CLEVELAND -- The Guardians have not found any answers to their offensive woes.

The team has been able to pick up a few wins because of solid pitching performances that have kept opponents off the boards, making one or two runs enough to walk away victorious. Outside of that, the Guardians haven’t had much to celebrate over the last month, capped with a 5-0 loss to the Tigers on Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field.

Cleveland entered the day 29th in runs per game (3.5), 30th in home runs (19), 30th in slugging percentage (.330) and 30th in wRC+ (74). And that was before the club was shut out for the fifth time this season, which was tied for the third most shutout losses in the Majors at the time of the final out.

“It hasn’t been good,” Guardians hitting coach Chris Valaika said. “We can’t keep making excuses like we had the same record last year and things like that. I think there’s different expectations, not just internally but externally [as well], that we have to live up to. And we’re going to keep competing. It’s a long season, and [we have to] weather the storm right now.”

It’s true, the Guardians did start the season 17-20 last year -- the same record they own through Wednesday. But the offense didn’t hit quite the rut it's in right now. For comparison, through 37 games last year, the Guardians averaged 4.6 runs per game, had already hit 34 home runs, owned a .393 slugging percentage and posted a 101 wRC+.

“As youthful as we were last year, having 500, 600 at-bats in the big leagues doesn’t make you a veteran right away,” Valaika said. “So, I think we’re taking some of those lumps and having to make adjustments on the fly. I think this is, in the long run, gonna be a good thing for us and we’re gonna learn from it and be able to come out the other side.”

External obstacles aren’t going to get easier for the Guardians in the near future. The offense will need to find a way to overcome this drought, despite the fact that Cleveland is slated to face three consecutive lefties against the Angels at Progressive Field this weekend.

Southpaws have been nearly impossible for Cleveland to figure out. Of its 37 games this year, 15 were against a lefty opposing starter, including Wednesday’s four-hit shutout.

“I think we heard that same narrative last year,” Valaika said. “I think we have a lefty-heavy lineup, so I think teams know that. Teams are coming at us with lefties. We see that. We see different bullpens with lefties. It’s something we’re gonna have to make an adjustment to. But you know, keep competing. It’s still early.”

The Guardians have scored three or fewer runs in 24 of their 37 contests this season (65%). In their last 10 games, they’ve scored three or fewer runs nine times. The one instance when they scored more was a 4-3 victory over Minnesota on Saturday.

The Guardians have lost six of the last seven series they’ve played. The team knows it’s time for a change. The club is also trying to create a pressure-free environment in order to avoid complicating the process of getting everyone back on track.

For now, the focus for the club is on consistency in its approach. And if it can grind through whatever days are remaining of this skid, it’s confident it’ll come out better in the end.

“It is what it is,” Valaika said. “We’re not gonna dig our head in the sand with those things. I think internally, we’re gonna keep going about our business the same way and stay consistent with our messaging. Nothing’s changed from last year to this year other than some early on results.

“I know the results haven’t necessarily been here, but if we stay positive with these guys, stay consistent with them, I believe in them and we’re gonna come out the other end.”