The Cleveland Guardians keep running into the same problem at the worst possible time: even when one of their top starters gives them a chance, the offense and the rest of the pitching staff can’t quite hold up their end.
That was the story again Friday night at Progressive Field, where San Diego beat Cleveland 7-5. After Parker Messick turned in a strong outing Thursday with little offensive help, Gavin Williams took the ball a day later and couldn’t finish the job. The Guardians are now 59-64 and sitting in fourth place in the AL Central.
The slide is getting harder to ignore. Cleveland has dropped 16 of its last 21, gone 2-8 over its last 10, and is 8-18 since the All-Star break. The club is also 3-9 in August.
Williams looked sharp early, putting up three straight scoreless innings before things started to slip in the fourth and then came apart in the fifth. He lasted 4.1 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits, including two homers, while striking out five and walking four.
Cleveland did jump in front first. Nathaniel Lowe opened the scoring in the bottom of the second with a solo homer, and Brayan Rocchio followed with another solo shot in the third. Lowe wasn’t done there, either, adding an RBI single later in the inning to bring home Steven Kwan and push the Guardians ahead 3-0.
San Diego started chipping away in the fourth when Xander Bogaerts launched a two-run homer to trim the lead to one. Then the fifth inning flipped the game.
Fernando Tatis Jr. tied it with a solo shot to start the frame, and Luis Campusano followed with a two-run double that put the Padres ahead 5-3. Cleveland answered in the sixth on Petey Halpin’s RBI double, but Campusano struck again with another RBI double, and Bogaerts later drove in Jackson Merrill with a sacrifice fly to make it 7-4.
The Guardians picked up one more run in the eighth when Lowe scored on a wild pitch, but that was as close as they got.
Lowe was Cleveland’s bright spot at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, and he fell a triple short of the cycle. Genao and Rocchio each added two hits. Angel Martinez went 0-for-5, and Travis Bazzana was 0-for-4; both struck out twice.
The bullpen gave up two runs over 4.2 innings, with both charged to Colin Holderman. Craig Yoho, Franco Aleman, Tim Herrin, and Matt Festa each worked scoreless outings.
The series continues Saturday at 7:10 pm ET, when Joey Cantillo gets the start for Cleveland.
In Other News...
Guardians May Be Headed For A Payroll Shift Fans Never Expected
With the current MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire after the season, the league and the players union are headed into another tense round of negotiations, and the biggest fight is already clear. Owners want a salary floor, while the MLBPA is pushing back hard against any form of cap, setting up a labor battle that could reshape how teams spend across the sport. For clubs that have long lived with tighter budgets, the stakes are especially high.
If the union winds up accepting a framework closer to the NFLs recent deal, teams such as the Guardians could find themselves under pressure to raise payroll in ways fans have not always expected. That could mean committing more money to contract extensions or making roster moves with spending in mind, a shift that would be a notable departure for a franchise that has often been built around restraint and efficiency rather than big-ticket financial commitments. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Suddenly Have A First Base Decision Fans Will Watch Closely
Clevelands willingness to keep turning to young talent has already been a big part of this season, with 10 players getting promoted to make their MLB debuts, including infielder Angel Genao and second baseman Travis Bazzana, who has already broken through as an AL All-Star. That track record matters now because the Guardians are again staring at a spot where they may want to see what another prospect can do, and first base has become one of the more interesting places on the roster to watch.
Nathaniel Lowe arrived to steady the position after Kyle Manzardo struggled enough to be sent back to Triple-A, but the long-term picture is still unsettled. Ralphy Velazquez, the organizations No. 2 prospect, has put together a strong stretch at Triple-A and could be in line for his first big-league look when rosters expand in September, which would give Cleveland another chance to sort out what it really has at first base. [Read more 🡒]
Daniel Espinos Guardians Absence Suddenly Feels More Complicated
Daniel Espinos first six major league outings earlier this season hinted at why the Guardians have continued to keep such a close eye on him. The fastball velocity has been there, the slider has still played, and for a while it looked like he might be pushing his way into the conversation for a bigger role before long.
August has complicated that picture a bit. His effectiveness has dipped, the strikeout rate has come down, and Cleveland also has reason to be careful with his workload after he has already piled up more innings than he has in a year since 2021, which helps explain why he is still working in Triple-A instead of the big league bullpen. [Read more 🡒]