The Cleveland Guardians continue to struggle at the plate.
Their issues were on full display again when they hosted Terry Francona and the Cincinnati Reds.
In a throwback game from the Francona era, the Guardians failed to score a single run, and they could only get four runners on base when Reds starter Andrew Abbot was out there.
The Guardians only got three hits and one walk, and raised even more questions about this team’s chances this season.
Notably, that’s why Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com expressed his major concerns regarding this team’s roster:
“Josh Naylor, Andres Gimenez and Tyler Freeman are the big names gone from last year’s team. Will Brennan (Tommy John surgery) is out for the season,” Hoynes wrote. “It’s debatable if that makes the 2025 Guardians a completely different team. One thing that can’t be debated is that they’re a team in trouble, a team that needs more than one hot hitter to breathe, relax and find itself again.”
Stephen Vogt’s team is trending down right now.
They’ve won just 5 of their last 15 games, and they now sit in third place in the American League Central and just outside of the Wild Card picture.
They’ve averaged just 3.47 runs per game during that span, which is the third-worst mark in the Majors.
They also rank in the bottom third in average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and OPS.
Only Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez, and Gabriel Arias are hitting .250 or better, with Carlos Santana, Kyle Manzardo, and Daniel Schneemann giving a helping hand every now and then.
Now, with Reds star Nick Lodolo set to take the mound on Wednesday, the Guardians may have a tough time bouncing back and shaking off this offensive slump.
The trade deadline is looming large, and if the front office still believes this team can make a deep postseason run, they will have to make some major moves before it’s too late.
NEXT: Bruce Drennan Reveals Guardians' Solution To No. 2 Hitter
