MLB Analyst Reveals Brutal Statistics For Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians are trending in the wrong direction heading into the playoffs.

Aug 12, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) reacts after hitting a foul ball off his leg in the fourth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians are well on their way to the MLB playoffs, but they are not exactly heading in with a whole lot of momentum.

The Guardians have some very obvious flaws, with their starting rotation being chief among them.

However, Cleveland has another major hole that has become more and more prominent as the season has progressed: lineup depth.

The Guardians' offense has been atrocious for extended parts of the 2024 campaign, and it has really sputtered in particular over the last couple of months.

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller has specifically identified Steven Kwan, David Fry and Josh Naylor as players who have fallen off tremendously since early July.

Over the last 53 games, Kwan has slashed .190/.277/.275 and Fry has registered a slash line of .202/.283/.355. Meanwhile, Naylor—who has slugged 29 home runs on the year—owns a slugging percentage of just .392 throughout that span.

As a team overall, Cleveland is averaging just 3.7 runs per game during that time period. That is the third-worst mark in baseball, with only the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox ranking lower.

Kwan was flirting with .400 for a while earlier in the season, but now, it's looking like he won't even hit .300. Fry's torrid start is beginning to seem like a fluke. Naylor has been decent most of the year, but there is no question that his production has dipped considerably during the dog days of summer.

The Guardians can only bank on their phenomenal bullpen for so long. In the playoffs, shaky starting pitching and a lifeless offense is not going to fly.