The Cleveland Guardians were dominated by right-hander Jack Flaherty and lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 on Sunday.
Even in Friday’s win, the Guards’ offense didn’t exactly have a particularly productive night and it’s fair to say the hitters’ performance in this series was mediocre at best.
Between the three games, they crossed the plate a meager five times while the Dodgers scored 12 runs.
You could say that escaping LA with one victory in three games was a best-case scenario considering how poorly the offense played.
On Sunday, Flaherty tossed 7.1 scoreless frames in which he conceded just four hits and no walks, striking out six Guardians.
On the other hand, Tanner Bibee wasn’t bad by any means, but the two runs he surrendered in five frames were enough for the Dodgers to win the game.
.@CleGuardians starter Tanner Bibee talks on the 4-0 loss to the Dodgers on Sunday. #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/Ei8A8GBTgx
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) September 8, 2024
Anthony Gose, who took Scott Barlow’s spot on the 40-man roster on Sunday, conceded the other two runs the Dodgers scored.
Cleveland could only muster six hits, and none of them went for extra-bases.
LA, on the other hand, enjoyed Shohei Ohtani’s 46th home run of the season, while Max Muncy also went yard.
If we consider the Guardians’ last four contests, they have scored just six runs.
They have lost three of those four games.
It looks like their offensive woes are coming back.
They need to react quickly, because the Kansas City Royals swept the Minnesota Twins and are now 2.5 games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead.
Cleveland has been fantastic all year long, but the job is not finished: not even the division is locked up.
NEXT: Guardians Designate Respected Veteran For Assignment
