were the primary causes of their demise, one was predictable (the offense) and the other wasn’t (the lack of starting pitching).

We have heard from many over the last month how the offense turned the corner after the deals at the deadline. We heard how they were fifth in the big leagues in that span in scoring runs. That’s one of the lies of dealing with statistics.

Using average runs per game is a solid metric, but in the Guardians’ case it doesn’t show how inconsistent the offense was. For example, in the playoffs, Cleveland had games where they scored nine runs twice and seven runs once in the 11 post-season games. On the other hand, they were shutout once, scored a single tally twice, and put up three runs three times. And remember, they won the deciding fifth game of the Division Series, 2-0.

After obtaining Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe on August 3rd, the Guardians were shutout seven times and scored one run twice in the last 49 games after the trades.

They scored seven times in winning the first game of the ALCS, then scored 11 runs in the last five. That simply isn’t going to get it done.

As for the starting pitching, Steven Vogt and Carl Willis used primarily seven starters for the entire regular season, perhaps the most stable rotation in the game. Until a late July game due to a rainout, they used only five starters when Logan Allen took the mound in a day/night doubleheader.

They traded for Foster Griffin and moved Slade Cecconi to the bullpen. Those were the seven until they started experimenting with using Daniel Espino as an opener for Joey Cantillo in September.

Then in their 11 playoff games, they used Parker Messick, who seemed gassed, for four starts, and Gavin Williams, magnificent in the deciding Game 5 vs. the White Sox, three times. The only other regular rotation piece used in a starting role was Griffin, who pitched in the opener of the ALCS.

Very, very curious.

Cantillo pitched just five innings in the post-season, less than reliever Shawn Armstrong, who by the way acquitted himself very well in the post-season. And by now, everyone is aware that Tanner Bibee, who lead the Guardians in starts during the regular season, faced three batters in the post-season.

This lack of usage took a major toll on the bullpen, with Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith getting just two games off in just two of the 11 contests. The wear and tear showed up for each as they gave up two-run homers in Game 6.

We understand Joe Torre and Terry Francona changed the game in terms of how relievers were used in October, but to ignore the starters wasn’t a good formula.

As a fan, this season ended the way every season since we’ve been following this team since 1965 has, without a World Series team. Hopefully, the franchise understands the goal shouldn’t just be winning the Central, it’s getting rid of the “not since 1948” stigma.

And hopefully, we will have a somewhat normal off-season, and the front office can look to improve the Guardians, but that is probably not in the cards with the owners and players not realizing what the real issue is (it should be about revenue equality).

There is good, young talent here (Chase DeLauter, Travis Bazzana), a resident superstar in Jose Ramirez, a pro’s pro in Steven Kwan, and a budding ace in Williams. Plenty to be optimistic about, but will the front office be allowed to spend and add to the core?

That’s always the question with the Dolan ownership.

It’s Down To A Three Game Series, But What Was The Bullpen Plan Yesterday?

We will go back to what we said after Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, It was never going to be easy.

Tampa Bay was the best team in the AL during the regular season. They are a good team, a very good team. Now it’s a best of three series with the Rays having the last two games in Florida.

After holding Tampa’s bats at bay in the first three games, they scored just 8 runs in that trio, Kevin Cash’s crew got their big boys going. Yandy Diaz started a rally in the third, scored their first run, and then capped the scoring with a two-run homer in the 9th.

Jonathan Aranda got the hit to deliver Diaz, and delivered another big hit, with the aid of Chase DeLauter’s error to score two more runs, part of a three-hit night for him.

And Junior Caminero broke a 1-1 tie in the 6th with a ringing double. The trio delivered six hits, Tampa had 11 and knocked in five of the seven tallies.

Steven Vogt left himself open to a lot of second guessing (not here, we thought it at the time) the way he used his pitchers after Shawn Armstrong opened the game putting up a scoreless first.

Foster Griffin pitched 3.2 innings and allowed one run but was removed with two outs and no one on in the fifth because he wanted Daniel Espino to face Yandy Diaz. Diaz fanned, but Vogt left Espino on to start the 6th with a pair of left-handed hitters due in Aranda and Chandler Simpson.

