At the July 30 trade deadline, the Cleveland Guardians were 6.5 games ahead in the AL Central with a record of 65-42. They have slipped significantly since then and are now 7-10, which has reduced their lead in the division to just two games. Their offensive woes have been a major factor in their downturn.

They have struggled badly at bat over the last month, posting a team batting average of .223, the fifth-lowest in MLB. In addition, their on-base percentage (.282) and OPS (.657) are the third-lowest in the major leagues.

These problems were evident in their recent win over the Milwaukee Brewers. In the three-game series, the Guardians scored just four runs on 13 hits, and in the last two games they managed just one run on six hits.

The Guardians were relatively quiet at the trade deadline, in part due to their comfortable lead in the division. While their lead was sizable, there were still obvious holes on offense that needed to be filled. Their most notable signing was outfielder Lane Thomas from the Washington Nationals. Before joining Cleveland, Thomas had a slash line of .253/.331/.407 with eight home runs and 42 RBI in 77 games. Since the trade, however, his performance has dropped off considerably, and he’s now .113/.217/.151 in 16 games.

Despite the offensive setbacks, the Guardians remain in a strong position overall. Thanks to their exceptional pitching, they are just one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies, who have the best record in the MLB, and half a game behind the Baltimore Orioles, who have the best record in the American League.