CLEVELAND — The Guardians finished a forgettable June with another loss at Progressive Field.
The St. Louis Cardinals recorded a 7-0 win June 29 to leave Cleveland with a three-game sweep of the slumping Guardians (40-42), who were 9-16 in June.
Summer baseball has not been memorable so far in Cleveland, especially after the Guardians went 1-5 on the most recent homestand in two three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cardinals.
The Guardians were shut out for the third time in the last four games and for the ninth time overall this season, which is third most in the American League behind only the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers with 10 apiece.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt welcomed an off day June 30 and said he remains confident in his players.
“I believe in this team,” Vogt said after the most recent loss. “I believe we have the right players. I believe our guys are talented, phenomenal baseball players. My confidence never shakes in this group. We’re going through a tough stretch. We went through tough stretches last year. We’ve been through good stretches, bad stretches already this year.
“So, this is just part of a 162-game season. 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. 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.”
The next opportunity to break out is July 1 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
The Guardians’ lone win on this homestand was a 5-4 victory over the Blue Jays on June 25 when José Ramírez hit a walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning.
The Guardians have scored in just one of their last 36 innings — a six-run fourth inning in a 9-6 loss June 28 to the Cardinals. Seven of the Guards’ nine shutouts have been in the last 31 games since May 25, with the team going 11-20. The club was shut out twice in the first 51 games through May 24 and posted a 29-22 record to start the season.
“Keep pushing them,” Vogt said. “Stay the course. As soon as we start changing things, that means we don’t believe. We haven’t changed a thing. We believe in this group. We’re going to turn it around.”
Cardinals pitchers Matthew Liberatore, JoJo Romero, Riley O’Brien and John King combined to shut out the Guardians on June 29. Liberatore struck out five, walked five and allowed three hits over six innings.
“You do the same thing you do everyday,” Guardians catcher Austin Hedges said June 29. “Nothing changes whether you’re playing good, playing bad. Just same guy every day.”
Guardians starter Logan Allen pitched six innings June 29 after allowing a three-run home run to Nolan Gorman in the first. He struck out six, walked two and allowed six hits before giving way to Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, Matt Festa and Emmanuel Clase. Gaddis gave up a two-run home run to Victor Scott II in the seventh.
The Guardians starting rotation finished June with a 3.61 ERA (58 earned runs in 144⅔ innings), the fourth-best ERA in the American League and the sixth-best in Major League Baseball. The 144⅔ innings by the starters was second in the AL and fourth in MLB.
“We got a clubhouse full of pros,” Allen said June 29. “I think we just show up to the field every day ready to play, ready to work hard. The wins and losses are going to come. We’re going to start playing some better ball, but all in all the approach is good. I think the process is good. We’re going about our work the same way every day and sometimes the balls are going to go our way. It’s coming up.”
Allen’s comments followed what Guardians right fielder Nolan Jones said June 28.
“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,” Jones said. “We know it’s in there and just got to keep believing and pushing.”
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ‘I believe in this team’: Stephen Vogt remains confident as Guardians lose again to end June
Reporting by Michael Beaven, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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