Espino walked both of them and then gave up the double to Caminero to give the visitors the lead.

Why not just leave Griffin in? He was pitching well, and if you wanted Espino for Diaz, why not bring in Tim Herrin to start the sixth?

Later, we saw Matt Festa’s playoff debut, and he got three outs, but with the score being 5-3 heading into the top of the ninth, we weren’t confident with him getting three more. He didn’t, allowing the homer to Diaz that salted the game away.

While the Rays got their big bats going, the top five hitters for Cleveland went 3 for 19 and after hits by Kwan and DeLauter in the first, the Guardians didn’t get another hit until Travis Bazzana went yard in the 7th.

Nick Martinez pitched 13 scoreless innings against the Guardians in the regular season, and he baffled them again, allowing just the one run in 5.1 frames.

So, we would guess the Rays will use game one starter Drew Rasmussen tonight and he was very good in both the regular season and his two playoff starts. Again, it won’t be an easy task.

Remember, after the 7 runs scored in the first game, the Guardians have managed just 7 runs themselves in the last three contests. They will need to figure out a way to put some offense together along with the pitching doing better.

We will guess Vogt will go with Parker Messick tonight and some good news for the relief corps is with the rainout on Friday, Cade Smith, Erik Sabrowski, and Hunter Gaddis all have had two straight days off. That would seem to shorten the game considerably.

But we will also point out we are still worried about Messick, who hasn’t been as sharp in his last few starts, probably due to fatigue.

Have to lost confidence? No, but again, Cash has good pitchers at his disposal too. And the Guardians don’t want to have to win two more elimination games on the road again.

Sit Back And Enjoy The ALCS. It’s Supposed To Be Highly Competitive

It’s funny when you try to apply football thinking to baseball. After the 7-3 Game 1 win in the American League Championship Series by the Cleveland Guardians over the Tampa Bay Rays, people were starting to make plans for the beginning of the World Series.

The Guardians may get there, but it’s not going to be easy. The Rays were the best team in the AL over the 162 game regular season and swept the Yankees in the Division Series. They are a very good baseball team. That doesn’t mean Steven Vogt’s squad cannot beat them, it simply means it will not be that easy.

What we are trying to say here is coming home with a split of the two games in St. Petersburg is a good thing, and we will go a step further by saying it is unlikely the Guardians will sweep the three games at Progressive Field.

Because the Rays are a good team.

Kevin Cash’s crew ranked 4th in the AL in runs scored at 4.54 per game, compared to the Guardians 4.19. Neither team hits a lot of home runs. The Rays ranked 11th despite having Junior Caminero, who was second in the league with 42 bombs.

Cleveland was 13th with no Guardian hitting more than Angel Martinez’ 18 dingers.

The difference was batting average (we know, it doesn’t mean anything). The Rays led the league in this category at .258, 19 points higher than the Cleveland. Of the nine players with over 300 plate appearances for Tampa Bay, only three (Cedric Mullins, Taylor Walls, and Richie Palacios) hit under .250.

Cleveland had eight players with over 300 times at the plate, and only four (Steven Kwan, Chase DeLauter, Brayan Rocchio, and Angel Martinez) hit OVER .250.

However, the Guardians were 4th in the AL in walks, while Tampa was 11th.

As we wrote the other day, the Guardians scored just eight runs in the six regular season games vs. Tampa, a total they have matched in the first two games in the ALCS. We also note all six of those games were played before the trade deadline and Cleveland lengthened their lineup a bit.

It usually comes down to the offense for Vogt’s guys, and this series is no different. Can the Guardians scrape up enough runs to win? Jose Ramirez seems more like his usual self, so the top of the Cleveland batting order is kind of formidable, with DeLauter and Kwan doing their usual thing. With the top of the order getting on, it puts pressure on Jo Adell, who is 6 for 28 in the post-season, but without a homer and with 11 strikeouts.

Let’s face it, his at bat in the 7th in Game 2 with runners on 2nd and 3rd and two out was abysmal.

