Guardians swept by Cardinals in 7-0 loss on June 29. The crushing defeat was worsened as shortstop Gabriel Arias was carted off with a serious ankle injury.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Some Sundays just feel cursed. For the Cleveland Guardians, this was one of them. A three-run homer in the first inning effectively ended the game before most fans had settled in their seats. A brutal 7-0 shutout loss to the St. Louis Cardinals completed a dispiriting sweep. And as if that wasn't enough, the sight of shortstop Gabriel Arias being carted off the field with an ankle injury added a significant, painful blow to a team already reeling.
With the loss, the Guardians dropped to 40-41, marking the first time they have been two games under .500 since April 8.
The game's narrative was written in the first inning. Nolan Gorman launched a 428-foot, three-run homer off Logan Allen, and the Guardians' bats never mounted a response. Despite Allen settling down to deliver a respectable six-inning, three-run outing, the offense was completely lifeless. The team managed just three hits all day. They drew an astounding eight walks against Cardinals pitching but couldn't cash in a single runner. Leaving the bases loaded with free passes is a special kind of frustration, and it perfectly summed up a weekend where the bats went silent.
The day's ugliest moment came in the third inning. Shortstop Gabriel Arias, fielding a routine grounder, caught his spikes in the grass and went down with a left ankle sprain. The immediate concern on the field was palpable as he was carted off, unable to put weight on his leg. While initial X-rays came back negative—a small sigh of relief—an MRI scheduled for Monday will reveal the true extent of the damage. In a testament to team chemistry, messages of support for Arias quickly flooded social media from his teammates, but the uncertainty at a key position is a major new headache for the club.
This loss wasn't just a single bad game; it was the culmination of a dreadful 1-5 homestand that has sent the team spiraling. Now at 40-41, the Guardians are below .500 for the first time since early April. The timing couldn't be worse, with RHP Cade Smith still day-to-day with back spasms. The one sliver of positive news is the continued progress of former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber, who is expected to face live hitters next week. But that feels like a distant hope on a day when the present problems feel so overwhelming.
The Guardians desperately need the upcoming off-day to reset and regroup. They'll limp into a tough three-game series against the Chicago Cubs starting Tuesday, with Gavin Williams on the mound. The questions are piling up: Who fills the void at shortstop? Can the offense wake from its slumber? This series is no longer just another set of games; it's a critical test of this team's resilience and a chance to stop the bleeding before the season slips away.
