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Another no-show by the Guardians bats in 1-0 loss to Blue Jays

By James Mastrucci

Philadelphia Phillies v Cleveland Guardians
Philadelphia Phillies v Cleveland Guardians / Brandon Sloter/GettyImages
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Another day and another Guardians game which features a complete lack of offense. Cleveland’s pitching staff held Toronto to just one run, but even that was too much as the Guardians failed to score a single run.

Logan Allen did his job for the most part, aside from the one pitch he would like to have back that George Springer sent over the wall. Even still, only one run allowed from a starter should be a scenario that results in the Guardians winning the game.

It is almost comical at this point. How can a team continue to be this offensively inept? The fact that Josh Naylor is currently injured is not helping matters. Naylor is the best hitter on the team besides Jose Ramirez and is an impact player in the lineup on a near-daily basis.

While the front office attempted to bolster the lineup by adding thump in Mike Zunino and Josh Bell, neither player worked out here. Zunino was a complete dud and is still a free agent. It is also probably not a good idea to look at Bell’s stat line in Miami. In a series of events that was very much expected, someone remembered how to hit. Even if it is just a short burst, something he is prone to, it is a bit infuriating. 

It is no wonder why those on a national level believe that the best-case scenario for this Guardians team the rest of the season is the development of Bo Naylor. This team trails by just 4.5 games, which is not an insurmountable lead. But it is nights such as this that contending for the division is not considered realistic by those who cover the sport nationally.

Speaking of which, the Minnesota Twins lost again. It has been a pattern all season long that refuses to end. Opportunities to cut into the lead or even surpass the most fraudulent division leader of them all continue to be presented to the Guardians, and nothing is made of them. It would be one thing if Cleveland trailed by a much larger margin, but the fact they keep staying within reach makes last night's loss all the more frustrating.