On the other hand, Patrick Bailey has been amazing thus far swinging the bat in the playoffs. His homer in Game three of the White Sox series jumpstarted the offense, and he tied Game 1 with a titanic blast. Overall, he’s 7 for 20 in the post-season, which no one could have seen coming.

The truth is these are two similar and pretty evenly matched teams, especially since the additions of Nathaniel Lowe and Adell, and the emergence of DeLauter.

The next three nights at Progressive Field should be electric. It’s October baseball after all.

How Can A 9-5 Game Be A Nail Biter? It’s Guards’ Ball!

After the Beatles broke up in 1970, one of the first singles produced by drummer Ringo Starr was a song called “It Don’t Come Easy” (written by George Harrison, by the way). That song perfectly describes Game 4 of the AL Division Series in Chicago last night.

The Guardians staved off elimination again with a seesaw 9-5 verdict to force a fifth and deciding game in Cleveland on Saturday night.

When pitchers show fatigue, it usually affects command and perhaps that’s why starter Parker Messick walked four hitters in his 2.1 innings, and that he couldn’t get through four or five innings set in motion in essence a bullpen game, and some questionable decisions by Steven Vogt.

Trailing 2-0, the Guardians bounced back on homers by Patrick Bailey and Jose Ramirez to take a 3-2 lead. So, Vogt brought in Tanner Bibee for the first relief appearance of his career. We understand the why, the skipper wanted length, but Bibee hasn’t had a good year, and didn’t pitch well in September.

He walked two of the three hitters he faced, including the leadoff man, and Vogt had to go to Tim Herrin, who gave up a hit to load the bases, and then hit a batter and gave up a sacrifice fly, and poof, the lead had disappeared and Cleveland trailed 4-3.

Eventually, Erik Sabrowski was summoned after another base on balls and got the third out.

Then, the Cleveland bats went to work. It started with Angel Martinez, who is 0 for 15 in the series getting hit by a pitch and then stealing second. Five hits and two walks later, the Guardians put six runs on the board to take a 9-4 lead. The big blows were the game tying double by Travis Bazzana, a single by Bailey to put them ahead, and a two run single by Jo Adell.

Sabrowski and Hunter Gaddis, who has been shaky as of late, actually restored order.

We also didn’t like trying to use Cade Smith for two innings. These guys aren’t Strat-O-Matic cards, fatigue is a factor. At the time, we would have left Gaddis in to get one or two more outs. Which brings up another question.

If you don’t think Matt Festa can get three outs without giving up four runs, then why is he on the post-season roster?

The point is we would have limited Smith to one inning. And Vogt had to use Gavin Williams to close it out.

So, now it’s a winner take all game Saturday night. No doubt the Guardians will see Sean Burke, who pitched 5.1 innings of one hit ball in Game 2 and has a 2.56 ERA in his career against Cleveland with 46 Ks in 36.2 innings.

That’s a tough task.

Gavin Williams will start for the Guardians, but likely with a shorter rope since he pitched yesterday. But it would not be a surprise if everyone pitches, but that’s a deciding game for you.

After losing the first two at home, the Guardians fought back, and need to get that first win in front of the home folks.

Thoughts On Game 2, Backs Against The Wall For The Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians haven’t done much easy all season long, so why should the playoffs be any different. Steven Vogt’s team has there back firmly against the wall after dropping Game 2 of the Division Series at Progressive Field by a score of 4-3.

They now have to win the rest of the games of the series, or they will watch the upstart White Sox celebrate in front of them, and then cleaning out their lockers.

The Guardians got off to a quick start with a hit by Steven Kwan, a walk to Jose Ramirez, and Chase DeLauter moved them over on a groundball. After they scored two runs on an error, they have runners on 1st and 3rd with one out. A chance to add on without getting a hit.

Instead, Angel Martinez and Travis Bazzana whiffed. Martinez HAS to put the ball in play there. If you aren’t going to hit the long ball, you have to take advantage and execute when opportunities are available. Time and time again this season, the Guardians have failed to move runners with outs.

