The Cleveland Guardians are 7-15 in the second half so far. They have lost 13 of their last 17 games, and five of their last six. They have been a disaster in recent weeks, and seem to be collapsing right before our eyes and at the worst possible time.
When a team loses so much, it’s usually several departments and units struggling at the same time as opposed to just one thing. This applies to the Guardians, but one area in particular has been concerning: the bullpen.
According to Joe Noga of Cleveland.com, the bullpen ERA has climbed from 4.00 in the last 22 games of the first half to 5.13 in the first 22 of the second half. If we compare the two samples from a strikeouts standpoint, we see that Cleveland’s relief corps has fanned 8.91 batters per nine innings in the 22 games before the break and 10.38 after it. It’s not a swing-and-miss issue, as you can see.
Control, however, is a major problem these days for the Guardians’ bullpen.
“Cleveland’s bullpen has issued 45 walks since the break, a 61% increase. That’s up from 28 in the previous 22 games. The walk rate has jumped from 3.62 per nine innings to 5.02,” Noga wrote.
Guardians’ relievers have completely lost the zone in the second half so far. It’s hard to win when you walk so many hitters in the late innings, when games are on the line.
The most concerning development is that everyone has been infected with the ‘virus’: closer Cade Smith has eight walks in eight frames since the All-Star break, and Hunter Gaddis is at seven in 7.1 innings.
Left-hander Tim Herrin has issued seven bases on balls in 5.1 innings since the start of the second half, and Erik Sabrowski has six in five frames. Even the usually reliable Colin Holderman has five walks in 9.1 innings.
Newly acquired right-hander Craig Yoho was a mess this past weekend. On Sunday, he walked four while getting just one out.
The Guardians won’t get very far if their relievers continue to walk the ballpark in late-game situations. They need to be confident and aggressive, attacking the zone with no fear, like they (mostly) did in the 22 games prior to the end of the first half.
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