Three Observations From Guardians Loss To Rangers, 5-3

The Cleveland Guardians are still looking to get back in the win column as they dropped their series opener with the Texas Rangers, 5-3.

Here are three observations and takeaways from Cleveland’s latest game.

The box score doesn’t do Tanner Bibee’s night justice.

He came out strong in the first inning and immediately got three of Texas’ first four batters. However, he had trouble in the second inning by giving up four runs as the Rangers nearly batted around.

What separates a team’s ace from a typical starting pitcher is how they respond after facing adversity.

Even though Bibee had a tough inning, those were the only runs he gave up in his start. He went on to pitch 5.1 innings, striking out six batters and walking just one. He even finished the game with 14 swings-and-misses.

Despite the loss, Bo Naylor still had an impactful way both on offense and defense.

Naylor was responsible for Cleveland’s third run of the game as he ripped a single to right field in the bottom of the fourth inning, which scored Andres Gimenez from second base. These are the types of hard hits that the Guardians need to get from their catcher more often from this part of the lineup if they want to get the offense back on track.

Bo also played a key role on defense. He caught Josh Smith stealing in the bottom of the fifth which ended that inning.

Something still looks off with Steven Kwan’s swing, and it hasn’t been trending in the right direction for the one-time American League batting average leader.

Kwan went 0-for-5 from the plate and recorded the final out in Cleveland’s series opener against the Rangers with one strikeout. Overall, he made a lot of relatively weak contact and chased pitches out of the zone.

The Guardians need to figure out a way to get Kwan back to the hitter he was earlier in the season. He’s at the top of the order to set the tone in the box and on the base paths and the offense is hurting witohut him.