In the last week of the season, Nathaniel Lowe had three sacrifice flies and was heralded for having a professional at bat. It’s called a “sacrifice” fly for a reason. The hitter is deliberately giving himself up to get the run home.

Another big play was Erik Sabrowski’s wild pitch in the sixth which moved two Chicago runners into scoring position, and they scored on Braden Montgomery’s double to right. Sabrowski threw a bad pitch, but it was a fastball, and Patrick Bailey didn’t/couldn’t block it.

We know Bailey has won multiple Gold Gloves, but frankly, we don’t see why? Is it because of his pitch framing? We see a lot of balls get past him. Perhaps we are spoiled by catchers like Sandy Alomar Jr., Yan Gomes, and Roberto Perez, but we don’t see that kind of defensive prowess.

Lastly, only three runs scored in the two games for Cleveland. The Guardians had the worst offense of any team qualifying for the post-season, and the second worst, Boston, was eliminated in the wild card round. Conversely, four of the top five teams in scoring runs made the playoffs, and although the Cubs (1st) were knocked out, the Brewers, White Sox, and Dodgers are still alive.

It is difficult to go far without being able to produce runs no matter how good your pitching and defense is.

As for the Guardians, it’s not impossible to win three straight in the Division Series after losing the first two, but to go on the road makes it more difficult. Cleveland did have a better record on the road (44-37) than they did at Progressive Field (41-40) this season.

Perhaps there is an omen there.

Bullpens Are Key In The Playoffs. Guardians Are No Exception.

It used to be that starting pitching dominated in the post-season. We think about Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, and Mickey Lolich in the 60’s, Catfish Hunter in the 70’s, and even as late as 1988, Orel Hershiser was dominating in the playoffs and pitched the Dodgers to a World Championship.

In the 90’s, starting pitching was still very important, but Joe Torre kind of revolutionized the use of the bullpen when he basically asked his relievers to get one more out than normal. For example, he wanted Mariano Rivera to get four outs instead of three, and asked the same of his set up guys, trying to make it a six-inning game.

And Cleveland fans certainly remember Terry Francona’s masterful usage of the bullpen during the 2016 post-season, using Andrew Miller in a variety of roles, and he was so effective he was the MVP of the League Championship Series.

We bring this up because it will be interesting to see how Steven Vogt will use the bullpen in these playoffs. Of course, the anchor for the Guardians will be Cade Smith, who tied for the league lead in saves, and in several occurrences, was counted on to get four outs.

That will probably be the case in the upcoming Division Series as well.

But who else does Vogt count on heavily?

Hunter Gaddis has carried a big load for this team over the past three seasons, but he’s been in a bit of a slump over the last couple of weeks, allowing 12 hits and two home runs over his last 7.1 innings. Perhaps the rest before Saturday’s Game 1 rejuvenates him. On the other hand, maybe the 230 appearances (including the playoffs) over the past three years have taken its toll.

Right now, the reliever that gives us the most confidence behind Smith is left-hander Erik Sabrowski, who has allowed just 26 hits in 48.1 innings this season with 76 strikeouts. During the last two months of the regular season, the southpaw has given up just 5 hits in 17.1 innings and just one run with 24 Ks.

However, the one concern is his control. He walked 26 hitters this year and nine of them over the last two months. And he had one appearance where he came in and walked four hitters in a row. He pitched decently in the ’24 playoffs and last year had a poor outing in his one appearance against the Tigers.

We assume we will see a lot of Tim Herrin, and we admit that makes us nervous because of his proclivity to walk hitters. Over the past two seasons, he’s issued 58 free passes in 99.1 innings. We will repeat our mantra: Relief pitchers cannot walk people and cannot give up home runs.

We wonder if the wild card might just be Daniel Espino. Espino was used as an opener in September and for the year fanned 25 hitters (with 7 walks) in 15.1 innings. Vogt may use him in combination with Joey Cantillo again, or in the 6th or 7th innings.

Shawn Armstrong might get some opportunities as well. Armstrong had two different stints on the injured list during the season but returned to make three scoreless outings in the season’s last week.

