Different Lineup, Same Outcome As Guardians Drop Series To White Sox

The Cleveland Guardians were 0-for-11 with RISP as they fall to the Chicago White Sox.

The Cleveland Guardians just can't seem to find any consistency right now, no matter who's in the lineup. This was made clear on Wednesday night as Cleveland fell to the Chicago White Sox again, 7-2. 

The Guardians were down two of their everyday starters in Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor as they got ready for game two with the White Sox. Terry Francona found this as an opportunity to mix up the lineup and give players different opportunities.

Not gonna cut it. #Guardians | #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/xf6NGCZwcU

— Cleveland Guardians On SI (@GuardiansOnSI) May 18, 2023

These changes included Amed Rosario being the designated hitter, Andres Gimenez batting third, Tyler Freeman starting at third base, and Brayan Rocchio making his first Major League start at shortstop. David Fry also subbed in at catcher for Mike Zunino after the sixth inning. 

Perhaps this different look could provide a jolt for the offense. Unfortunately, the offense looked more of the same even with different players in the lineup. Cleveland left nine runners on base, only had six hits, and was 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

The culmination of all of these offense struggles came in the seventh inning when the Guardians had the bases loaded with no outs. They were only able to score one run on a Josh Bell walk before the White Sox got out of the jam.

Speaking of Bell, he and Steven Kwan were the two in Cleveland's lineup that really stood out. Bell drove in both of the team's runs and Kwan was 1-for-3 with two walks while scoring from first in the opening inning.

It is a little unfair to think that Freeman, who hasn't received a plate appearance in over a week, and Rocchio, who's only playing in his second MLB game, would save the offense in a single game. However, the team did have plenty of opportunities. 

An encouraging sign for Freeman was his base hit in the fourth inning which had an exit velocity of 103.5 off the bat. He barreled it up and drove it to left field. Those are the kind of baby steps and encouragement that the young guys need to have to gain confidence at the Big League level.

The offense wasn't the only part of Cleveland's game that struggled. Peyton Battenfield gave up five earned runs which included a pair of home runs in 4.1 innings of work.

The White Sox and Guardians will wrap up this three-game set tomorrow afternoon as Cleveland tries to salvage a game. Logan Allen will take the mound for the Guardians as they get underway with a 2:10 PM EST first pitch. 

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Photo Credit © Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports