The Guardians needed Tanner Bibee to steady things on Thursday. Instead, their margin got tighter.
Bibee gave up five runs in four innings in a 6-3 loss to the Blue Jays, a result that left Cleveland at 70-70 and clinging to a half-game lead over Toronto for the American League’s final Wild Card spot. Depending on how the Orioles and Rangers finish their games tonight, they could wind up in that same half-game range too. The only break for Cleveland was that the White Sox lost again.
It’s a rough turn for a pitcher who once looked like a September spark plug. Last September, Bibee was electric for the Guardians, posting a 1.30 ERA over 27 2/3 innings as Cleveland chased down the Tigers for the American League Central title. That stretch didn’t just help the team; it also cleaned up his own season line, which entered that month at 4.77 ERA.
This year, though, the story keeps tilting the other way. Bibee now has an MLB-leading 15 losses, and while a lack of run support has certainly played a part, his uneven outings have piled up too. Thursday was a snapshot of the mess: five walks, shaky command, and defense that didn’t help him much.
The trouble started in the second inning, when Bibee issued back-to-back walks to Sean Keys and Josh Smith. He escaped that jam, but only after needing 27 pitches to finish the frame.
Toronto finally broke through in the fourth. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. opened the inning with a walk, and Sean Keys followed with an RBI single. Bibee thought he had Guerrero out on a harmless pop fly down the third-base line, but Angel Genao couldn’t secure the ball in foul territory.
The Blue Jays widened the gap in the next inning, when Nathan Lukes ripped a two-run double off Bibee. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added a sacrifice fly, and Jesús Sánchez chipped in with a bloop single as Toronto seized control.
Bibee has the talent to matter, but the trust level is slipping at the worst possible time. Cleveland already has three ready-made postseason starters in Parker Messick, Gavin Williams and Foster Griffin, which only sharpens the concern.
First, though, the Guardians have to get there. They let a golden chance to put Toronto away slip through this week, and with the standings this tight, they can’t afford to keep giving ground. Losing too many more series from here would put their postseason fate in somebody else’s hands.
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A sloppy second inning turned into the kind of inning that lingers, with Travis Bazzana and Angel Genao both involved in the breakdown that opened the door for the Blue Jays to pile on. Cleveland wound up staring at an 11-0 defeat, and the frustration was not just the final score but the way the Guardians kept giving Toronto extra life when they could least afford it. [Read more 🡒]