Even though the relief corps is key, getting innings from the starters is still important. In Vogt’s first year, we thought he took starters out perhaps too early even if they were pitching well. We understand the concept of replacing a starter too early rather than too late, but eating innings is important too.

Trade Pieces Were Needed, But Guardians’ Biggest Boost Came From Guys Already Here

There is no question the Cleveland Guardians’ front office took a big swing at the August 3rd trade deadline acquiring two bats in Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe and a starting pitcher in Foster Griffin. There is no question the team needed hitting, in fact they are still ranked 12th in the AL in runs scored.

The question is how much the newcomers impacted the success of the team, and the Guards have gone 25-16 since August 4th.

Our favorite deal was the one bringing Griffin to Cleveland and that hasn’t been as impactful as hoped. In his eight starts, he’s pitched to a 5.19 ERA and has allowed 55 hits in 43.1 innings. He’s gone just six innings in two of those starts, not exactly the inning eater we thought he would be, as he went that long in half of his 22 starts with the Nationals.

To be fair, his numbers are skewed a bit by his start on September 9th vs. Baltimore when he gave up a eight runs in 2.1 frames, and it wasn’t as though he was hit hard. Without that start, his ERA would be 3.73.

However, he hasn’t been a guy that Steven Vogt can count on to provide a solid start when he takes the bump. If the Guardians reach the Division Series, can he be trusted to get a start?

Nathaniel Lowe has upgraded the left-handed platoon at first base. Kyle Manzardo had a 684 OPS prior to the trade, and while Lowe has a 654 OPS overall with Cleveland, against right-handers, he has hit .241 and a 704 OPS, driving in 20 runs with five homers. Manzardo had 39 ribbies through the end of July.

The veteran is still just 4 for 42 against southpaws but did deliver a big sacrifice fly vs. a lefty in the series opener against Boston. He’s a solid veteran bat and a good defensive player at first base. He was picked up in the last hour of the deadline and has provided length to the batting order.

We were not thrilled with the deal for Jo Adell, not because of what the Guardians gave up (minor league catcher Jacob Cozart), but because he’s really a platoon player. He struggles vs. RHP and that’s been the case with Cleveland, as he’s hitting just .200 (24 for 120) with 36 strikeouts.

He has been more selective with the Guardians (15 BB in 186 PA vs. 16 BB in 456 PA with the Angels) and he has been a run producer with 31 RBI in 44 games. Ideally, if Steven Vogt wants to play him every day, he probably shouldn’t hit in the middle of the order vs. righties, but it’s not as though the skipper has a lot of options.

Adell and Lowe get a lot of credit for the offense being better since the deadline, and the Guardians have averaged almost a run more per game in August and September. But you can’t forget Steven Kwan hitting .355 with a .440 on base percentage in the second half, and Chase DeLauter batting .310 with a .467 slugging percentage during the same time frame.

And you can’t forget Travis Bazzana’s last month where he has a 964 OPS.

All three of them were here before the trade deadline.

The front office couldn’t stand pat at the deadline and they didn’t. They also brought in players who could help, and they have. But the resurgence of Kwan and the continued development of DeLauter and Bazzana have perhaps made more of an impact.

Guardians Aren’t A Good Team, But Someone Has To Make The Playoffs

The race for the last wild card spot in the American League is like the island of misfit toys. The Guardians are tied for the top spot at 72-71 with Toronto, but Texas (70-73), Baltimore (69-74), and even Minnesota (68-74) are hanging around.

Of those teams, Cleveland and the Rangers have a second opportunity to play October baseball because both of still in their division races, the Guardians being 2.5 behind the White Sox and Texas being 3 behind Houston.

When we look at the local team, we see a team that simply isn’t very good. Despite the deadline acquisitions of Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe, the offense is still third last in the game in runs scored. They have had some big games, scoring eight or more runs five times since August 3rd, but they’ve also been shutout six times in that span.

As for the pitching, Gavin Williams and Parker Messick are consistent, and for the most part, newcomer Foster Griffin is going to give you a solid effort, but when Tanner Bibee and Joey Cantillo take the bump, no one can be confident in how they will pitch.

