The Cleveland Guardians continue to struggle at the plate in this matchup.
The Cleveland Guardians have the potential to be a playoff contender this season, but their roster still has some glaring flaws. One of the most pressing issues was highlighted in their series opener against the Oakland Athletics: hitting left-handed pitching.
Athletics starter Jeffrey Springs had little trouble shutting down Cleveland’s bats in Friday night’s 5-1 loss. The Guardians managed just three hits off Springs during his 7.1 innings on the mound.
After the game, manager Stephen Vogt spoke openly about the team’s ongoing struggles in this area.
“We’ve had a tough time. Our right-handed hitters just haven’t performed this year, for whatever reason,” Vogt said. “Lane’s been out, and David has missed a good chunk of the season.”
“We just haven’t found our rhythm against lefties. We did get to \[Robbie Ray] the other night, but overall, it’s been a challenge. We’re continuing to work on it, but yeah—it’s definitely been a struggle.”
After their loss to the Athletics, the Guardians’ struggles against left-handed pitching became even more evident. They’re now slashing just .221/.287/.329 with a .616 OPS against southpaws this season.
Injuries to David Fry and Lane Thomas haven’t helped the situation, but Cleveland can’t depend solely on that pair to carry the offense against lefties.
Whether it’s giving players like Daniel Schneemann or Kyle Manzardo more opportunities against left-handed starters, or making broader changes to the lineup when a southpaw is on the mound, the Guardians may need to rethink their approach.
Their next test will come Sunday when they face JP Sears, another left-handed pitcher. It remains to be seen if Stephen Vogt will shake up the lineup in hopes of reversing their continued struggles in this area.
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