The Cleveland Guardians had an important doubleheader against the Arizona Diamondbacks at home on Wednesday.
They wound up losing both games 7-3 and 5-3, with trade acquisition Lane Thomas striking out with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning in the second contest.
Thankfully for the Guardians, the Minnesota Twins also lost on Wednesday.
The Guards lead is now 3.5 games, but they have lost five in a row and aren’t playing their finest baseball at the moment.
Tough day at the ballpark for #Guardians who get swept 7-3 & 5-3 by the D-backs. They've dropped a season-high 5 straight
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) August 7, 2024
Cleveland’s weakest link, the starting rotation, didn’t put the team in a position to win as both Ben Lively and Carlos Carrasco conceded four runs each.
Of course, the offensive output wasn’t the one the team hoped for going into the field on Wednesday: three runs in each game won’t cut most times.
Brandon Pfaadt dominated Cleveland’s bats in the first end of the doubleheader, tossing 6.1 innings of two runs allowed.
The Guardians hoped for better results in the second game against a pitcher making his season debut after a long injury layoff: Eduardo Rodriguez.
Despite hitting two homers against him, E-Rod earned the win and tossed 5.2 frames of three runs.
The Guards haven’t exactly been a model of consistency in recent weeks: before their current five-game losing streak, they won five in a row.
Now, they will rest on Thursday and take on the Twins in a huge four-game series on the weekend.
There is a wide range of outcomes for these two squads on Monday: the Guards could be enjoying a huge lead or lose it altogether.
NEXT: Guardians Insider Reveals Pitching Plans For A Busy Week
