What We Learned About The Guardians After Series Loss To Royals

The Cleveland Guardians are eager to return to Progressive Field after losing three of four games to the Kansas City Royals.

Jun 30, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians second base Andres Gimenez (0) throws to first base during the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports / William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

Over the last four days, the Cleveland Guardians played one of their roughest series of the season against the Kansas City Royals. From lackluster starting pitching to a dormant offense, this was a series Cleveland will quickly want to forget.

Here’s what we learned about the Guardians as the Royals took three of four games from them over the weekend.

Guardians Ready To Make Moves To Rotation

One of the biggest things we learned about the Guardians didn’t necessarily happen on the field.

Triston McKenzie once again struggled in his start on Saturday, giving up five earned runs in 2.1 innings of work. The command struggles have been an issue for Sticks all season, and it’s really been a problem in his last three starts. With Gavin Williams returning from the injured list, McKenzie was optioned to Triple-A to get himself right.

This move could signal that the front office is ready to make some tough decisions about their roster, as Logan Allen and Carlos Carrasco face similar issues as McKenzie. 

Who’s Hitting Second?

Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez, and Josh Naylor are all locked in at the top of the order. However, who’s hitting second in Cleveland’s lineup is still something Vogt is trying to figure out.

Andres Gimenez has taken most of the reps there but has a .217 batting average over the last 30 games and faces some issues in the box. 

Cleveland’s next top option is Daniel Schneemann, who hit second in the order in three of the four games in the series. Schneemann does have very good plate discipline and has the ability to work counts in his favor, but even he has cooled off since his hot start upon being called up.

The Guardians need to figure out who their best choice is between Kwan and Ramirez. 

Jun 30, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Daniel Schneemann (10) crosses home plate for a run during the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports / William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Needs Another Bat

This isn’t a ground-breaking revelation, but the Guardians need to add another bat before the deadline. Their series loss against the Royals just further proved this. 

Jose Ramirez has himself a solid series, hitting .375 (6-for-16) at the plate. But the rest of the Guardians’ offense was nowhere to be found outside of their seven-run outburst in game three.

The deadline is quickly approaching, and yes, the Guardians need more starting pitching, but more offense is also high on that list.