Chase DeLauter isn’t making the playoff race any more complicated than it needs to be.
The rookie outfielder was right in the middle of Cleveland’s big Saturday night against the Athletics, launching an early homer that helped wipe out a first-inning deficit as the Guardians powered to a 12-6 win. The result kept Cleveland in first place in the AL Central at 80-75, one game ahead of the White Sox at 79-76 with seven games left.
For DeLauter, the moment and the moment after all come down to the same basic idea. “This is what we play all year for.”
“It’s just fun baseball, right? This is what we play all year for.
That’s what baseball’s all about. We come out, give up a couple early, but we can watch the last couple days and see we don’t feel like we’re out of any game.
So it was nice to come out there and put up runs, and we kept the bats going. We can’t control the scores of the other game and who’s playing, who’s pitching, who’s hitting for those guys.
The only thing we can do is come here, get prepared, and be ready at 6 or 7 o’clock,” DeLauter said.
Saturday was a clean example of the way this Cleveland club has handled adversity lately. The Guardians got hit early, then answered back and never let the Athletics settle in. DeLauter said it was especially satisfying to see the offense keep coming, with the bats staying alive from the opening inning all the way through the end.
He also leaned into the larger truth of this stretch run: Cleveland can’t do anything about what happens elsewhere in the division. With the race tightening and the tiebreaker working against them, the only real task is to handle the next game, then the next one after that, and let the rest unfold in Chicago and Detroit.
That mindset has been part of the Guardians’ identity all season. Cleveland has mixed reliable veterans with rookies who are growing more comfortable by the day, and the standings chatter hasn’t seemed to rattle them. With the White Sox still right there and no room to waste a night, the Guardians know every game matters.
DeLauter doesn’t sound interested in turning that into a bigger drama than it already is. If Saturday said anything, it was that Cleveland plans to keep going about its business the same way it has all year: show up, get ready, and let the game tell the story.
In Other News...
Brayan Rocchio's Early Exit Just Raised A Big Guardians Concern
Brayan Rocchios night against the Athletics ended early after the Guardians pulled him with left leg tightness, a move Stephen Vogt described as precautionary. Rocchio has been dealing with soreness that flared up during the game, and Cleveland planned to take a closer look the next day. For a club that has leaned on him heavily lately, his presence has mattered in more ways than one.
Rocchio has given the Guardians key hits and steady defensive plays at a time when every little edge seems to count. So even if the early exit was framed carefully, it still adds another layer of concern around one of their more important recent contributors, especially with the team waiting to see how he responds after the evaluation. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Suddenly Have A George Valera Decision To Make
George Valeras season has turned into something of a late-summer crossroads for the Guardians, who have watched the outfielder go from an injured-list start to a demotion to Triple-A after a rough beginning in the majors. Since then, he has reminded the organization why he once looked like an important piece of the outfield mix, putting together a strong run in the minors and staying on base in 21 straight games.
The recent production has reopened the conversation about whether Cleveland should bring him back to the major league roster, and whether the next move is bigger than a simple call-up. For a club that has already seen enough to know Valeras path has not been linear, the question now is how aggressively to reward the surge and whether there is a 40-man roster decision waiting in the background. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Keep The Race Alive Despite One Concern From Saturday
The Guardians kept their late-season push rolling Saturday at Progressive Field, backing a big offensive night with a 12-6 win over the Athletics. It was their fourth straight victory and moved them to 80-75, a stretch that has kept the club in the race as September winds down. Angel Martinez was at the center of it, giving Cleveland a jolt from both sides of the plate with home runs that helped turn a productive lineup into a runaway result.
Still, there was at least one uneasy note buried in the victory. Tanner Bibee was not sharp, giving up six runs over 4.2 innings, and Cleveland had to lean on its bats to make sure the game never got away from it. The Guardians have earned the right to enjoy the winning streak, but with the margin for error shrinking, how they manage the rotation down the stretch will matter just as much as whether the offense keeps carrying its weight. [Read more 🡒]