What We Learned About The Guardians After Series Loss To Padres

The Cleveland Guardians' offense struggled in their three-game series against the San Diego Padres.

Jul 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) dives back to second as Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) waits for the pickoff throw during the fourth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians returned from the All-Star Break and face off with the NL West’s surging San Diego Padres. Cleveland lost two of the three games in the series leaving many questions with what the team does next.

This is what we learned about the Guardians over the last three games. 

Many, Many Questions With Cleveland’s Rotation

Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, and Ben Lively would make up the top Cleveland’s rotation if the postseason started tomorrow. This trio went up against the Padres, and they largely left much to be desired as a group. 

Bibee lasted 5.2 innings and gave up just two hits and no earned runs, but his start was severely hampered due to the Padres getting deep into counts and Bibee not being able to put them away early. Williams only lasted 3.2 innings, gave up six hits, allowed three earned runs, and walked four. Lively pitched 5.1 innings and gave two runs on six hits.

The biggest issue with these appearances is that Cleveland’s starters are still having trouble getting deep into games. The bullpen has been fantastic this season, but at some point that’s going to back fire if the relievers need to pitch four innings a night. 

At this point, the Guardians don’t just need a starter who can help them in the playoffs. They need a pitcher who can give them innings for the rest of the regular season.

On top of these underperformances, the Guardians also DFA’d RHP Spencer Howard on Sunday and he was the team’s probable starter for Tuesday. Stephen Vogt said the plan is for Xzavion Curry to start Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.

Jul 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) relieves starting pitcher Gavin Williams (32) during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Just A Slump For Guardians Offense?

Stephen Vogt insisted after Sunday’s loss that his team wasn’t in a funk. However, three hits over 18 innings and a game one win that came down to one six-run  inning certainly isn’t helpthing that case. 

The Guardians now have a .234/.293/.380 batting average and a .673 OPS over the last 30 days. Yes, they’ve faced some tough opponents. But we’ve also seen this lineup do well against tough pitchers in the past.

Based on this past series and, an argument can be made Cleveland’s lineup is in a slump. What can they do or who’s going to step up to help them break out of it?