Cleveland Guardians Drop Two Straight, but Key Offensive Stat Offers Encouragement

The Cleveland Guardians have always found odd ways to score runs, but this stat unearthed by Guardians reporters out in St. Louis shows just how hard the team has worked at the plate to keep innings alive.

Apr 15, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo (9) hits a one run single against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Players and coaches are wearing number 42 in recognition of Jackie Robinson Day. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians are beginning to spiral.

And unfortunately, they don't have much time to catch their breath and take a second to pause and reflect.

On Wednesday, April 15, the Guardians played in the series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals from Busch Stadium, falling, 5-3. With another bullpen collapse late in the game, the Guardians have now dropped two games straight for the first time in the 2026 campaign. They've also lost back-to-back series.

But although the Guardians haven't looked the best, this statistic unearthed by Guardians reported in St. Louis shows that the team is fighting to keep games alive.

According to MLB.com freelance reporter Zach Sweet, over the last seven games of action, the Guardians have scored 20 of their 39 runs with two outs. On the season as a whole, Cleveland has plated 38 of its 75 runs with two outs, good enough for 50.7% of the time, the highest rate in the American League.

Over their last seven games, the Guardians have scored 20 of their 39 runs with two outs, more than half (51.3%). On the season, Cleveland has plated 38 of its 75 runs with two outs (50.7%), the highest rate in the American League. #GuardsBall

— Zach Sweet (@by_ZachSweet) April 15, 2026

In Wednesday's loss, both catcher Bo Naylor and first baseman Kyle Manzardo were able to contribute RBI for the team. Naylor went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI, while Manzardo went 2-for-2 with an RBI.

“I think it just goes back to the identity,” Naylor said about the Guardians' clutch hitting with an inning on the line. “Understanding that we’re never out of it, no matter what the situation is … just always being ready to fight.”

For a young team like the Guardians, and one that's still relatively inexperienced at the big league level, this statistic shows that the team is standing in and fighting to keep innings alive. They know that runs, at least right now, are hard to come by and they can't just give up on an inning.

When asked about how he felt about the eye-grabbing numbers, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt attributed quality at-bats to the high percentage.

"Just quality of bats, you know, up and down, we just have to find a way to get more," Vogt said in his postgame press conference. "You know. I think we want to be greedy. We want to score more runs."

#Guardians manager Stephen Vogt on what went into scoring all 3 runs today with 2 outs, but wants to see more out of the offense:

“Just quality of bats, you know, up and down, we just have to find a way to get more. You know. I think we want to be greedy. We want to score more…

— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) April 15, 2026

On the 2026 campaign, Cleveland found various ways to score runs. Whether it's the deep ball, gritty knocks getting into alleyways or scoring off errors, the Guardians have just been a gritty team when it comes to putting ticks in the scoring column.

However, as of recent, it's been the pitching that has faltered, allowing games to feel out of reach.

On both Tuesday and Wednesday, arms from the bullpen came into the game and allowed hits, walks and runs, giving the Cardinals a bit of momentum down the back-half of the game. And while the Guardians' bats put up a fight, it was never enough to climb back ahead.

“I thought overall, we played a pretty uninspiring game today [Wednesday],” manager Stephen Vogt said. “We need to get better.”

The Guardians, as mentioned, won't have much time to relax, reset and retool, though, as their 13-straight game window continues into Thursday. They begin a four-game set from Progressive Field against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, April 16, with the first pitch set for 6:10 p.m. EST.