CLEVELAND -- This isn’t the sendoff anyone would’ve imagined for Guardians manager Terry Francona.

No, he hasn’t officially announced his retirement just yet, but the writing has been on the wall for a few weeks. Plus, the team is handing out “Thank you, Tito” shirts to the first 20,000 fans in attendance and is planning to play a tribute video to the skipper before the last home game on Wednesday. It’s clear that the news is coming, whether Francona officially says it or not.

That’s why the ending to this season is even harder to swallow. And with Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the Orioles at Progressive Field, it’s now impossible for the Guardians to finish the year with a .500 or better record. This marks just the second time in Francona’s 11-year tenure in Cleveland that he’ll own a losing record.

Francona experienced his first losing season in 2021, when the then-Indians went 80-82. Even though it’s credited to Francona’s managerial record, he wasn’t the one in the dugout for the second half of that season due to health problems. But this time, he’ll be involved in every game, as the team tries to reach that 80-win mark with just six games to play.

It was only fitting that the Guardians secured their second losing season under Francona in a similar fashion to so many of their other contests this season. The offense struggled -- even more so than usual, getting no-hit until an Andrés Giménez home run got Cleveland on the scoreboard in the seventh inning as the lone hit of the night -- as Orioles starter John Means quieted the Guardians’ bats through 7 1/3 stellar frames.

“I thought his fastball had some sneakiness to it and he threw his changeup to both lefties and righties, which you don't see a lot of and effectively,” Francona said of Means. “And then that fastball, it was getting past our barrels and getting in and puts you in a little bit of a rocking chair back and forth."

But because Cleveland’s pitching also kept the Orioles off the scoreboard, the Guardians stayed in the game. Starter Cal Quantrill’s pitch count crept over 90 in just four innings due to five hits and four walks, but he allowed only one run with four strikeouts.

Xzavion Curry gave up a run in relief and Michael Kelly tossed two shutout frames. Since the offense couldn’t bail the pitching out of trouble, the Guardians suffered their 31st loss in a one-run game this season (out of 57 total one-run contests).

The defeat comes on the heels of an emotionally-conflicting night. The Guardians celebrated like kids on a playground after David Fry hit a walk-off double on Friday night against the Orioles, but minutes later, the team was eliminated from postseason contention as the Twins beat the Angels to clinch their playoff berth.

It’s been a disappointing season for the Guardians, who entered the year with tremendous promise following an incredible foundation that was set in 2022.

After free agents Josh Bell and Mike Zunino didn’t pan out the way the organization would’ve hoped, the team has learned that it needs more offensive help to contend next season.

It’s learned that its rotation should once again be in great hands. And it still needs to take the final six games to learn as much as it can about each player on the roster to be prepared for 2024 and beyond.

The Guardians may quietly crawl to the finish line in these last few games of the regular season with no possible playoff hopes in sight, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to be excited about for the future. However, this isn’t the way the Guardians would’ve preferred to send Francona into retirement, assuming that’s the decision he makes next week.

Now, the team is left to try to get as close to 80 wins as it can and to give its manager one final week of fun, exciting baseball like he’s watched this roster do the last two seasons.