In Cleveland, once again, the Guardians’ offense proved its mettle. Twenty-two games into the season, relying on the offense has become almost an expectation, a stark contrast to previous years.
With Will Brennan’s homer and Josh Naylor’s bases-clearing double leading the charge, Cleveland swept Oakland in a 6-2 victory at Progressive Field.
While the Guardians have often relied on dominant starting pitching for contention, the recent trend tells a different story. Tanner Bibee’s near six-inning performance in the series finale against the A’s marked the fifteenth consecutive start without a starter lasting six innings.
CLEVELAND — Once again, the Guardians’ offense took care of business.
We’re 22 games into the season and the concept of relying on the offense has almost become an expectation — something this club hasn’t been able to do in the last handful of years. But backed by a Will Brennan homer and a bases-clearing double by Josh Naylor, Cleveland cruised to a series sweep of Oakland by taking Sunday’s contest, 6-2, at Progressive Field.
When it comes to the Guardians, it’s almost second nature to just believe that the starting staff will be so dominant that the team will always have a chance of contending. Yet after Tanner Bibee came up just short of completing six frames in his performance in the series finale against the A’s, Cleveland has now gone 15 straight starts without its starter lasting six innings.
Not only has the bullpen been excellent to help fend off opposing threats, it’s the offense that’s stolen the show so far in 2024. The Guardians’ plus-52 run differential remains the best in the Majors. It also marks the fourth highest run differential through 22 games in franchise history, trailing just 1921 (plus-60), 1948 (plus-58) and 1959 (plus-57).
Despite this, the bullpen has stepped up admirably, complementing the standout offensive display in 2024. With a remarkable plus-52 run differential, the Guardians boast the best in the Majors. This achievement ranks as the fourth highest run differential through 22 games in franchise history, trailing only 1921 (plus-60), 1948 (plus-58), and 1959 (plus-57).
