The Cleveland Guardians have reached the midpoint of their season with a losing record, falling one game below .500 with back-to-back losses to the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.
Cleveland left-hander Logan Allen (5-5, 4.25 ERA) will be tasked with trying to avoid a three-game series sweep Sunday, when he takes on Cardinals lefty Matthew Liberatore (5-6, 3.96).
Brendan Donovan, Victor Scott II and Alec Burleson each drove in two runs Saturday as St. Louis staged its largest comeback of the season, rallying from five down for a 9-6 victory that earned reliever Matt Svanson his first win in the majors.
The Guardians had gone up 6-1 with a six-run fourth inning fueled by homers from Gabriel Arias and Kyle Manzardo, but wound up with their largest blown lead in a home loss since Aug. 21, 2020, against the Detroit Tigers.
“You can’t hide it, it’s been a difficult month for us,” Arias said through an interpreter. “But it’s not like we’re out of it (the playoff race). We’re still close to being in contention now. Baseball has always been a game of adjustments.”
Cleveland hasn’t made many successful ones of late, losing four straight home series and going 1-4 on its ongoing six-game stay. Its .210 batting average this month would break the franchise mark for the lowest in June, currently .217 in 1915.
The Guardians’ six-week swoon has seen them go 15-24, but team president Chris Antonetti insists the talent is here to make a return trip to the postseason. No major trade acquisition is coming to the rescue.
“We’re going through a tough stretch now, offensively for the last month, but I continue to believe in the players we have here,” Antonetti said. “I don’t think the last month is indicative of the potential of the guys on the roster.
“As I’ve told you in previous years, our success is going to depend on the players we have in the clubhouse or in the organization.”
Allen is facing the Cardinals for the initial time. Liberatore has pitched twice against Cleveland, totaling 5 2/3 innings, and is 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA in 5 2/3 innings.
“Hopefully, our offense just keeps doing what it’s doing,” Liberatore said. “And I know our pitching staff is going to do a better job.”
Ryan Helsley remains lights-out for St. Louis, picking up his 100th career save with a perfect ninth in the come-from-behind triumph. He moved into a tie with Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase for the most in the majors since the start of 2024 with 65.
Third baseman Nolan Arenado has unfinished business in the finale, having homered against every team except Cleveland in his 13-year career. The 10-time Gold Glove Award winner is 3-for-9 with two RBIs in the series, rebounding from a four-game stretch when he hit .143.
Burleson has been on a longer hot stretch with 33 hits in June. He went 2-for-4 on Saturday to raise his season average to .300, with a .336 clip on the road.
“I’ve loved ‘Nado’s swings and Burleson continues to swing at pitches he can turn on,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said.
–Field Level Media
