Another day, another game when the Guardians’ pitching let down a strong offensive performance.
On Friday, Cleveland dropped the first of a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins 12-8.
This time, the culprits were starter Aaron Civale and reliever Bryan Shaw.
Pitch Poor-fect
Civale made it four and two-thirds.
The righty starter was gashed for two runs in the first, before a nine-run fifth inning made any chance for a win nearly impossible for Cleveland.
Civale was on the hook for four runs in that fifth inning.
Shaw, on the other hand, accounted for five earned runs in the same frame.
And even more remarkable, Shaw coughed up five runs without recording a single out.
Not exactly inspiring stuff.
Both were understandably crushed on social media.
Last night has to be the final straw. Clearly the time has come to send Aaron Civale to the minors. He's been horrendous this year. In his last 14 starts (going back to mid-June last year) he has made it 5 or more innings and allowed 3 or less runs just twice.
— Adam the Bull (@AdamtheBullFAN) May 14, 2022
Aaron Civale rn pic.twitter.com/raiSwwH2It
— Cleveland’s Fake ESPN 44-38 (Off-season) (@CAVS4MVP) May 14, 2022
Time to be concerned about Aaron Civale?
🥶 5+ IP in 1 of 6 GS in 2022
🥶 4+ runs allowed in all 6 GS
🥶 6+ runs allowed in 3 of last 4 GS
🥶 1+ HR allowed in 5 consecutive GS
🥶 6+ hits allowed in 4 consecutive GS— Jensen Lewis (@JLEWFifty) May 14, 2022
Aaron Civale's rough start to 2022 continues. He allowed 2 ER through the first 4 innings and then had his outing unravel in the 5th, giving up 2 more runs before walking off the mound and then having a couple more tacked onto his line via Sanchez's 3-run HR off Bryan Shaw.
— Ryan Lewis (@ByRyanLewis) May 14, 2022
Me in the car with my fiance at the start of the game: with Carl Willis as manager maybe we won't see Bryan Shaw in a high stakes scenario tonight.
Me right now: pic.twitter.com/y6p025z2Pl
— Nicole 🤙🏼8️⃣0️⃣🏒1️⃣7️⃣🎮 (@derprah) May 14, 2022
they signed Bryan Shaw for his bullpen morale impact…
when other pen arms see him pitch, their confidence skyrockets
— Gage (@GageEHC) May 14, 2022
this is now an account devoted to petitioning for the removal of bryan shaw from our pitching staff
— Evamarie (@RiveraEvamarie) May 14, 2022
Bryan Shaw gave up 7 runs on 15 pitches. That’s incredible.
— Kevin (@KevinCle24) May 14, 2022
Aside from the 7 runs allowed on 2 home runs, Bryan Shaw pitched pretty well tonight! pic.twitter.com/AFSNg4ERF0
— C0RY (@c0ry024) May 14, 2022
Batters Up
It was too bad, considering the Guardians got a strong game from the offense.
José Ramirez, Andrés Giménez, and Oscar Mercado all went for multiple RBIs.
Owen Miller, for his part, walked three times.
In the top of the ninth, the Twins nursed a solid 12-6 lead.
But a two-run homer from Giménez made things a little interesting.
Some Cleveland fans might have even remembered Josh Naylor’s performance earlier in the week.
Was there reason to be cautiously optimistic?
No.
For starters, Naylor’s bat didn’t make it to the stadium.
Naylor and a slew of Guardians players and coaches tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week, making them unavailable for ten days, per the MLB’s COVID protocols.
The team could have used a little extra offensive juice this game, especially given how poor the pitching was.
Interim Manager Carl Willis was also lambasted for his decision to go with Bryan Shaw in relief.
I guess the Cy Young magnet is good at coaching pitchers, but maybe not selecting them?
It was a tough night for the Guardians, who are not just trying to keep pace with the Twins, but also catch the second place Chicago White Sox.
Fortunately, the Sox dropped a game to the Yankees Friday night, meaning Cleveland and Chicago are in a dead heat for second.
But both are a full three games out of first, and every loss by Cleveland to Minnesota puts more distance between the two squads.
Fortunately, the Guardians are winning the offensive race.
Unfortunately, Cleveland’s pitching has been a real let down so far.
The Guardians boast the league’s sixth-worst ERA.
In other categories like hits, homers, and opponent batting percentage, the team is average at best, mediocre at worst.
Franmil Reyes is no longer the biggest question mark on this team; it’s the pitching.
Getting a pit in your stomach every time the Manager makes a call to the pen is not a promising sign.
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