The Cleveland Guardians are 10-14 in one-run games this season after losing 2-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals
The Cleveland Guardians are currently one of the most unique teams in baseball.
They have one of if not the worst, offenses in MLB, but at the same time have some incredible starting pitching led by Shane Bieber and rookie Tanner Bibee. Cleveland is in the unique position of being seven games under .500, yet somehow are still in a position to lead the AL Central with one week of perfect baseball.
But that's the problem. They have to be absolutely perfect.
Cleveland has tremendous pitching, but a poor offense (to put it lightly) which has put a lot of pressure on every part of the team. The Guardians have played in 24 one-run games in which they own a 10-14 record, making their margin for error minuscule.
Friday night's loss to the St. Louis Cardinals highlights this perfectly. The Guardians fell to the interleague opponent with a final score of 2-1.
Cleveland pitchers threw a 10-inning, two-hitter against Cardinals batters. Their top three Lars Nootbaar, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Gorman combined wo got 0-13 and had no answers for Guardians pitching all night.
So how did the Cardinals get their runs? From a couple of mistakes gifted to them by Cleveland.
Tanner Bibee pitched another gem as he solidifies himself in the rotation. His only mistake was a hanging-breaking ball that Brendan Donovan crushed for a home run.
The second run of the game also came from Donovan. The outfielder was placed at second base due to the extra innings rule and he immediately stole third base. Donovan then scored on a past ball allowed by David Fry.
Two runs on two mistakes might not always lead to a loss for a team. However, it's a different story for the Guardians. They don't have the luxury of making a mistake whether that be the starting pitchers, an error in the field, or a poor at bat.
Guardians pitching has put the team in a position to win a number of games, but the offense has struggled to do much of anything to help.
If Cleveland is going to win games, they need to be spotless, immaculate, flawless, perfect, or any other word you decide to substitute there.
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Photo Credit © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
