The Cleveland Guardians haven’t been much of an offensive force this season, especially early in games.
However, as much as they have struggled against southpaws and as unimpressive as their offense has been, they’ve actually fared quite decently against righties.
As pointed out by Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com, the Guardians actually hold a pretty decent record against right-handed starters:
“While the Guardians’ struggles against left-handed starters this year are well known, it should be noted that they lead the AL with a 31-23 record against right-handed starters,” Hoynes wrote. “Oakland started righty Mitch Spence against the Guards on Saturday. Vogt countered with a lineup featuring eight left-handed batters, including switch-hitters Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana and Angel Martinez.”
Of course, like what happens with all stats, context also matters.
The Guardians have been much better in the second half of games, making most of their damage after the fifth inning.
That means that, more often than not, the starting pitcher is already out of the equation and not a factor by the time the Guardians get hot at the plate.
Even so, their struggles against lefties have often led to them treading water and trying to come back from big deficits.
At the end of the day, you have to beat the best to be the best, and that also means making adjustments and figuring out a way to beat all teams under any circumstances.
The trade deadline is closing in, and the Guardians aren’t far behind in the AL Wild Card race.
They might even be able to make a run at the top spot in the division, as there’s still plenty of time.
Unfortunately, they have never been known for their aggressive approach at the deadline, and failing to make a big move this year could doom Stephen Vogt’s team to irrelevance.
NEXT: Analyst Reveals Glaring Concern About Guardians' Offense
