Guardians find themselves in troubling pattern

The Cleveland Guardians were in position to put an end to an ugly prolonged streak. What was that streak exactly? Consecutive series losses. Cleveland had the opportunity right in their hands and it slipped away yet again. Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase allowed the game-tying run in the 9th and Trevor Stephan was ineffective in the 10th as the Yankees walked it off to send Cleveland home with another series loss.

This was the fifth consecutive series loss for Cleveland, a streak which dates back to their mid-April series win in Washington. Since then it has been losses to Detroit, MIami, Colorado, Boston, and their most recent loss in New York to the Yankees. Boston and New York were expected to be tough matchups, but the series with the Tigers, Marlins, and Rockies are supposed to end up in wins, not losses.

What has been frustrating is the fact that Cleveland was in position to win their previous two series against the Red Sox and Yankees. The Guardians won the first game of both series only to end up losing the next two. Interestingly enough, there were two extra-inning losses in both series. While this was frustrating to watch, having a chance to win is better than where they were previously. Cleveland had to scrape together a win in their final games against Detroit, MIami, and Colorado to avoid being swept.

Guardians offense has not been good enough

A recurring theme this year for the Guardians is their offense not producing enough. During this stretch of five straight series losses, Cleveland has been outscored 59-42. This is an average score of 3.9-2.8. The Guardians have scored more than three runs over their last 15 games just three times while their opponent has nine times. The frequency at which this team is held to three runs or less combined with giving up four runs or more is simply unacceptable.

What it comes down to is the Guardians needing to make adjustments. Adjustments to their approach and how their lineup is constructed. This team does not appear to be able to put up runs in bunches often enough to stay competitive with the better teams in baseball. If things do not change quickly it could be a long underwhelming season at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.