The Cleveland Guardians have now lost six of the last seven games and are one loss away from slipping back to .500. The offense has abandoned them despite finally getting healthy as the team has now gotten shut out in three of the last four games, and with the AL Central getting tighter by the day, it’s clear something needs to change in order for the Guardians to make the playoffs and make some noise once they get there.
It’s frustrating seeing the Guardians struggle to go on an extended run since the American League is so wide open this season. Even with this recent skid, the Chicago White Sox haven’t been able to separate much from the pack because they haven’t been playing that well either, but despite the Guardians sitting just 1.5 games back in the division, one analyst doesn’t have a positive outlook on the rest of the season.
During a recent episode of The Really Big Show on ESPN Cleveland, Tony Rizzo tore into the Guardians. He believes they are done and that there is no move to be made that can save them because the offense is beyond repairing.
“I’m looking at this going, ‘Do they have a chance to win anything?’ Hell no, they don’t. I don’t care that the American League sucks. I’m done with that stuff. There are no moves. You’re done. Stick a fork in them. You watched the last four games, and three of them you didn’t score a run. Good night. Closed casket. I don’t want an open casket. You know what the worst part is? That pitching staff is good enough to go to the World Series, and they can’t score a run,” Rizzo said.
"THEY CANT SCORE A RUN," – @TheRealTRizzo is putting a fork in the Guardians 😯 pic.twitter.com/Fnyf1mCgz4
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 29, 2026
Others believe the Guardians could in fact just be one piece away from being a legitimate contender, but it’s hard to agree with that when the offense is at risk of getting shut out on any given day. This was the same issue the team had last year, and even though there have been a lot of encouraging developments from some of the young hitters, this team is prone to extended runs of futility at the plate due to the nature of being so centered around that much young talent.
Rizzo echoed the frustrations that a lot of these fans are dealing with. The offense’s ability to go through depressing lulls has been the defining issue for years and the front office has overly relied on the emergence of young talents to make up for the lack of moves in free agency.
Rhys Hoskins was the big acquisition this offseason and he has been hitting under .180 all season. Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana have been excellent since being called up, but it’s unfair to expect the rookies to carry this team through the summer. The trade deadline is right around the corner, and it’s time for this front office to get aggressive. The team and the fans deserve it.
NEXT: Guardians Reliever Has Quietly Been Electric This Season
