The Cleveland Guardians entered the 2025 MLB season with some big questions about their rotation.
They had one of the best – if not the best – bullpens in the game, but the same couldn’t be said of the starters.
That’s why it’s been so refreshing to see them turn the corner and look much better over the past week or so.
Even though the team went 1-2 in their three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies, it was mostly because of a lack of offensive support, as Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, and Luis L. Ortiz all looked the part.
When asked about them, manager Stephen Vogt raved about their improvement and growth:
“The word that comes to mind is ‘growth,'” Vogt said when asked about the rotation. “It’s not always going to be perfect. It’s not always going to be where we want it to be. It’s about development. These guys are developing at the big leagues and that’s really hard to do. Those last three starts have been incredible, and we’re looking for the same from Ben [Lively] tonight [vs. Milwaukee]. He’s coming off a good start, too.”
All three starters combined to go 1-2 with a 1.00 ERA, allowing just two earned runs in 18 innings.
They also struck out 20 hitters, allowed 13 hits, and gave up six bases on balls.
That’s an encouraging sign, and while there’s plenty of baseball to be played this season, it seems like they’re finally heading in the right direction.
Even so, the overall numbers are far from impressive.
So far, they’ve gone 11-14 with a 4.34 ERA, which is good for 12th in the entire American League.
They also rank No. 11 in strikeouts (181).
On a positive note, they’re first in walks with just 98.
This team should get a prime reinforcement on the mound at some point when Shane Bieber returns.
In the meantime, everybody else will just have to pick up the slack and do their part.
Hopefully, they will be able to build on this momentum.
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