The Guardians came into October with the same problem that followed them all season, and it’s showing up in the worst possible way.
Cleveland’s offense has gone quiet in the ALDS, and that silence has put the club in a deep hole against the White Sox. The Guardians were blanked at home in Game 1, then managed just three runs in Game 2, with two of them coming on a Sean Newcomb error in the first inning. Even with an early lead, they never looked dangerous for long.
The bigger issue is how familiar this feels. The Guardians have spent much of the year near the bottom of the league in offense, so their October struggles aren’t exactly a shock.
In Game 2, they finished with only four hits and went from the third inning until the eighth without one. Chase DeLauter finally broke through with a single in the eighth, then came around to score on Jo Adell’s triple, but by then the damage had already been done.
Cleveland tried to address the lineup in early August, bringing in Nathaniel Lowe from the Reds and Adell from the Angels. The results have been mixed at best.
In 43 games with the Guardians, Lowe put up a -0.3 bWAR and a .650 OPS. Adell was better, posting a .740 OPS over 48 games, but that still barely moved the needle for an offense that needed far more help than that.
That’s where the front office comes into focus. There were more impactful bats available at the deadline, but Cleveland settled for Lowe and Adell.
By the organization’s own standards, it was an active deadline. For a team trying to make noise in October, it still wasn’t enough.
And with Jose Ramirez not looking like himself at the plate, the lack of a real difference-maker has become even more glaring. Ramirez is hitless through two games this postseason, leaving the Guardians even thinner in the middle of the order.
Adell and Lowe have supplied Cleveland’s only two RBIs of the postseason so far, but the production has been spotty. Before his eighth-inning triple in Game 2, Adell had struck out six times in seven plate appearances. Lowe has only one hit in the series.
The regular season numbers told the same story. Cleveland was one of six teams with a collective OPS below .700, and the only one of that group to reach the postseason.
The Guardians finished with a .696 OPS, which ranked 26th in the majors. They were 27th in home runs with 162, 24th in batting average at .239, and they were the only team without a single player who hit 20 homers.
Adell technically hit 23, but only seven of those came with Cleveland. Angel Martinez led the team with 18, and only one qualified hitter on the roster, DeLauter, finished with an OPS above .760.
Game 1 already showed how fragile this lineup is. Cleveland managed just three hits in the series opener and was shut down by Chicago’s bullpen in a 1-0 loss.
Game 2 brought more of the same, even with Gavin Williams dealing. He gave the Guardians a strong start, allowing two runs and striking out 11 over five-plus innings, but the offense couldn’t back him up.
That’s what makes this series so tough for Cleveland. The White Sox have one of the weaker pitching staffs in baseball, and this was supposed to be a matchup where the Guardians could scrape together enough runs.
Instead, they’ve scored only three times and collected just seven hits through two games. Chicago’s bullpen has done the heavy lifting, covering 15 innings in the first two games while allowing six hits, four walks and one earned run, with 17 strikeouts.
Now the Guardians head to Rate Field for Games 3 and 4 needing both to stay alive and force a Game 5 back at Progressive Field. The task is steep. Teams that lose the first two games at home in a best-of-five series are 3-22 in MLB history, and Cleveland has already used its best two starters.
In Other News...
White Sox Got An Unusual Midgame Alert During ALDS Tension
A tense Game 1 of the ALDS between the White Sox and Guardians came with an unusual twist away from the field. In the middle of the action, White Sox fans Dave Williams and Jordan Lazowski noticed Cleveland was signaling breaking pitches by tapping their helmets, and they wasted no time trying to get the information to the right people.
Williams and Lazowski texted White Sox players and executives during the game, raising the alarm as the matchup tightened. The team acknowledged the tip and addressed it, adding another layer to a postseason opener that already had plenty of pressure riding on it. [Read more 🡒]
Tommy Pham Had White Sox Teammates Cracking Up Before ALDS Game 3
Tommy Pham gave his White Sox teammates a different kind of entertainment on the way home after an ALDS game, turning a plane ride into an impromptu fantasy football session. While watching Monday Night Football, Pham was openly frustrated with how his fantasy players were doing, and the reaction around him was enough to have teammates cracking up as the club flew back with its playoff momentum intact.
Chicago enters Game 3 at home with a 2-0 series lead over the Cleveland Guardians and an undefeated postseason so far, which has made for a pretty upbeat travel and clubhouse mood. Phams sideline-style commentary was a reminder that even in October, theres still room for a little levity, especially for a team that has spent the playoffs handling business and enjoying the ride. [Read more 🡒]
Hawk Harrelson Has A Message White Sox Fans Will Love Before Game 3
The White Sox are about to play their first home playoff game since 2021, and the atmosphere around Rate Field has a familiar October buzz to it. With a 2-0 series lead heading into Game 3, there is plenty for Chicago fans to feel good about already, and few voices resonate with that crowd quite like former longtime broadcaster Hawk Harrelson.
Harrelson, who retired in 2018 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021, showed up on ESPN 1000 to send a message to White Sox fans before the game. Even away from the booth, he has stayed a loyal supporter of the club, and his words are the kind of pregame rallying cry that fits a team trying to turn a strong start into something bigger back home. [Read more 🡒]