Tanner Bibee Makes Unfortunate Guardians History

The Cleveland Guardians lost Monday’s game in the first couple of innings. Tanner Bibee, the starter against the Washington Nationals, surrendered six runs in the first two frames and seven in total, including a shocking five home runs.

His ERA went from 3.75 to 4.57 after the disastrous outing, in which he was only able to give Cleveland three innings. He was so bad on Monday that he made history, the kind that no pitcher wants to make.

“Bibee became the first Cleveland player to allow five home runs in the first three innings of a game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He tied a franchise record by allowing five home runs and became only the fourth Cleveland pitcher to allow five home runs in a start,” team insider Tim Stebbins wrote.

Home runs have become quite a problem for Bibee these days. As of Tuesday afternoon, the right-hander is tied for third-most long balls allowed in the majors, with 12. Only Jameson Taillon (17) and Robbie Ray (13) have conceded more than him.

Bibee has some solid secondaries, but his fastball is hittable. Still, the pitch hasn’t been the issue this year: it’s the cutter.

Bibee has surrendered one homer off his four-seam fastball, but seven off his cutter. The pitch is getting him some swing and misses, sure, but when he leaves it in the fat part of the zone, hitters take advantage.

Bibee needs to make adjustments as soon as possible to try to avoid nights like Monday’s. He had been on a solid run before that game, though, so the Guardians are hoping it’s just a blip and nothing more.

He might not have the ceiling of an ace anymore, like he used to at an earlier point in his career, but Bibee can be a solid mid-rotation starter for the Guardians if he can find a way to avoid so many home runs.

The team is counting on him to bounce back strong and eventually regain his top form. They need him at his best because their starting pitching depth doesn’t exactly give them similarly talented options to choose from.