The Cleveland Guardians are already locked into the postseason, but the real drama is still ahead. With three games left, they’re clinging to a one-game lead over the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central, and that gap could decide whether Cleveland skips the Wild Card Round entirely and goes straight to the ALDS.
That’s why the pitching question hanging over Sunday matters so much. If the Guardians need that game to clinch the division, they’d have to choose between chasing the win now or preserving Parker Messick for a possible Wild Card start later. They can’t really do both.
Analyst Ken Carman wants Cleveland to be bold. He’s pushing the Guardians to hand the ball to Messick if the division is still on the line.
“You might as well roll the dice, throw Messick out there. If it doesn’t go our way, I know it puts us in arrears for a Wild Card round, but what the hell anyway?
We made the postseason. I think I have to be a little casual and throw caution to the wind here if I’m making such a decision.
Am I supposed to just be afraid and then still be in the Wild Card round? I might as well just go for the gusto.
If the situation presents itself, I might as well go for it and put Parker Messick in on Sunday,” Carman said.
The exchange on 92.3 The Fan quickly turned to the risk baked into that approach.
“You might as well roll the dice, throw Messick out there…if it doesn't go our way, what the hell anyway. We made the postseason."
"Well, hold on, It's not a, 'what the hell anyway'…if they end up losing the wild card round, people are gonna be apoplectic."
For Cleveland, the cleanest path is still to settle the division before Sunday even arrives. The Guardians are set to face the Kansas City Royals on the road, while the White Sox host the Colorado Rockies. Kansas City owns the fifth-worst record in the majors, and Colorado has the worst.
That setup makes it very possible both teams still reach the final day separated by just one game. If they finish tied for first, Chicago would take the division because it holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Cleveland.
And that’s the key difference from last year. The Guardians won the division then, but still landed in a Wild Card series and lost to the Detroit Tigers. This time, the division winner would jump straight to the second round and avoid the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox, the top two wild cards, in the ALDS.
That’s why Carman’s case for Messick has some real force behind it. If Sunday turns into the division decider, Cleveland may have to choose between caution and the kind of move that can change everything.
In Other News...
Guardians Clinched But Boston Still Holds A Huge Playoff Swing
The Guardians have already locked up their third straight trip to the postseason, thanks to a 1-0 win over the Red Sox that assured Cleveland a seat in October. What comes next still matters plenty, though, because the clubs final seeding and first-round path are tied to how Boston fares in a doubleheader against the Cubs.
A noreaster forced that makeup day into the schedule, and MLB is even weighing whether one of the games needs to be shifted to Tropicana Field. For Cleveland, the math is simple enough: Bostons results will help determine whether the Guardians get to host the ALDS or are headed to the Wild Card series, leaving the bracket picture unsettled for at least another day. [Read more 🡒]
Former Guardians Arm Is Back In Limbo At The Worst Time
Xzavion Curry is back in roster limbo after the Mets designated the former Guardians right-hander for assignment to clear space for waiver claim Philip Abner. Curry had spent most of his time with New York this season working in a long-relief role, logging 21 1/3 innings in the majors while also making appearances for Triple-A Syracuse.
Now the question is whether another club sees enough to put in a claim, or whether Curry clears waivers and gets pushed toward a more complicated next step. If he goes unclaimed, he can reject a minor league assignment and become a minor league free agent in the offseason, leaving his immediate future hanging at a time when every bullpen spot matters. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Reached October On A Fenway Swing Fans Wont Believe
Angel Martinez gave Cleveland the jolt it needed at Fenway, sending a 319-foot homer into the night and lifting the Guardians to a 1-0 win over the Red Sox. The victory punched their ticket to the postseason and kept them one game ahead in the AL Central, with the division still within reach as the final stretch tightened.
For a club that has leaned on run prevention all season, the formula held up again in Boston. Clevelands pitching staff blanked the Red Sox from start to finish, and the kind of slim-margin win that can define October left the Guardians with both a playoff berth secured and a division race still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]