Guardians Skipper Gets Honest About Cleveland's Struggling Bats

Every MLB team goes through stretches during a 162-game season where runs feel impossible to come by.

However, the Cleveland Guardians' recent stretch has felt like something more as they were shut out for the second consecutive game and have tallied just three hits in the last 18 innings.

Stephen Vogt didn't shy away from talking how not scoring can impact a team following Cleveland's 5-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

"It's stressful on all of us. We need to score more. We need to get more going," said Cleveland's skipper after Friday's loss. "We're working. You know, the past two days, we've faced two pretty good pitchers, but we need to have better at-bats."

Vogt thinks everybody on the team is "trying to be perfect right now.  Whether it's pitchers, position players, it doesn't matter. Everybody's trying to be perfect."

Jun 27, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) walks on the field in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

It's impossible to fix an offense overnight, but Vogt ultimately believes his team needs to "relax" more moving forward.

"We need to just take a deep breath, take a step back, and just go play baseball. The mistakes we're making, they're mental. They're not physical, they're mental, we're sped up, and we just need to be better.  We need to slow down, remember that we're a really good baseball team, and go play," continued the manager.

The Guardians now have a .622 OPS and have scored just 74 runs over the last 30 days, ranking last in all of MLB in both categories.

The American League Wild Card is still a tight battle, but if this offense continues, Cleveland could quickly find itself out of the playoff picture even before the trade deadline arrives.

Read More Cleveland Guardians Coverage