No. 2 prospect DeLauter 'making himself an option' as Guards seek offensive boost

CLEVELAND -- When Chris Antonetti met with reporters on Saturday, it was no surprise that the first question directed toward the Guardians’ team president centered around the club’s offensive performance.

The Guardians entered Saturday averaging 2.87 runs per game in June (last in the Majors), and the lack of production has proven to be the main culprit behind Cleveland’s 9-14 record this month.

"We're going through a tough stretch right now offensively,” Antonetti said before the Guardians’ 9-6 loss to the Cardinals at Progressive Field.

“For the last month, we haven't been at our best scoring runs. But I continue to believe in the group of players that are here and the staff that we have that's supporting them.

"It's really hard to be consistently successful at the Major League level for anyone, and it's really hard for a young group to do that consistently. We are in the process of working through that. I think as we look forward, the results will be better from here than they've been over the last month.”

You saw flashes of an improved outlook on Saturday, at least in the fourth inning. Cleveland sent 11 batters to the plate against St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas. They scored six times on six hits and one walk to take a 6-1 lead. Kyle Manzardo hit a solo homer to lead off the frame, and Steven Kwan tacked on an RBI triple nine batters later.

Though the Cardinals rallied to overcome the deficit, Saturday was a step forward from the past two nights for the Guardians’ offense when it tallied three hits, recorded six errors and was shut out over 18 consecutive innings.

Manager Stephen Vogt noted after Friday’s loss (which preceded a players-only meeting) that Cleveland needed to have better at-bats, and that everyone in the lineup was trying to be perfect. The Guardians worked five counts of four or more pitches against Mikolas in the fourth on Saturday.

“We got some pitches to hit and didn’t miss them,” Vogt said of the fourth inning Saturday. “We got ourselves into good counts. We weren’t chasing. We forced him into the strike zone, and he had to come after us. That's when we're at our best, when we're taking those fringe pitches, getting the calls and getting into good counts to hit.”

Saturday’s loss dropped the Guardians to 40-41, marking the first time since April 9 they’ve been under .500 this season (when they fell to 5-6). Cleveland sits 1 1/2 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot. They have half a season remaining to get back on track, and the July 31 Trade Deadline is still over one month away.

Turning things around must start with the players already in the organization. It starts with an offense that entered Saturday ranked last in the Majors this month in average (.208), on-base percentage (.274) and slugging percentage (.329).

Of course, there are potential boosts for the lineup waiting in the wings. Antonetti noted the possibility of Chase DeLauter (Cleveland’s No. 2 prospect and No. 45 overall) contributing this season. DeLauter (who opened the season on the injured list recovering from March core muscle surgery to address a sports hernia) has built up to playing five times per week with Triple-A Columbus.

Antonetti said that as DeLauter built his volume of games in the Minors, there were times when his body was sorer than it had been in the past, so they pulled things back a bit.

"I think -- really for the first time -- he's now at a point where he's been able to play and absorb the volume of playing five or so days a week,” Antonetti said, “and not have it impacted negatively and impact his recovery.

"So it's exciting to think about the progress he's made physically and where he's moving towards in that realm, and then combine that with the production we continue to see when he's on the field. Because he's now -- really, for the first time -- making himself an option for us to consider.”

Whether we see DeLauter (who has a 25-game on-base streak) sooner or later, in the meantime, the Guardians will continue trying to turn things on.

"Nobody can hide; it’s been a difficult month,” shortstop Gabriel Arias said through team interpreter Agustin Rivera. “But I think that's part of baseball, you know? Who knows? Maybe then we keep going, and then July becomes a really hot month for us.

“We're not out of it. We’re still close to being in contention, right? So for us, it’s the same mindset. Tomorrow, we have to come strong again, try to compete, try to get going, because the moment you least expect it, we're back in the fight.”