Tanner Bibee got a jump on the rest of the Cleveland Guardians’ rotation as the Opening Day starter for the 2026 season. Despite that, he is the last one without a victory.
Bibee dropped to 0-5 with a 6-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Monday. The Guardians have lost seven of his team-leading eight starts this season, only rallying to win the first one against the Seattle Mariners.
Despite a 4.58 ERA that was approaching 7.00 earlier this season, it’s definitely not all Bibee’s fault. They were shut out in his two starts prior to Monday, and they scored just one run in two of the others.
That is why teammate David Fry said he believes the Guardians pitcher deserves more support soon, and there’s really no explanation for the way things have gone for Bibee so far.
“Like a pro. I mean, it’s just … it’s part of the game. I don’t think there’s any like rhyme or reason. It’s just kind of how it’s lined up. It’s also he’s our Opening Day guy, so he gets to pitch against other teams aces. But he’s been delivering for us and pitching really well. And, yeah, I mean, I know at any point we’re gonna turn around and give him a lot of runs,” Fry said, per Mason Horodyski.
#Guardians David Fry was asked how he feels Tanner Bibee handles his starts dispite not getting a ton of run support:
“Like a pro. I mean, it's just… it's part of the game. I don't think there's any like rhyme or reason. It's just kind of how it's lined up. It's also he's our…
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) May 5, 2026
While the Guardians’ offensive shortcomings have been well-documented, their failures when Bibee is on the mound are noticeable. He entered the game Monday with just one run of support in his previous six starts.
Fry gave him an unusual two-run cushion with a home run in the second inning, but Bibee could not protect the lead. Kansas City scored four runs off of him in the fourth inning, with five hits and two walks.
It was the first time in four starts that Bibee had given up more than one run. On April 17 against the Baltimore Orioles, he did not allow a run over six innings, but the Guardians wound up losing 6-4. Cleveland lost to the Houston Astros 2-0 on April 22 and 1-0 to the Tampa Bay Rays on April 28 in other recent games started by Bibee.
The right-hander opened last season with a 4-9 record before winning eight of his last 10 decisions to end the season at 12-11. That included three crucial victories in September during the pennant race.
So, there is still plenty of time for him and the Guardians to turn it around this season, but it would be nice if that first win comes sooner rather than later.
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