CLEVELAND — To say June was a bad month for the Cleveland Guardians would be an understatement.
One of the worst offensive months in team history would be more like it.
The Guardians went 9-15 in June and had a .206 batting average, which is tied for the third-worst batting month in franchise history with at least 13 games played.
“We need to score more. We need to get more going,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “We’re all trying to be perfect right now, whether it’s pitchers, position players, doesn’t matter. Everybody’s trying to be perfect. We need to relax. We need to just take a deep breath, take a step back and go play baseball.”
Cleveland, which is on a four-game losing streak, begins a three-game series at the Chicago Cubs. At 40-42, they are 2 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot after being five games over .500 and in wild-card position on June 1. Last season, the Guardians won the AL Central and reached the AL Championship Series.
The Guardians dropped five of six on its recent homestand and were shut out three times. They have scored runs in only two of the last 40 innings. They scored 72 runs during the month, the third-fewest they have scored in a June in franchise history.
“I think it’s frustrating, but if we knew the answer, we would’ve done it two months ago,” outfielder Nolan Jones said. “We have the arms to compete against anybody and have some guys who have been swinging it well and some guys like myself who haven’t been contributing a ton.”
José Ramírez is seventh in the American League with a .309 batting average, and leadoff hitter Steven Kwan is 11th at .295. The rest of the everyday lineup, though, doesn’t have anyone batting above .250.
The organization hoped catcher Bo Naylor would bounce back after batting only .201 last season, but that hasn’t happened. Naylor has a .168 average and mired in a 1 for 31 slump since June 10.
Outfielders Lane Thomas and David Fry — the heroes of last year’s AL Division Series victory over Detroit — also have struggled with injuries and slow starts at the plate. Fry missed the first two months after undergoing offseason elbow surgery and is 6 for 43 with 21 strikeouts since returning.
Thomas — who had stints on the IL because of wrist and foot injuries — is batting .168 but is 6 for 24 in his last seven games.
The lack of offense is not surprising, as it was a potential concern during spring training. The Guardians go into July with a .226 team average, second-lowest in the majors.
Despite the offensive struggles, the Guardians continue to get solid pitching. The staff had a 3.79 ERA in June, which was eighth-lowest in the majors. Shane Bieber was hoping to be back by the All-Star break after having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last April, but his comeback is delayed by elbow soreness.
Chris Antonetti, Cleveland’s president of baseball operations, did credit Naylor as one reason for the pitching staff’s solid month.
“The pitching staff has not wavered, and the fact that he’s been able to help and he’s been a big part of that group making progress over the last couple months and separate his offense out from that, it’s a great credit to him,” Antonetti said.
Whether help is on the way through the minors or other moves leading up to the July 31 MLB trade deadline is something to keep an eye on.
Outfielder Chase DeLauter is batting .305 in Triple-A Columbus with a 26-game on-base streak, while first baseman/outfielder C.J. Kayfus has 10 home runs and a .303 average.
The biggest concern with DeLauter remains injuries. He was contending for a roster spot during spring training before having surgery in March to address a sports hernia injury.
“We’re constantly thinking about, ‘How do we find that right mix of guys to give us the best chance to compete each night at the major league level.’ And we do believe that we will get reinforcements and support from some players that are not yet at the major league level,” Antonetti said. “I think as we look forward, the results will be better from here than they’ve been over the last month. I don’t think the last month is indicative of the potential of the guys that are on the roster.”
After a difficult June, the schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Guardians. After the Cubs series, they host AL Central leader Detroit for three games before a seven-game road trip to Houston and the Chicago White Sox ahead of the All-Star break.
“We’ve got 13 games in a row coming up after this off-day. We have an opportunity to get it rolling, and that’s the way I look at it,” Vogt said. “This is a really talented team. I believe in each and every one of these guys, and I know we’re going to break out of it.”
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