Tanner Bibee is on the bump tonight for the Guards. Bibee has been solid in his last two starts going 13 2/3’s while giving up 3 runs with one win and one loss. It is being reported that Triston McKenzie and Aaron Civale are getting close to returning, but even with them returning to the rotation, I don’t see Bibee going anywhere.
Everybody in Cleveland fandom is ready to throw Josh Bell off the Guardians roster because of the frustration with his lack of offensive production. Bell has not hit a home run in the month of May, has only scored seven runs all season, and only has 21 RBIs to boot. With that said, he is on-base percentage is 4th on the team, and his hits are 5th. Yes, Bell is struggling for sure and needs to do better, but on this 2023 Cleveland Guardians roster, he is “par for the course.” His numbers are down, but similar struggles to everybody else.
If the Guardians win tonight, it will be their first back-to-back victories in two weeks. The last time Cleveland won back-to-back was May 13th and 14th over the Angels.
Considerable attention has been directed toward the struggling offense of the Cleveland Guardians, and rightfully so. As the reigning champions of the American League Central, their scoring average of merely 3.46 runs per game places them at the bottom of the league in runs, hits, home runs, slugging, and on-base percentage.
However, despite their below-.500 record, the Guardians find themselves in a middling position within the standings of the lackluster Central division. One possible explanation for this could be attributed to Cleveland’s underrated bullpen, which has received little acclaim. Fortunately, this bullpen is well-rested and prepared as the Guardians gear up to face the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night, marking the second game of their three-game series.
When it comes to bullpen performance, Cleveland boasts the fifth-best earned run average (ERA) in the major leagues, standing at an impressive 3.28. Additionally, they have conceded a mere 139 hits, which places them second only to the Houston Astros in this category.
The Cardinals are currently facing the challenge of finding players who feel “refreshed” due to the demanding schedule. Manager Oliver Marmol has a limited number of players who haven’t been under immense strain, having played 15 games in as many days since their last day off on May 11. Despite this, St. Louis has managed to achieve a record of 10-5 during this period.
Following the two remaining games in Cleveland, the Cardinals will return home to play two games against the Kansas City Royals. Fortunately, they will finally get the rare luxury of having two consecutive days off starting on May 31.
While everyone on the team is feeling the effects of playing 19 games in a row. They are aware of the several games they have to endure before their much-needed rest but remain determined to persevere. The main issue they face is fatigue, which impacts their performance more than anything else.
On Saturday, right-hander Jack Flaherty (3-4, 5.29 ERA) will be the starting pitcher for the Cardinals, facing the impressive rookie Tanner Bibee (1-1, 3.18) of the Guardians. It will be Bibee’s sixth start in his MLB career and his first time facing St. Louis.
Flaherty has previously encountered the Guardians twice in his seven-year career, both times in St. Louis. Unfortunately, he holds a record of 0-1 with a 5.00 ERA against Cleveland and has surrendered three home runs in nine innings against them.
Both St. Louis and Cleveland have struggled out of the gates as both teams have been very inconsistent this season. Bibee has been a bright spot for the Guardians in his rookie season and I do expect him to have success against the Cardinals here. However, Cleveland struggles to get any offense going as getting on base has an issue for the Guardians. Although Flaherty has been hit hard as of late, he should be able to have success against the Guardians lineup which strikes out a ton and doesn’t walk much. As for St. Louis, their lineup has some power hitters and a great offense that should be able to get timely hits and get the win. The Guardians are also a brutal 10-14 at home.
Our Pick: Take the Guardians to win 5-4.
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