The Cleveland Guardians dropped another tough game to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night, falling 4-1 in a matchup that once again highlighted ongoing offensive struggles.
Cleveland now sits at 3-3 on the young season, and while the pitching has shown encouraging signs, the lack of consistent hitting is starting to become a noticeable trend.
The biggest moment of the night came early, and it involved Chase DeLauter.
The rookie, who had been off to a historic start at the plate, exited the game in the first inning after fouling a pitch off his foot. Manager Stephen Vogt later confirmed that DeLauter suffered a foot contusion. Fortunately, X-rays were negative, but his absence immediately took a spark out of Cleveland’s lineup.
“Chase is sore,” Vogt said. “He has a foot contusion.”
Without one of their hottest hitters, the Guardians struggled to generate offense against Shohei Ohtani, who was dominant on the mound. Ohtani allowed just one hit across six innings, keeping Cleveland off balance.
Tanner Bibee’s performance was one of the few bright spots for Cleveland.
Making his second start of the season, Bibee allowed just one run over four innings while striking out four. After dealing with shoulder discomfort in his previous outing, this was an encouraging step forward, even if he was limited by a pitch count.
“The shoulder was pretty good the entire way,” Bibee said. “Not many issues outside the norm.”
The Guardians bullpen also held its own. New addition Kolby Allard provided a strong relief appearance, striking out five batters in just over two innings and keeping the game within reach.
Still, the story of the night was the offense.
Cleveland managed just two hits in the game and did not score until the ninth inning, when Brayan Rocchio delivered an RBI single to avoid the shutout. It marked the second time in just six games that the Guardians were held to two or fewer hits.
Cleveland #Guardians switch-hitting INF Brayan Rocchio drives in a run in the 9th inning 98.2 mph off the bat tonight vs the Dodgers. #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/IXgb0Wkfq8
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) April 1, 2026
“It’s hard to get anything going when you’ve got only one hit,” Vogt said.
If Cleveland wants to stay competitive, the offense will need to find answers quickly. Getting DeLauter back healthy will help, but the lineup as a whole must become more consistent.
For now, it is clear what the biggest issue is.
The Guardians have the pitching to compete. The question is whether the bats will catch up in time.
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