CLEVELAND — The up-and-down start of the season for Guardians ace Tanner Bibee seems to be leveling out.
Although the Guardians suffered a 7-1 interleague loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, May 10, it wasn’t because of Bibee (3-3), who did all he could in another great outing. The right-hander gave up one run (earned) on five hits with three strikeouts in seven innings.
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Yes, he took the loss. No, he shouldn’t have.
“He was outstanding,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said of Bibee. “He was keeping them off balance. They had the one inning where they got something going, scored the one run, but outside of that he was efficient and he gave us a great chance to win. I can’t say enough about the job Tanner did tonight.”
The one run came on a one-out single by Kyle Schwarber in the fourth inning that extended his on-base streak to 45 games.
Other than a double off the left-field wall by Bryce Harper, the Phillies found very little success against Bibee.
“He attacked the zone and used all of his pitches,” Vogt said. “The sinker cutter combo has really become a good weapon for him and the sweeper and changeup off of that has been really good. He’s been pitching really well. He gave us a chance to win.”
Cleveland Guardians starter Tanner Bibee throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 10, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Tanner Bibee’s last four starts show his greatness
Since a six-run, four-walk, three-home run game against Baltimore on April 17, Bibee has been solid, if not spectacular.
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In starts against the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays and Phillies since then, Bibee has looked a lot more like the starter who went 22-12 with 328 strikeouts over the last two seasons.
“I think the first month of the season was definitely a roller coaster,” Bibee said. “I feel like I’ve been able to get to my base and have something where I can lean on every single outing. I feel like now it’s been a steady incline.”
Cleveland Guardians starter Tanner Bibee throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 10, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Tanner Bibee has been getting into the late innings for Guardians
Over his last four starts, Bibee has given up seven runs (six earned) in 25 innings. That’s led to 2.16 ERA. He struck out 16 and walked nine during that stretch.
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Although the longball has been an issue — Bibee has given up nine this season — the outings are not only getting stronger, but he’s going deeper into games.
It’s easy to see how much that helps the bullpen, but it also keeps the Guardians in games. The loss to the Phillies ended a three-game winning streak by Cleveland when Bibee takes the hill.
Had the Guardians not had a disastrous eighth inning, when they gave up six runs, Cleveland might have pulled it off again with Bibee controlling things.
“I feel like if I’m filling up the zone every single outing, I have a chance to go six, seven, eight innings,” Bibee said.
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Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee trending up the last month