Cleveland Guardians 4 biggest disappointments at 2022 quarter pole

3. Cleveland Guardians disappointment: Aaron Civale

For as bad as Plesac’s been, Aaron Civale has been the wickets link in the rotation up to the quarter pole.

Civale was leading the league in wins when he got injured a season ago, but this year? He’s 2-3 with a 7.48 ERA. He just went on the IL with soreness in his left flute. Konnor Pilkington, a prospect the Guards picked up in the Cesar Hernandez trade last summer, will get the start.

Also concerning: Opposing batters are hitting a whopping .297 off his stuff, which is insanely high, considering the league haver is in the .230s. No one had Civale tapped for the Cy Young Award, but he always seemed like a dependable rotation piece. That just hasn’t been the case in 2022.

Hopefully he puts it together after the injury, because if the Guardians are going to keep the summer interesting, Francona will have to get more out of his rotation.

The starters are a big reason I thought the Guards could at least contend for a Wild Card spot, but with Plesac and Civale dealing meatballs, it’s hard to keep pace.