The baserunning, which has been a strength of the past several years, has been plagued by silly mistakes. After hitting two homers to win the first game on Friday, Brayan Rocchio led off the third with a shot up the gap and the Guardians’ trailing. He tried to go to third and was thrown out, apparently not briefed on the rule to never make the first or third out of an inning at third base.

The bullpen has been better of late but went through about a month stretch where the only reliable guy was Cade Smith.

The defense seems to make an error or a misplay once a game, costing Steven Vogt’s crew an out in a key situation. Angel Genao’s throwing error this past week against Toronto is a glaring example.

Our point is none of the teams mentioned earlier are good teams, yet one of them, maybe two, are going to qualify for the playoffs, and frankly, we would like nothing better than it being the Cleveland Guardians. It makes the fall and winter go faster.

Many of the ups and downs for this team are due to its youth. On most nights, they are playing three rookies, usually Chase DeLauter, Travis Bazzana, and lately Angel Genao or Angel Martinez. And with youth comes inconsistency and mistakes.

The organization sacrifices hitting at catcher in favor of having elite defenders at the spot. And we also think some of the defense issues come from the constant shuffling of positions for players. Genao seems to shuffle around the infield on a daily basis. It’s probably a credit to his talent that he plays as well as he does.

However, if baseball is to be played in 2027, the front office shouldn’t overrate this team. Yes, there will be improvement from the young players, but the trades for Adell and Lowe should demonstrate the needs for some experienced players on the roster.

The goal shouldn’t be to win the AL Central. It needs to be winning the World Series

Have To Love Meaningful September Baseball

September baseball. There is nothing like it for fans with teams still in contention for a post-season berth, of which there are more than ever before. We have always used the standard that if a team is within five games of reaching the playoffs on September 1st, they still have a reasonable shot of getting in.

In today’s game, it means most teams still have something to play for, which is what the powers that be wanted when they expanded the post-season. For hardcore fans, it brings an added meaning to each and every game.

We think of 2013, Terry Francona’s first year as the Cleveland skipper when the Indians went 21-6 in September coming back from six games out of a playoff spot to hosting the Wild Card Game, which they unfortunately lost. And everyone recalls Jason Giambi’s huge home run to beat Chicago, the signature moment from that run.

In 2017, buoyed by a record 22-game winning streak which spanned from August 24th through September 14th, the Tribe went 25-4 in the last month of the year in route to a franchise record 102 wins.

And of course, just last season Cleveland went 20-7 in September going from four games out of a wild card spot and 10.5 out in the Central to win the division on the last day of the season.

Those seasons provided an unbelievable amount of excitement as baseball fans hung on the results of every single game. Of course, we grew up in the 60’s and 70’s, so a then pennant race was just the rumor, our team was never a part of it, outside of a role as a spoiler.

When the Indians emerged from mediocrity in 1994, supporters were robbed of a potentially great race by the strike. When play ended in August, the White Sox were a mere 1.5 games ahead of Cleveland. We guess the first experience came in ’97 but even still, Mike Hargrove’s squad has a 3.5 game lead heading into the last month, then won 13 of 20 to stretch the advantage to 7.5 and coast to a title.

What we are trying to say is this is a fun, if not stressful time of the year for baseball fans. And for the Guardians, it seems obvious, but this would be a great time to put together a solid stretch of winning, fundamental baseball.

After a four-game set against the Tigers, Steven Vogt’s crew enters a nine-game stretch against three playoff contenders, Baltimore and Minnesota on the road, followed by what could be a huge three game series against the division leading White Sox.

The latter could be very special as winning the AL Central would seem to put that team right into the Division Series with time off to set up the starting pitchers as well as having home field advantage.

Don’t forget the penultimate series of the season is in Fenway Park for three games against the Red Sox, who might already have their playoff plans set at that time.

So, a lot of important baseball coming up. Position in the standings can change series by series, but if you keep winning games and/or series, teams aren’t going to move down.

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.