The Guardians' skid hits seven in a 1-0 loss to the Cubs on July 4, 2025. Clase takes the loss in a walk-off amid a mounting gambling investigation.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was a picturesque day at Wrigley Field, but the result was anything but for the Cleveland Guardians. Another game, another loss, this one a particularly cruel 1-0, 10-inning heartbreaker to the Chicago Cubs. The defeat marks the team's seventh consecutive loss, continuing a disastrous slide that has been compounded by a whirlwind of off-field issues, including a startling MLB gambling investigation involving one of their own pitchers.
The Guardians are now 9-19 since June 1, a freefall that has erased a promising start to the season and left the offense searching for answers.
For nine innings, it was a classic pitchers' duel, but the Guardians' anemic offense couldn't provide a single run of support. The breaking point came in the 10th inning, when rookie Matt Shaw lifted a sacrifice fly off Emmanuel Clase to score Nico Hoerner, sending the Wrigley faithful home happy and the Guardians to the clubhouse in defeat yet again. Clase, who pitched the ninth and tenth, was tagged with the loss. The offense was a ghost, mustering just a pair of singles from Steven Kwan and failing to record a single extra-base hit. A fifth-inning threat with Daniel Schneemann and Bo Naylor on base fizzled out, a perfect microcosm of their recent struggles.
The game was played under a dark cloud before the first pitch was even thrown. Scheduled starter Luis Ortiz was abruptly placed on non-disciplinary leave on Thursday, pending an MLB investigation into gambling. The shocking news forced the Guardians to make an emergency call-up, bringing in lefty Joey Cantillo from Triple-A Columbus. Thrown into the fire for his first MLB start of 2025, Cantillo was a bright spot, delivering 3 1/3 shutout innings while allowing just two hits. It was a commendable performance under immense pressure, but it was ultimately overshadowed by the loss and the troubling situation surrounding Ortiz.
The revolving door to Triple-A Columbus kept spinning. In addition to the Ortiz/Cantillo swap, shortstop Gabriel Arias was placed on the 15-day injured list with an ankle sprain. The timing was particularly frustrating, as Arias had been showing signs of life at the plate, with five hits in his last seven games. To fill the gap, the familiar face of Brayan Rocchio was recalled. The constant shuffling underscores the instability that has plagued the team during this brutal stretch.
The Guardians will now limp home, desperate to stop the bleeding. They open a crucial series against the division-rival Detroit Tigers on July 4th, a day that's supposed to be about celebration. Right-hander Slade Cecconi (3-3, 3.64 ERA) will get the ball, tasked with playing stopper against Detroit's Reese Olson (4-3, 2.96 ERA). Can a return to Cleveland and some holiday fireworks finally snap this team out of its month-long nightmare? Fans can only hope, because right now, this team is in a deep, dark hole.
