The Cleveland Guardians were cruising until the eighth inning, benefiting from an incredible pitching performance by Tanner Bibee, but manager Stephen Vogt left him in a little longer than he should, and he ended up paying the price. The Arizona Diamondbacks won 4-1 on Friday night at Progressive Field, as Cleveland’s record fell to 56-55 heading into the final weekend before the trade deadline.
Bibee had been magnificent through seven innings, surrendering no runs and just two hits, with no walks and two strikeouts. Vogt, however, opted to try and get another inning from his starter, and after getting one out, he allowed a single and a walk before departing.
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— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) August 1, 2026
Erik Sabrowski, far from putting out the fire, conceded two hits and a walk without getting a single out, resulting in the two inherited runners and two of his own scoring. Matt Festa solved the inning by getting the last two outs, but the damage was done.
The Guardians scored their only run of the game in the opening frame. With one out, Jose Ramirez walked and then stole second base, from where he scored on Rhys Hoskins’ RBI single.
The Guardians offense didn’t do much, in large part because Diamondbacks starter Mitch Bratt limited them to just one run in five innings. The D-Backs’ bullpen was also solid, unlike Cleveland’s.
Bibee actually opened the eighth inning with a strikeout, but he walked Tim Tawa after that. Then, he surrendered a single to Ryan Waldschmidt. Sabrowski then entered the action, walked Corbin Carroll, and surrendered a game-tying single to Geraldo Perdomo.
Angel Martinez’s error on Gabriel Moreno’s batted ball brought two more runs, and another single, this time by Ketel Marte, put the fourth run of the inning on the scoreboard. That last one was against Festa.
Bibee went from a scoreless outing to a final line of 7.1 innings and two runs, both earned. Still solid, but his offense, defense, and bullpen all let him down.
The Guardians were limited to just three hits all night: two by Steven Kwan at the bottom of the lineup, and the RBI knock by Hoskins. It’s clear that they need to bring in someone to bolster the offense before the deadline.
The Guardians and the D-Backs will do it again on Saturday. The home club will send Parker Messick to the mound to try and get them back into the win column. Kohl Drake will take the hill for Arizona.
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