The Cleveland Guardians need Slade Cecconi to go back to what worked for him earlier in the season.
He hasn’t been as sharp as of late, and his outing against the Atlanta Braves was the worst of the season.
He was tagged for eight runs (six earned) on 10 hits and two walks in just 4.2 innings.
It was the most runs and hits he’s allowed through his 16 starts of the campaign.
Notably, this performance came on the heels of another tough outing against the Chicago White Sox last weekend.
He gave up five runs (including two home runs) on eight hits in just three innings.
That’s why he shared a candid opinion of his recent performances, and he clearly wasn’t satisfied at all:
“I’m not getting ahead of hitters,” Cecconi said of the past two starts. “That’s really what it boils down to. When you put these hitters in advantage counts constantly, it doesn’t matter how good your stuff is. They’ll find ways to make you pay. I need to get ahead, and I need to be able to execute in those 0-0 counts. [That’s the] biggest takeaway for me.”
The Guardians need Cecconi to find his previous form.
He’s established himself as a steady contributor to Stephen Vogt’s rotation for the past couple of months.
With Ben Lively out due to a Tommy John surgery and Luis L. Ortiz on the shelf due to a sports gambling investigation, he took a big leap and was a reliable part of the rotation.
Cecconi logged a 3.72 ERA with 69 strikeouts and 23 walks over 82.1 innings in his first 14 starts of the season.
Then, he’s given up 13 runs (11 earned) on 18 hits over 7.2 innings in his past couple of games, which translates to a 12.91 ERA.
The Guardians can’t afford to fall behind at this point in the season.
This was just their first series loss in the past six, and the fact that it came against a contender raises some questions about their recent winning streak.
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