The Cleveland Guardians’ offense was expected to be the team’s primary shortcoming, and so far in the early stages of the 2026 MLB season, it is living down to those low expectations. However, there have been some encouraging signs lately, and help may also be on the way.
Despite scoring just 32 runs in their first 10 games, the Guardians have won six of them and are in first place in the AL Central as the only team in the division that’s above .500. However, that is unlikely to be sustainable if the lineup doesn’t produce at least a little bit more.
With that in mind, Guardians executive Matt Forman is sending a confident message about the team’s offense, saying that “we can and will get better” with improvement from within.
“We need to be better offensively. Our goal is certainly not to be 28th in run scoring. So, our belief is that we can and will get better with the players that are in the organization,” Forman said.
"We can and will get better with the players that are in the organization." #GuardsBall
Matt Forman, Guardians Assistant GM, says the team is sticking to internal development instead of outside additions 👀
Is that the right move… or should they be more aggressive? pic.twitter.com/uZrycCOGix
— Bruce Drennan Show (@Bruce_Drennan) April 5, 2026
After ranking among the worst teams in the majors in runs scored last season, the Guardians enter play on Monday tied for 25th. All but one of the teams below them have played just nine games.
Cleveland has not scored more than six runs in any game, and has been shut out twice and scored one run twice, accounting for its four losses. Among its regular starting lineup, only rookie phenom Chase DeLauter has a batting average above .216.
Not only that, the Guardians have been almost no-hit twice, including in a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs in the opening game of a doubleheader on Sunday. In fact, if not for a misjudged fly ball by Cubs right fielder Michael Conforto, which fell over his head to give CJ Kayfus a double, the Guardians arguably would have been no-hit.
They then failed to score in the first five innings of the second game before rallying for a 6-5 victory. Fortunately, the pitching staff has been giving Cleveland a chance to win almost every time out, with just 36 runs allowed.
The Guardians’ lineup could get a boost with the return of outfielder George Valera, who is in the minors recovering from a calf strain suffered in spring training, and the eventual promotion of infielder Travis Bazzana, who is off to a good start at Triple-A, so hopefully, better times are ahead.
NEXT: Guardians Announce Tuesday's Game Time Has Been Changed
