It was more of the same on offense for the Cleveland Guardians, problem is that is not a good thing. Cleveland lost their seventh straight game Thursday and their once impressive run differential now sits at zero. Being swept in back-to-back series by the Yankees and Angels has shown just how vulnerable this young team can be.
The ups and downs of the Guardians offense would be great if one was riding a roller coaster. Unfortunately they are trying to win baseball games and that is not a recipe for success. The Guardians have found themselves on the wrong side of a 39-14 run differential. Allowing four or more runs in a game does not trend towards winning baseball and they’ve done just that in six of seven losses.
An early West coast road trip can trip up even the most veteran and dominant teams. The Guardians being the young outfit they are mixed in with injuries, COVID list designations, and a slow start combined with this trip simply is too much for them at this time. On the bright side they got this trip over with at the beginning and not at the end if they were to find themselves somehow contending for a playoff spot. Losing seven straight games on the west coast would be such a disappointing end to a season.
Next up are the Oakland A’s, a team that has played better than expected this season. Perhaps the Guardians can reverse their fortunes with an Athletics sweep to head home on a good note. A two game series with San Diego awaits them and that will provide one of the bigger challenges for this team up to this point.
