The Guardians' downturn since the Phils series on May 22nd is understandable. One of the best teams in the bigs, constantly putting in new working pieces, of course they're gonna have a stretch where they can't play too well. Losing games to the Rangers, Red Sox and Nats, those are tricky teams even if their records don't show it. The Nats are a beast on the road, they've got nothing to be ashamed of. And being swept by the Yankees, meaning all the people pointing out that they don't do well against .500+ record teams can finally shut up, is understandable because the Yankees are extremely multifaceted this year.
But being in second in the division for the first time in a couple months while the 1st place team is the Chicago White Sox...that has got to hurt.
Yes, the White Sox are a good team, but the Guardians are better, and have been at this for longer. The Sox are currently without Munetaka Murakami, and just lost some games to Philly. But they're in first, and thanks to Braden Montgomery they're lifting back up. The Guardians haven't looked this beatable all year, which is odd because nothing's...really changed.
It's really just some cold spells at the moment that have shifted thinks. Chase de Lauter's been cold since April ended pretty much, and he's currently only hitting .254. He's only hit 3 more homers after starting the season by hitting 4 in his first 3 games. He still has 34 RBIs, leading the team, but the long ball has eluded him since April began. Rookie Travis Bazzana has the highest OPS on the team, and that's at .766. Meaning, as good as Ramirez, Rocchio, Angel Martinez and Kyle Manzardo have been, they're still very average statistically as hitters. Even Rhys Hoskins, despite his 6 homers, is only hitting .166. The ability is packed into this team, but statistically it doesn't look great after a rough 3 week stretch.
Travis Bazzana's 2026 start shouldn't be overlooked though. Dude came up a year and a half after being drafted first overall and is already looking like a natural. In 39 games he's got 4 homers, 17 RBIs and 10 stolen bases, plus some solid work at 2nd base. The Guardians already had several impressive pieces [including, somehow, Austin Hedges apparently], but Bazzana is the latest and greatest to really impress people, and it's looking like he'll be this good for a while.
Also, and I don't even know if this is worth saying, but...the entire rotation's made all their starts and everybody has over 61 Ks. Some seasons are better than others [Williams and Messick are killing it], and Tanner Bibee's currently 1-7 despite a halfway decent campaign, but they're all reliable, healthy and up to the task. Maybe Slade Cecconi and Joey Cantillo could be a little more well rounded, but it's better than holding tryouts for a 5 spot in June.
The Guardians's slide to 2nd does not worry me because they have the kind of team that's still destined for 1st, solely because they've shown more debilitating faults than their competitors. Injuries have killed the Tigers and Royals, the Twins aren't well put together yet, and the Chicago White Sox, while very good, are not a fully great team yet. I worry about the consequences of them dealing Derek Hill. Yes, Braden Montgomery means he's not as crucial, but that's a depth guy they could have used. I still think the Guardians are the team to beat, and however scary this stretch has been won't matter ultimately.
Coming Tomorrow- He's having another strong year at 1st for a team that is about to play my Phillies. Eek!
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