Travis Bazzana’s walk-off overshadowed by Guardians frustrating series against Pirates 

On Saturday night, Travis Bazzana salvaged 16 innings of subpar innings from the Guardians’ offense by finishing off the team’s nightcap against the Pirates with a two-run walk-off home run. 

As Bazzana completed his jaunt around the bases and prepared for his home-plate mobbing, it seemed like his swing could help turn the tide for the Guardians’ scuffling offense. 

But that all went away yesterday thanks to a sluggish 7-1 loss to the Pirates that was one of the most frustrating games the Guardians have played all season. 

Although one game doesn’t define a season, the tonal shift of going from Bazzana calling game on Saturday to the Guardians struggling in all three phases of the game on Sunday was the exact wrong way to start the second half. 

The Guardians started the second half in the worst way possible 

Perhaps the most frustrating part of Sunday’s loss was that the Guardians had some offensive production including seven hits off Paul Skenes. While Skenes hasn’t been the same kind of pitcher that he was in years prior, he’s still one of baseball’s best. 

The Guardians had a chance to go for the kill shot multiple times against him, but they kept getting in their own way, as five of the nine baserunners they had were thrown out on the bases. 

In the end, Skenes ended up becoming the first Pirates pitcher to go seven innings in a game since Braxton Ashcraft at the end of May. 

After the game, manager Stephen Vogt said that the Guardians’ loss included lots of “sloppy execution,” which is a diplomatic way to put it. 

And it would be one thing if the Guardians had a lineup filled with players who have the ability to make up for those mistakes with one swing of the bat. But that simply isn’t the case (and honestly won’t be the case even after José Ramírez and Angel Martínez return from the injured list). 

The Guardians play a game based on pitching, baserunning and timely hitting, and none of those three things showed up on Sunday. 

The loss also included another instance where a Cleveland baserunner was thrown out at home after deciding to go into the plate standing instead of sliding. 

It didn’t end up becoming a huge deal on Saturday because Bazzana homered a batter after Patrick Bailey was thrown out running into home, but Sunday’s instance was a game-breaker. 

With the game tied at one in the fourth inning, Pirates center fielder Billy Cook unleashed a great throw from center field to nab Chase DeLauter, who tried to tip-toe around the tag from Henry Davis but was tagged out before touching home. 

While a DeLauter slide there may not have been the greatest thing given his injury history, he helped the Guardians steal a run earlier this year by sliding into Mariners catcher Mitch Garver and knocking the ball loose. 

The good news for the Guardians is that they’re still in control of a Wild Card spot and are just a game back of the White Sox. But they’re going to need to play better than they did this weekend if they want their season to continue into October. 

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