'We're one good game away from breaking out': Guardians hope offense is returning

CLEVELAND — The Guardians lineup revved up its engine to open the season with more horsepower than anyone could have reasonably predicted. It allowed Cleveland to race ahead of the pack not only to the top of the division but to the best record in baseball over the first several months of the season.

Now, they're trying to get that offense jump-started along the side of the road. And they're hoping Saturday's outburst in a 13-5 win over the Rangers can act as a new spark plug.

Baseball is a cyclical sport. What goes up often must come down, which also means what is down must bounce back up at some point. The question for the Guardians is when, and if their pitching can hold off the Twins and Royals (who had trimmed Cleveland's divisional lead to one game entering Saturday) in the meantime.

There is a balance to making adjustments. There's also a difference between tweaking certain things in an effort to jump-start a hitter as opposed to making major, swing-altering mechanical changes.

For example, Guardians hitting coaches and Andres Gimenez credited his breakout 2022 season in part due to finally finding consistency with his approach and swing instead of his chasing something new to try every few weeks. That, in a nutshell, is where the Guardians are finding themselves, just on a more macro level as most of the lineup searches for a breakthrough at the same time.

For the time being, it's more about seeing what works without completely running away from who they are as hitters.

It's in some smaller tweaks, like the Guardians turning Saturday's routine batting practice before the game into some hitting mini-games and a Home Run Derby in an effort to loosen things up. Or Josh Naylor using Steven Kwan's bat for a night — and eventually crushing a solo home run with it.

"Yeah, I think you just continue to talk with the guys," said manager Stephen Vogt . "I mean, I'm constantly talking with these guys individually, [in] small groups, whenever it might be, and that's the normal cadence. So I'll know when it's the right time [to make more significant changes]. We're not there yet."

First-place Guardians offensive stats in July, August

The difference in the Guardians' offensive production through their respective ups and downs is pretty staggering.

By the end of April, they were fifth in the majors with 152 runs scored. In the month of May alone, they ranked fourth with 141 runs.

In June, they came back to the pack and were right in the middle, 15th in the league. Then in July, the offense bottomed out. They free-fell to 29th in the league with 84 runs in the month, ahead of only the bottom-dwelling Chicago White Sox. And, in August, they're rebounded from that point, but only to 16th in the majors with 85 runs entering Saturday.

The power, specially, let up for a stint. Each month (April, May, June) in the first half of the season, the Guardians ranked in the top 11 in slugging each time. In July, they fell to 28th, and, in August, they were 25th before Saturday. I t's a credit to its league-best bullpen that Cleveland has maintained its standing atop the Central Division even as the lineup hasn't been quite as productive.

A look at Steven Kwan, Josh Naylor, David Fry offensive stats in 2024

Comparing the numbers from June 30 and Friday night, Kwan's OPS had dropped from .961 entering July to .635 since that time. Naylor's OPS between pre- and post-July 1 had more than a 100-point drop (.819 to .708). David Fry powered his way to an All-Star nod with a .945 OPS before July 1, but he has a .591 OPS since.

But Saturday's 13-run explosion is what they hope can be the beginning of a return to the earlier months of the season.

The Guardians are trying to dig themselves out of an offensive rut. They're just also trying to still use a shovel knowing it has worked in the past instead of experimenting with, say, a hockey stick or something else entirely new — for now, at least.

"We're run into some very good right-handed pitching the last couple of weeks, but there's not really one thing you can point your finger to and say, 'This is why,'" Vogt said. "I think we're one good game away from breaking out, and I'm going to continue believing that."

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis .

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 'We're one good game away from breaking out': Guardians hope offense is returning