The Cleveland Guardians were once the kings of the AL Central, enjoying a 4.5-game cushion back in late May and looking much better than their foes. As of Friday, however, they are 59-63, fourth in the division and 4.0 games behind the Chicago White Sox for the lead.
Their debacle has been hard to watch. A highly inconsistent offense that tends to fail with runners in scoring position very often, a leaky bullpen, and some baffling errors and baserunning mistakes have plagued the team.
As a result, Cleveland has lost 15 of their last 20 games. They are 8-17 in the second half and have been defeated in seven of their last nine.
Steven Kwan, one of the few bright spots on the squad at the moment, cherishes the fact that the Guardians are returning home after a rough road trip. He sees it as a perfect time to show something.
“We still have to find out why these things are happening,” Kwan said. “But I think mentally we’re going to still stay dialed. It’s never one of those things where we feel like we’re down and out. It’s just going to recollect, and it’s a nice time to go home.”
Kwan was terrible in the first half when the rest of his teammates were doing the heavy lifting. He has returned to form in impressive fashion, but now the offense as a whole looks unproductive and inconsistent. It’s part of the game, but it’s becoming a frustrating development for Guardians fans.
Kwan is doing his best to help the Guardians win games. Since June 23, he is slashing a robust .366/.443/.455 with a 161 wRC+ after wrapping up the first half with an 81 wRC+. He is leading the offense and getting on base, but Jose Ramirez’s ongoing struggles are significantly affecting the team.
It’s not just J-Ram: Brayan Rocchio virtually stopped hitting since May, Travis Bazzana hasn’t been doing much recently, and no one besides Kwan has been playing at an All-Star level. The bullpen issues have also resulted in some tough losses.
There’s still time for Cleveland to right the ship. It’s slowly running out, though.
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