CLEVELAND, OHIO – APRIL 15: The new Cleveland Guardians logo hangs on the exterior of Progressive Field prior to the home opener against the San Francisco Giants on April 15, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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Three Cleveland Guardians starting pitchers are showing signs of fatigues, and stress as the season wears on.
Guardians right-hander, Tanner Bibee, 27, has struggled in his last two starts.
Even though he registered a win in one of the games, Guardians lefty Joey Cantillo, 26, has had a rough time in his last four outings.
Lefty Foster Griffin, 31, was shelled in his last start on September 9. He went only 2 innings.
Here are the details of each of those starters most recent starting assignments:
BALTIMORE, MD – SEPTEMBER 08: Tanner Bibee #28 of the Cleveland Guardians pitches in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 08, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
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Cleveland Guardians Tanner Bibee-two difficult most recent starts
September 3, 2026 vs. Toronto at home
4 innings pitched, 4 hits, 5 runs, all earned, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts, 89 pitches, with 49 for strikes
September 8, 2026 at Baltimore
4.1 innings pitched, 6 hits, 5 runs, all earned, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 1 home run, 62 pitches, with 42 for strikes.
On the season, Bibee has a record of 5-15, an ERA of 4.22, and a WHIP of 1.19 in 30 starts, covering 170.2 innings.
Bibee has not gotten much run support at all from the Guardians offense.
Bibee has yielded 27 home runs, which has tied his career high.
According to fangraphs.com, Bibee is scheduled to pitch September 14 against the White Sox.
Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Joey Cantillo delivers against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sep. 2, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
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Cleveland Guardians Joey Cantillo-four consecutive difficult starts
August 21, 2026 at Colorado Rockies
4.2 innings pitched, 4 hits, 1 run, earned, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts, 89 pitches, with 49 for strikes.
In this outing, Cantillo simply threw too many pitches, and struggled to get spin on his curveball at Coors Field in Colorado.
August 26, 2026 at Los Angeles Angels
6 innings pitched, 2 hits, 3 runs, with 2 earned, 7 walks, 1 strikeout, 1 hit batter, 92 pitches, with only 48 for strikes.
In the game, once again, Cantillo lost command of his arsenal, and walks haunted him. Cleveland did win the game, but Cantillo did not pitch 5 innings to get the win.
September 2, 2026 at home vs. Toronto Blue Jays
5.1 innings pitched, 9 hits, 9 runs, 4 earned, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts, 1 home run, 102 pitches, with 66 for strikes.
In this outing, a Cleveland loss, Cantillo simply yielded far too many hits. He was hit hard. Early and often.
September 7, 2026 at Baltimore Orioles
2.1 innings pitched, 3 hits, 4 runs, all earned, 5 walks, 3 strikeouts, 1 home run, 2 hit batters, 72 pitches, with 35 for strikes.
This may have been Cantillo’s worst outing. He hit two batters, threw too many pitches, and lost command.
Cantillo has a 9-9 record, with a 4.00 ERA, and 1.507 WHIP. He simply puts too many men on base, and has to work himself out of trouble. When he can’t do that, his early departures tax the bullpen.
fangraphs.com lists Cantillo pitching against the Twins on September 13.
CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 04: Starting pitcher Foster Griffin #22 of the Cleveland Guardians pitches during the first inning of the second game of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on September 04, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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Cleveland Guardians Foster Griffin-One recent difficult start
September 9, 2026 at Baltimore Orioles
2.1 innings pitched, 7 hits, 8 runs, all earned, 1 hit batter, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, 62 pitches, 39 for strikes.
What’s troubling about this outing, was the amount of hits Griffin yielded in a short amount of time.
It came on the heels of other bad Cleveland starting pitcher outings.
Griffin has made 29 starts this season, with 22 coming with the Washington Nationals before he was traded to Cleveland.
Griffin has a fine 12-3 overall record, and he’s 3-2 with Cleveland.
Griffin’s ERA is 5.94 with the Guardians. It was 3.06 with Washington.
Griffin’s Whip is 1.59 with Cleveland. It was only 1.07 with Washington.
fangraphs.com lists Griffin pitching against the White Sox on September 15.
The Guardians open a three game series against the Minnesota Twins in Minnesota September 11.
Messick, Williams and Cantillo are scheduled to pitch agains the Twins.
Hopefully, Cantillo can bounce back.
Of the Guardians 147 games leading to the Twins series, five pitchers have started most off the Guardians games.
They include:
Tanner Bibee
Parker Messick
Joey Cantillo
Foster Griffin
Right-hander Slade Cecconi made 21 starts at the beginning of the season, but an injury sidelined him. He has returned to the Guardians, but he is working out of the bullpen.
Left-hander Logan Allen made one start for Cleveland, but he has been assigned to Triple-A Columbus.
The stamina, resiliency, and quality of Cleveland core starting five has been remarkable.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN – MAY 18: A detail of a New Era Cleveland Guardians baseball hat with the logo on top of a glove during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on May 18, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
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Conclusions About 3 Struggling Cleveland Guardians Starting Pitchers:
guardiansnation.com spoke about the recent struggles of the Guardians rotation.
The Guardians have had a very trustworthy, competent starting rotation for most of the season.
And…
Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo, and Foster Griffin are each critical to the potential playoff chances of the Guardians.
But…
Each of the three Cleveland Guardians pitchers are showing signs of fatigue and stress, as the Guardians head into the final 15 games of the 2026 MLB season.
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