The Cleveland Guardians have a major starting pitching problem

Before the season even began, everyone knew that the Cleveland Guardians' starting rotation had the potential to be an issue. This was a group that they managed to get by with last year, and the hope was that they would receive better performances this time around. Unfortunately, that has not been the case, and the prospect of managing to get by seems to be nothing more than a pipe dream at the moment.

Through 18 games, Logan Allen is currently the only Guardians starting pitcher with an ERA below 4.50 (2.30 in three starts). Meanwhile, Tanner Bibee (5.85), Gavin Williams (4.58), and Luis Ortiz (6.06) have posted some forgettable performances. Ben Lively (4.85) has mostly performed as expected, which is normally fine, but with the rest of the rotation performing at their current level, it becomes somewhat of a problem.

Yes, Ortiz has rebounded nicely since his disastrous team debut, which saw him get rocked by the Padres in San Diego, and that does deserve some recognition. With that being said, pitching well against the Los Angeles Angels and Kansas City Royals is what is somewhat expected. If Ortiz pitches well on Friday night in Pittsburgh, that would be a positive, but again, shutting down the current version of the Pirates is not exactly an accomplishment.

Any success the Guardians experience this season hinges on two starters and two starters only - Bibee and Williams. Right now, both have struggled, with Bibee alternating between shutting an opponent out and giving up six runs or more, while Williams has experienced his fair share of trouble when facing teams other than the Chicago White Sox (14.2 IP, 9 ER, 13 H, 11 K, 8 BB, 3 HR). Logic suggests that both will rebound, but this needs to happen quickly if the Guardians are going to keep their heads above water in the early going.

Now, this may seem like panic mode is imminent, and well, it's close but not quite there yet. An appropriate description here would be deeply concerned with the potential for panic to set in relatively soon if things do not change for the better. The Guardians certainly have enough talent in their rotation, they just need those who are underperforming to start pitching to their true talent levels. Time is not their friend right now, and they will need this to happen soon if they are going to avoid digging themselves a hole they will not be able to get out of.