This series marks the first between the Cleveland Guardians (4-10) and Washington Nationals (8-6) since 2019. Round one of the series went to the Guardians, 4-3. Round two is Saturday afternoon, and the series is wrapping up with this one on Sunday afternoon. Nationals Park hasn't had much to root for since their 2019 World Series win, but maybe a sunny Sunday will change that temporarily. The first pitch is set for 1:35 p.m. EST when we'll see this series finale between young teams.
Chill Will puts the ball in the play and puts the @CleGuardians on top!#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/GeitjEIxCz
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) April 15, 2023
After opening 5-2, the Guardians dropped four of six against the Mariners and Yankees. For the rest of the month, they will face teams that finished fourth or fifth in their division last season. All of them entered the weekend below .500. This stretch represents a golden chance for Cleveland to stack wins and gain momentum for the rest of the year.
This is the first series of that stretch, and Shane Bieber gets a shot to wrap it up nicely. The 2020 AL Cy Young winner has allowed five runs through his 19.0 innings in 2023. He hasn't allowed a home run yet. His last start was his first win, against the Yankees. Bieber allowed two runs before recording an out but didn't allow any more in his 7.0-inning outing.
The bullpen behind him had a rough series against New York, allowing five runs in the last two games. Still, Cleveland's relievers entered this series sixth in ERA and ninth in x FIP. They have an elite closer in Emmanuel Clase and a pair of top-notch arms in front of him. It's hard to stage a comeback against Cleveland.
Cleveland's offense is 17th in runs scored coming into this series, but their numbers aren't pretty. They are bottom-10 in batting average and slugging percentage. Just like last year, they're one of the worst teams at hitting homers. They walk and steal bases with the best of them, but eventually, the lineup will need some pop.