When the Cleveland Guardians pitching catches up to the offense, things are going to be fun

The Cleveland Guardians’ pitching will catch up to the offense.

The Cleveland Guardians offense has been nailing it this season. The changes to the lineup with Myles Straw and Steven Kwan at the top of the order, the emergence of Owen Miller as a real player, and Jose Ramirez’s domination have really sealed the offense as being “good”. Then you have Josh Naylor returning from injury on fire, Andres Gimenez looking like a real player, and Amed Rosario returning to form as well.

Really, on a day-to-day basis, only Franmil Reyes and Austin Hedges look like issues.

Heading into Wednesday, May 11, the Guardians’ offense was third in team batting average, second in team RBIs, fifth in team hits, sixth in doubles hit, fourth in total bases, 4th in fewest strikeouts (they’d be first without Franmil Reyes), sixth in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging, and fourth in OPS.

To say the Guardians’ offense is really good is really an understatement. How do I know this? Unlike man of the teams ahead of them, the Guards aren’t relying on the home run ball, only coming in 16th in the league in home runs hit. Of the top five scoring teams, only two, The Guardians and Dodgers, don’t have 30 home runs yet as a team.

Home runs are a fancy stat that people love to see, but relying solely on them is a sign of a weak offense. The Guardians don’t need to hurt pitchers with home run balls, and that’s what makes them so dangerous. They’re going to find holes and they’re going to make pitchers pay.

The Guardians’ pitching, on the other hand, is rough. They’re 23rd in the league in ERA (4.05), 9th in earned runs given up, 14th in home runs given up, 14th in walks, dead last in shutouts, and only 19th in strikeouts. This may give you some pause about the pitching staff quality but keep some things in mind.

Some reasons to be optimistic about the Guardians pitching

First, pitching takes longer to come back to start a season and the MLB started late and had a shortened spring training. Meaning a lot of pitchers are still finding their groves.

Secondly, they’re in the middle of many key stats, not at the bottom. Meaning the pitching staff has been inconsistent; not outright bad.

Thirdly, the Guardians are tied for fifth in the league in quality starts. This isn’t a team that isn’t getting good starts from their rotation. That’s a strong sign that this is a time issue, not a talent issue.

Fourthly and finally, the defense has been bad. The Guardians are 13th in errors and 18th in fielding percentage. As players settle in at their new positions, guys will become more comfortable and fielding will balance out.

This is a team on the verge of busting through and dominating the league. just be patient.