3 Biggest Storylines From the Guardians' Loss to the Milwaukee Brewers

The Cleveland Guardians are 0-2 without José Ramírez on the diamond.

Following an injury to the future Hall of Fame third baseman, the Guardians have begun a road stint, falling in back-to-back contests to the Milwaukee Brewers.

On Wednesday, June 17, the Guardians dropped the second outing of the series to the Brewers, falling 9-4. With the series already lost, the Guardians will look to find a way to close out the three-game set on a decent note on Thursday afternoon.

Here are three takeaways and the biggest storylines from the loss at American Family Field in Wisconsin:

1. Daniel Espino Shone in His Debut

It took a long time. Over 1,200 days.

But on Wednesday night, Daniel Espino finally made his long-awaited MLB debut.

"That was obviously the highlight of the night," manager Stephen Vogt said postgame. "Knowing everything Daniel's been through, this is an unbelievable story for him and for his family, his perseverance, his patience. Great story for our organization. Couldn't be happier for Daniel."

He tossed eight fastballs, all of which were 99.0 mph or higher, and 12 total pitches, striking out two batters and allowing nothing on the base paths.

"I kind of blacked out,” Espino said. “I just felt like a kid and went out there and attacked the zone and gave my best."

2. Gavin Williams Sputtered

Since April 24, Williams has a 4.65 ERA.

He has given up a staggering 61 hits, 32 earned runs, 13 walks and 11 home runs across 10 starts and 62 innings pitched. While it hasn't been all bad, considering the fact he has struck out 63 batters, there have been some uncomfortable outings for the Big Rig.

Against the Brewers, after resting for eight days due to a rainout on Sunday, he was never really able to settle in.

He gave up seven hits, seven earned runs, two walks and two home runs across five innings pitched. Ultimately, his struggles on the mound led to the Guardians losing by five runs.

“I mean, it could, but another thing I'm not going to blame it on," Williams said on if the rest had anything to do with his struggles. "I had plenty of time to prepare, touch the mound plenty of times, just gotta throw more strikes.”

Moving ahead, Williams will have to show a bit more reliability, as that trust in him as Cleveland's long-term Ace has faltered recently.

3. Daniel Schneemann Knows When To Step Up

When Ramírez went down, the team knew that certain players were going to have to step up.

And a lot of the attention was on super utility Daniel Schneemann, who, with a handful of injuries to other players as well, would be thrust into the lineup more often.

Well, on Wednesday night, Schneemann leaned into his role as the spark plug of the team.

In the top of the fourth inning, with the Guardians trailing 5-4, he stood in for a 2-2 count with the bases loaded and just one out posted. Brewers starter Brandon Sproat lofted an 84.3 mph curveball right down the heart of the zone and Schneemann blasted it for a grand slam.

Although they went on to lose, in that moment, the Guardians were right back in the game.

“Yeah, I think sometimes when you have success early in your career, in a certain moment or in a certain situation, you kind of gain confidence in that, but again, Schnee is a really good player, really good hitter, and got a hanger, and didn't miss it," Vogt said.

For now, Cleveland will rely on Schneemann to keep producing in the lineup as the Guardians await reinforcements from the injured list.

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