CLEVELAND — The Guardians struggles continued Monday, Aug. 25 at Progressive Field against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays won 9-0 as the Guardians lost their sixth game in a row and 11th in their past 14 games.
Another American League Central Division championship or a wild card spot appear to be unrealistic at this point as the Guardians were shutout for the third game in a row, the first time that has happened to the franchise since June 12-14, 1991 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
The Toronto Blue Jays won two 1-0 games and the Minnesota Twins topped Cleveland 7-0 during the streak in 1991.
“We are frustrated,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “Everyone’s frustrated. We need to hit. We need to score more runs. We need to get things going on offense, and we’re all aware of it. We’re all working through it and it’s going to take all of us individually doing our best. And I know we’re going to continue to do that day in and day out, but we got to get some offense going.”
The Guardians had two hits Monday, singles by Brayan Rocchio and Gabriel Arias, and finished with 13 strikeouts and two walks against Ian Seymour, Garrett Cleavinger, Bryan Baker and Mason Englert.
Monday’s game followed an awful three-game series in Arlington where the Texas Rangers swept the Guardians by scores of 4-3, 10-0 and 5-0. Cleveland had 15 hits, 33 strikeouts, two walks and two batters were hit by pitches in the series.
The Guardians have not scored in 28 innings and have been shutout 15 times this season.
“I think in this moment, it’s really important for us to keep our heads on straight,” Guardians catcher Bo Naylor said. “Just understand that while we are at the back half of the season, there’s a lot of baseball left, a lot of opportunities to go out there and win every day. And I think that if we do that, that’s where good things are going to come from.”So, it’s a matter of coming to the field with the right mentality, right intentions, keep the boys accountable and just to go out there and try to win every day.”
Starting pitcher Tanner Bibee visibly frustrated as Guardians struggle
Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee was visibly emotional in the dugout and clubhouse Monday after striking out three and allowing eight hits, five earned runs, three walks and two home runs.
A television camera caught Bibee yelling as he entered the dugout after the top of the fourth inning with the Rays up 2-0, though it was unclear if he was directing his comments to someone or just venting out loud.
“Emotions are high right now,” Vogt said. “Emotions are high with everybody. Tanner’s one of the most competitive, fiery people I’ve ever been around and he came in trying to pump the boys up and I told him, ‘Not now, take it downstairs.’ So we’ve already talked, we’re good.
“It’s one of those fiery moments that happens in competition in a long season and Tanner has been and will continue to be one of our best. And we know the competitive fire is what drives him. And like I said, emotions are high right now.”
Vogt declined to say what Bibee said in the dugout.
“I left him alone the rest of the night and then we chatted postgame, just hashed it out,” Vogt said. “… He was just trying to fire the boys up.”
Bibee, who is very competitive, said he “let some stuff get to me.”
When asked to elaborate, he said “Just not being good mentally, myself. I think not letting stuff fall off my shoulders pretty much is what I’m saying.”
Bibee added he “was trying to get some energy into the dugout.”
“It was probably not the right way to do it at that time, but his [Vogt] message to me was just ‘Not like that or not in that time,’ and he’s completely right. … I feel like fundamentally we know we’re a good baseball team. It’s just the baseball hasn’t been going our way at this time. So, I just gotta figure out what to do for me to pitch better and for all the other areas — everyone wants to do better at this point. So, I think that’s just what we all need to figure out.”
Rays sluggers Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz dominate the Guardians
To make matters worse, former Cleveland minor leaguer Junior Caminero and former Cleveland infielder Yandy Diaz continued their strong seasons with the Rays.
Caminero went 4-for-5 with a single, two home runs, a double, three RBIs and four runs scored. He took Bibee and Tim Herrin deep to center field and left-center field, respectively, for home runs that traveled 412 feet and 389 feet.
Caminero, a 2025 all-star, entered Tuesday batting .261 with 39 home runs, 94 RBIs, 128 hits and 79 runs this season.
Diaz went 2-for-5 with a double and solo home run off Bibee. He is batting .303 (27-for-89) with seven doubles, a triple, five home runs and 15 RBI against Cleveland. He was an all-star in 2023 and won a batting title and a silver slugger award.
Diaz entered Tuesday batting .280 with 22 home runs, 74 RBIs, 137 hits and 61 runs this season.
The Guardians have made a lot of good trades since moving to the corner of Carnegie and Ontario in 1994.
Shipping out Diaz and Caminero are not two of them.
Cleveland traded Diaz and Cole Sulser to Tampa Bay on Dec. 13, 2018 in a deal that also involved the Seattle Mariners. Cleveland also sent Edwin Encarnación and a 2019 competitive balance pick to Seattle, Tampa Bay sent cash to Seattle and Jake Bauers to Cleveland and Seattle shipped Carlos Santana back to Cleveland for what his second of three stints with the team.
Cleveland traded Caminero to Tampa Bay on Nov. 19, 2021 and received Tobias Myers.
Caminero surpassed Alex Rodriguez (Seattle, 1996, 36 home runs) for most home runs in a players age 21-or-younger-season in AL history when he hit a grand slam in a Rays 7-2 win over the Cardinals on August 24.
Caminero’s two home runs Monday allowed him to pass Albert Pujols (St. Louis, 2001, 37 home runs) for the most homers by a Dominican-born player in their age 21-or-younger-season.