Three Observations From Guardians Win Over Royals, 7-2
The Cleveland Guardians stopped a three-game slide with a win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday afternoon, 7-2.
Here are three observations and takeaways from Cleveland’s latest victory.
Tanner Bibee Fights Through Adversity
Tanner Bibee described his start against the Royals as a “figure-it-out kinda day.” He struggled to put batters away early in the game, and he quickly saw his pitch count skyrocket to 40 heading into the third, and he even gave up a pair of solo him runs.
However, Bibee showed why he’s the ace of this staff and bounced back to pitch 6.0 strong innings for the Guardians.
This resilience and fighting through adversity have been two of Bibee’s biggest strengths this season, and they led to a win for the Guardians on Saturday.
Six strong for Tanner Bibee at Kauffman Stadium.#ForTheLand | @CleGuardians pic.twitter.com/gcwXoEzH6D
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) June 29, 2024
Lineup The Lefties
Opposing teams haven’t gotten the message yet. Left-handed pitchers aren’t Cleveland’s weakness anymore. On the contrary, they’re thriving against the southpaws.
All of the Guardians' damage came against the three lefties (Cole Ragans, Angel Zerpa, and Will Smith) the Royals used on Saturday. That group combined to give all seven runs and nine hits Cleveland had against Kansas City.
Scott Barlow Strikes Again
Having a reliever such as Scott Barlow available to come in and finish out a game so Emmanuel Clase can get an extra day of rest is such an advantage.
Barlow entered the game in the ninth inning and quickly sent down the first three batters he saw, striking out two of them. The righty now has an ERA of 1.74 in the month of June and continues to be a crucial piece in Cleveland’s dominant bullpen.
TOMMY WILD