The Cleveland Guardians have the best record in baseball and lead the extremely competitive AL Central by 3.5 games. However, multiple Guardians pitchers are dealing with injury issues and the team has now lost three straight games.
The most impactful injury for Cleveland involves ace Tanner Bibee, who missed his scheduled start last Saturday due to tightness in his shoulder. Fortunately for the Guardians, Bibee was cleared to play catch on Monday and it’s possible he could return to the mound without landing on the injured list, according to MLB.com.
The 25-year-old righty is having an excellent sophomore season for the Guardians after finishing as the runner up for Rookie of the Year honors in 2023. Bibee boasts a 9-4 record and a 3.48 ERA, 1.093 WHIP and 2 WAR in 22 starts so far this year. Along with fellow starter Ben Lively, Bibee has held Cleveland’s rotation together.
The Guardians lost Shane Bieber early in the season as the former Cy Young Award winner underwent Tommy John surgery. A combination of injuries and poor performances have led to the staff being one of the weakest in baseball. The Guardians' starting pitchers rank 24th or worse in ERA, quality starts, batting average against, WHIP and WPA.
The Guardians hope Tanner Bibee can avoid an IL stint
To address this issue, Cleveland signed former Detroit Tigers’ starter Matthew Boyd in June and then brought in veteran Alex Cobb in a trade deadline deal with the San Francisco Giants. However, Boyd and Cobb have yet to make their 2024 debuts as each is recovering from surgery and rehabbing in the minors.
The Guardians have somehow managed to navigate the dearth of available starters as the team is 25 games above .500 entering play on Tuesday. They own the best record in baseball, with a half-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees. And Cleveland holds first place in the AL Central with a 3.5 game lead over division rivals the Minnesota Twins. Although the team has lost three-straight games, they’re 8-5 over their last 13.
As for Bibee, the team is hopeful he’ll be able to get in a bullpen session after playing catch. “We anticipate he’ll be ready to go … but we need to go through the proper steps,” Guardians’ manager Stephen Vogt noted, per MLB.com.
The Guardians have serious postseason aspirations. But if Cleveland is going to make a meaningful run in the playoffs, they need to get more out of their rotation to take pressure off of their relievers.
The Guardians’ bullpen has been the best in baseball this year, leading MLB in ERA, WHIP, batting average against and WPA. They’re also one of the most overworked units, tossing the eighth most innings. Any hope of postseason success hinges on Cleveland’s rotation getting healthy. Even then, there is uncertainty as two starters the team will likely be depending on over the second half and into the playoffs have yet to throw a big league pitch in 2024.
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