The early explanations for Cleveland’s slow offensive start are clear. They are hitting the ball incredibly hard (second in hard-hit rate behind the Dodgers), but the ball isn’t being elevated enough and they are running into some rotten luck. Squint and you can see a future where the hits start to fall, but the lineup looks exploitable right now.
As a group, Cleveland batters are tied for third-worst offense in the American League at 87 wRC+. They’ve slashed .210/.290/.383, and despite hitting the fourth-most homers in the AL (23), they have the second-fewest runs scored (65). A lack of clutch hitting is a big reason for that, as they sit with just a 53 wRC+ with runners in scoring position, and have left enough runners on base to fill the circle the globe twice.