CLEVELAND — It’s important to remember that one game is rarely representative of the bigger picture, whether it be for good reasons or bad. However, Saturday night might have brought one of those exceptions.
The Guardians’ 7-0, one-hit loss to the Padres at Progressive Field is not an accurate depiction of how this team has played all season. The Guardians are 21 games above .500. This improved offense has played a huge role in that. But it’s important to still realize that a team can never have enough bats. And it certainly can’t have too many starting pitchers. That’s where the Trade Deadline could come into play.
The same, overarching starting pitching problem plagued the Guardians. Gavin Williams’ pitch count soared into the 80s by the fourth inning. His stuff, efficiency and command was lacking, as he permitted three runs on six hits with two walks in 3 2/3 innings.
“He struggled tonight,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “He battled, but the fastball command wasn’t there. So trying to figure out how to land offspeed, just getting himself into some tough counts and giving them some free bases and they took advantage. … We saw some positive things from Gavin tonight but not his best performance.”