The Guardians are down to the stretch run, and the timing could hardly be worse. With nine games left and a division title still in reach, Cleveland is trying to finish the job without two of its most dangerous bats in Chase DeLauter and Angel Martínez.
Neither hitter was in the lineup for the final two games of the series against Chicago, and both left Progressive Field dealing with injuries. Their status for the upcoming Oakland series remains up in the air.
That kind of disruption changes the look of the lineup in a hurry. On the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, Paul Hoynes said the impact is immediate: “That changes things dramatically.
Petey Halpin will be in center field, I would imagine. You’ve got David Fry playing a bigger role, either one in left field or first base.
So it definitely puts a crimp, I think, in the Guardians offense. You’re not putting your best nine guys out there.”
DeLauter has been one of Cleveland’s most productive hitters all year, and the numbers back that up: a .289 average, an OPS above .800, 14 homers, 62 RBIs and a team-best 28 doubles. He’s been the kind of bat that keeps the order moving, the one that helps the rest of the lineup breathe.
His issue is a wrist injury that had already been bothering him for weeks before it flared again on a swing in Game 1 against the White Sox. That’s the kind of setback that can linger, and there’s real concern around it now.
Martínez’s injury sounds different, and possibly more troublesome. The switch-hitting utility man, who has 15 home runs and can move around the diamond, aggravated a right flank injury on a swing in that same first game against Chicago.
Hoynes pointed to what that usually means: “If you have a right side injury from swinging, that’s an oblique, that’s a rib cage stuff. That’s four to six weeks and if you come back too soon, you just make it worse.
He swings really hard. He has a violent swing.”
If Cleveland is going to get one of the two back first, Hoynes believes DeLauter is the likelier candidate. Even so, he didn’t sound especially bullish on either return. “I think they’d be fortunate if they get one of those two guys back,” he said.
There is at least one encouraging note on DeLauter. When he has missed time this season, he has tended to return hot. He homered in his first game back from his only IL stint, and Joe Noga pointed out the trend: “When he’s been out for whatever reason or when he’s missed time, he comes back and he swings the bat really well.”
For now, Petey Halpin and David Fry are the ones asked to fill the gap. Halpin came through with a big hit in the finale against Chicago, which gave Cleveland a needed lift. But there’s no easy way around this: losing two of your best hitters this late makes the road a lot tougher.
The Guardians need DeLauter and Martínez, and every game they’re unavailable leaves Cleveland trying to win from behind.
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 🡒]