Tanner Bibee Stumbles in 10-7 Spring Finale Loss to Giants

Tanner Bibee stumbled during a 10-7 spring finale defeat against the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium. The start came a day after he was named the Guardians’ opening-night starter. It was his final Cactus League outing.

Game recap

Bibee opened the game with seven straight outs. He then yielded eight runs on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings. The Guardians fell 10-7.

The rally against Bibee began in the third. Jung Hoo Lee’s single put Jared Oliva on third. Matt Chapman followed with a two-run double. Rafael Devers added an RBI single to make it 3-0.

The fourth inning produced more damage. Oliva hit a three-run homer to push the lead to 6-0. Lee later homered in the same inning, giving the Giants a 7-0 advantage.

Pitching and spring numbers

Across six spring starts, Bibee finished 1-3 with a 6.65 ERA. He allowed 32 hits and 17 earned runs in 23 innings. Unusually, he struck out 19 batters and issued zero walks.

Bibee’s recent form had declined. In his last two starts he surrendered 14 earned runs on 23 hits over 10 1/3 innings. Manager Stephen Vogt said Bibee’s last two outings did not go as planned. Vogt added that Bibee tends to show up in big parks when the lights get brighter.

Offensive bright spots

Travis Bazzana provided the offensive surge for Cleveland. He hit a left-on-left homer off Robbie Ray in the fifth. Bazzana followed with a sixth-inning grand slam off Trevor McDonald to cut the deficit to 8-6.

Bazzana will open the season at Triple-A Columbus. He finished spring hitting .381, going 8 for 21, with three homers and 11 RBIs. He said he is focusing on every at-bat and playing with high intensity.

Late runs

Jace LaViolette launched a 425-foot homer in the ninth. That provided Cleveland’s final run. The hit capped the scoring for the Guardians.

Conditions and outlook

The afternoon temperature climbed dramatically. It was 96 degrees at first pitch and reached about 103 late in the game. Bibee described the conditions as difficult after several night games and an off day.

The Guardians open the regular season with a seven-game road trip. They will face Seattle and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The season opener is scheduled for Thursday in Seattle.

Sunday’s planned Cactus League matchup lists RHP Gavin Williams (1-1, 5.68 ERA) to face the Reds at Goodyear Ballpark. The Reds had not named a starter as of Saturday.

Game records after the spring finale stood at 14-13-1 for Cleveland and 19-9-1 for San Francisco. Reported by Filmogaz.com.