Cleveland Guardians snap losing skid with much-needed 9-8 win over Athletics

It might have seemed like it would never happen again, but your Cleveland Guardians are finally back in the win column.

The Cleveland Guardians finally snapped their seven-game losing skid Friday night, beating the Oakland Athletics in a wild, back-and-forth 9-8 game.

The slumping Guardians offense certainly showed signs of life, as they had eleven hits, which included five doubles and three home runs. José Ramírez hit a solo shot in the first inning and continues to lead all of baseball with 28 RBIs. Andrés Giménez hit a grand slam in the third, and Josh Naylor hit a two-run homer in the seventh that would put Cleveland on top for good.

Despite what has been an extremely tough week for the team, the Guardians still have the second-highest batting average in the AL at. 250. Even with the struggles of a few guys in the lineup, that average isn’t all that surprising when guys like Ramírez, Giménez, Naylor, Owen Miller, Steven Kwan, and Myles Straw all have OPS+ numbers way above the league-average mark of 100.

Hidden in the good news are the continuing concerns surrounding both designated hitter Franmil Reyes and starting pitcher Aaron Civale, who gave up six runs in four innings of work Friday night.

Civale’s ERA has now ballooned up to 10.67 in four starts, as basically nothing is working for him right now. It might only be a matter of time before he finally settles in, but the fact remains that he’s getting tattooed every time out. At some point, you have to wonder if Eli Morgan might get another look in the rotation if Civale’s struggles continue.

All that being said, Trevor Stephan had another excellent two innings in relief and and has yet to give up an earned run or issue a walk in his ten innings of work this season. He’s going to be a gem for this bullpen.

For Franmil Reyes, there isn’t much more to be said about his struggles other than you might want to avert your eyes when he comes to the plate. After an 0-for-5 night with four more strikeouts, Reyes’ line sits at .135/.169/.216, and he’s accumulated 18 strikeouts in his last 27 at-bats. Manager Terry Francona has begun to drop him in the order, but Reyes might need a few days off here and there to try and reset his mind.

Still, though, the Guardians are now back in the win column, which is all that matters after the week they just had.