The Cleveland Guardians had a golden chance to sweep the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.
However, Ben Lively didn’t have his finest night on the mound and the Royals won it 4-1 behind a very solid start from Seth Lugo.
Cleveland hitters just couldn’t solve Lugo, who pitched seven strong innings of just one run.
Lively, on the other hand, is experiencing one of the toughest stretches of his otherwise solid season.
On Wednesday, he allowed four runs, seven hits and a walk in four frames, striking out three and conceding a painful three-run homer to Tommy Pham.
Even with the loss, the Guardians remain comfortably ahead in the AL Central, 4.5 games up of the Royals and the Minnesota Twins.
To really reach their ceiling, however, Lively needs to be better and he knows it.
“Following the tough outing and the Guardians missing out on the sweep of the Royals, a frustrated Ben Lively knows he’s got to be better and wants to push himself forward,” Bally Sports Cleveland posted on X.
Following the tough outing and the Guardians missing out on the sweep of the Royals, a frustrated Ben Lively knows he's got to be better and wants to push himself forward. #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/tyyyr6gO7z
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) September 5, 2024
Lively has been better than the Guardians expected, with a 4.07 ERA in 135 frames.
However, the last couple of starts have been rough.
Between his last two outings, he has conceded 10 earned runs in 8.1 innings.
With Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Alex Cobb and Matthew Boyd all rounding into form, Lively is the only weak link in the rotation right now and probably the one going to the bullpen once the postseason starts.
There is a lot of value in having him back to top form, though, as he could be the Guardians jack-of-all-trades in October.
NEXT: Guardians Righty Proving He Is A 'Big-Time Pitcher'
