The Cleveland Guardians are officially in trouble again.
A 5-0 loss to the Texas Rangers capped another three-game sweep that extended their losing streak to five games.
They’ve also lost eight of their past nine and fallen below .500 for the first time in almost a month.
Asked about that, manager Stephen Vogt admitted that the team was aware of the pressure and what’s at stake right now.
“We feel the urgency,” Vogt said. “We know that we have to get going. We know that we can’t afford to have this stretch last any longer than it has. I don’t think we’re ever going to feel like the season is getting away from us. We’re going to keep fighting every single day until we’re either popping champagne or we’re out of it. That’s who we are. We’re going to fight every single day. We’re going to keep working and keep a positive mindset that we have an opportunity to win today.”
Before this stretch, the Guardians had won five consecutive series and 23 of 32 games to climb back into the AL playoff picture.
They’ve been swept twice and have lost three consecutive series since.
The Guardians are now behind the Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals and Rangers in the race for the final AL Wild Card spot.
They have struggled to get things going at the plate, especially with runners in scoring position.
They were shut out in back-to-back games, something that hadn’t happened since June 26-27.
This team has shown that it has plenty of fight, and the players aren’t going to stop competing regardless of how tough things may seem.
Yet, they might be running out of gas after such a hot streak.
Without star closer Emmanuel Clase, and with All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan struggling at the plate, they may not have enough to get over the hump and close out this roller-coaster season with a playoff berth.
NEXT: Stats Show Concerning Trend For Steven Kwan Since Trade Deadline
