The Guardians took an important first step in Chicago on Friday, and they did it with the kind of formula that can keep a team alive in a division race: strong pitching, a sudden burst from the offense, and enough momentum to make the next few days feel like a turning point.
Parker Messick gave Cleveland the steady start it needed, while Angel Martinez delivered the surprise punch with a grand slam. That win pulled the Guardians within two games of the White Sox for first place in the AL Central, with two games still left in the series. After that, Cleveland heads to Detroit for a four-game set against the surging Tigers.
That’s the backdrop for Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com, who pointed to the ingredients that could keep the Guardians in the hunt. As Pluto put it, “The Guardians have a golden arm rotation with Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Joey Cantillo, Messick and Foster Griffin.
Cade Smith is an All-Star closer, although the bullpen needs more depth. Steven Kwan is batting exactly .400 (.940 OPS) since July 1.
Chase DeLauter just hits and hits. The talent is there to prevail in the Central Division,” Pluto wrote.
The rotation is the big reason for optimism. Messick’s outing added another layer to a staff that already includes Williams, who has been on a historic tear, and Griffin, who came in as a trade deadline pickup. In a division where no one can really match that kind of starting depth, Cleveland has a chance to stay in just about every game it plays.
Smith gives them another major edge at the back end. He is second in the majors in saves, and when he’s right, the Guardians have the kind of closer who can shorten games fast.
Of course, the recent results haven’t exactly matched the talent. Cleveland was swept by the lowly Mets in its previous series, with Smith blowing a save in the second game and the pitching staff unraveling in the finale. The Guardians had lost five of six and were 6-13 since the All-Star break before Friday’s win.
Even during that rough stretch, Kwan kept producing. He leads the majors in batting average since July 1 and homered against the White Sox in the opener. DeLauter has also kept stacking hits, batting over .300 during that span as his strong rookie season continues.
The Guardians know what it takes to chase down a division title. They’re the two-time defending AL Central winners, and last September they came from 11 games back to win the division. So nobody is counting them out.
Still, this next week matters. If Cleveland is going to make another real move, it has to start trimming the gap now. With Williams set to pitch in Chicago on Saturday, the Guardians have a chance to keep building.
In Other News...
Guardians May Already Regret What Will Dion Is Showing In Washington
Will Dions quick start in Washington is the kind of return the Guardians had to hope would not come back to sting them after the trade deadline. Sent from Cleveland to the Nationals, the left-hander has already made two appearances for his new club, and his early work has been steady enough to put him on the radar almost immediately as a useful addition rather than just a throw-in on a deadline deal.
Washingtons staff is already talking like there may be more there than a fresh arm. Dion has shown enough polish for manager Blake Butera to point to the quality of his stuff and the way it plays against both right-handed and left-handed hitters, which is exactly the sort of profile that can travel well in a bullpen or swing role. For Cleveland, that only adds to the uneasy feeling that this one might age better in D.C. than it does back home. [Read more 🡒]
Stephen Vogt Sends Blunt Message As Guardians Pitching Slump Grows
Stephen Vogt has been leaning on the Guardians pitching staff to reset its approach after a recent rise in walks has added to an already shaky stretch. The clubs manager said the issue looks less like a mechanical breakdown and more like a mentality problem, with pitchers pressing, trying to do too much, and losing some confidence along the way. In response, the coaching staff gathered the group for a clubhouse conversation aimed at slowing things down and getting everyone back to the identity that had helped the staff function earlier in the season.
It comes at a tough time for Cleveland, which is still sitting below .500 and trying to find some stability before opening a series against the Tigers. The next few days will matter not just for the standings, but for how the rotation and bullpen carry themselves under pressure, because the margin for error is thinning. Vogts message was blunt for a reason: the Guardians do not have the luxury of letting free passes keep piling up while the rest of the game keeps asking more of them. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Bullpen Collapse Just Put One Deadline Decision Under Fire
The Guardians have spent the past few games showing how quickly a bullpen can go from asset to alarm bell. Losing Slade Cecconi to the injured list already thinned the staff, and a rain delay only made things messier, forcing multiple relievers to cover eight innings in a recent game. For a club trying to stay in the race, those are the kinds of nights that expose just how fragile the relief depth can look when the margin gets tight.
Craig Yoho was supposed to be part of the answer after joining the bullpen, but the recent stretch has only added to the uncertainty around him. Cleveland made plenty of roster movement before the deadline, yet it stopped short of bringing in the kind of proven help that would steady the late innings, leaving the front office to lean on internal depth and minor-league options. When the bullpen is already being asked to absorb that much stress, the question is whether this group can hold up if another setback arrives. [Read more 🡒]