Tanner Bibee has had a roller coaster start to the 2026 season. The Cleveland Guardians pitcher’s stuff still looked good, at times, but deep counts have led to short outings and long innings, which isn’t a recipe for success.
As Bibee took the mound against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, he had a 6.38 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. It’s been all about consistency for Bibee to kick off the year. Not sure from start to start, but from batter to batter, too.
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Finally, Bibee put together his best start of the young season. Cleveland’s starting pitcher threw 6.0 innings, gave up just four hits, allowed zero earned runs, issued three walks, and struck out five batters against the Orioles.
Stephen Vogt said it was “a huge step in the right direction for Tannner,” especially in the fifth and sixth innings. Cleveland’s manager thought that was the sharpest stuff they’ve seen from Bibee in a while.
After the start, Bibee said he felt he was more in the attack zone than in his previous starts and was executing the game plan better, too. “I fell like, today, I just executed the plan well,” said Bibee postgame.
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Hopefully, this is a big step in the right direction for Bibee.
The disappointing part of this outing was that it didn’t end with a Cleveland win.
Apr 17, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Orioles center fielder Leody Taveras (30) steals second base beside Cleveland Guardians shortstop Daniel Schneemann (10) in the second inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Whenever a starting pitcher puts together a quality start, and the offense scores four runs, that should be an easy win. Unfortunately for the Guardians, that wasn’t the case on Friday evening.
Even after a phenomenal start from Bibee and a big inning that included a grand slam from Daniel Schneemann, that wasn’t enough for the Guardians, with the bullpen imploding late, allowing the Orioles to put together a six-run eighth inning.
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Shawn Armstrong, Erik Sabrowski, and Connor Brogdon combined to walk three batters, six hits, and six earned runs.
The Guardians have been blessed with some of MLB’s top bullpens over the last few seasons. Giving up a lead as they did on Friday is not something Cleveland is accustomed to seeing.
It’s too early to call Cleveland’s bullpen problem a trend, especially with how good the group was at the start of the season, but it’s certainly something worth monitoring.
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