The Guardians can take another step in the series Wednesday night, and the stakes are clear enough: Cleveland is looking to lock up the matchup and stretch its cushion in the American League playoff picture after Tuesday’s 6-1 win over Toronto.
That victory pushed the Guardians to nine wins in their last 11 games. Gavin Williams was the headline on the mound, striking out a career-high 13, while Cleveland’s offense backed him with three two-run homers.
The result left the Blue Jays 2 1/2 games behind the Guardians for the final AL wild card. Cleveland, meanwhile, is still three games back of the White Sox in the AL Central.
The matchup also comes with the full set of lineups in place.
The Guardians will go with Steven Kwan in center field, Chase DeLauter at designated hitter and José Ramírez at third base. Jo Adell starts in right field, Nathaniel Lowe is at first base and Angel Martínez is in left. Travis Bazzana is at second, Patrick Bailey is behind the plate and Brayan Rocchio is at shortstop.
Cleveland’s lineup: CF Steven Kwan, DH Chase DeLauter, 3B José Ramírez, RF Jo Adell, 1B Nathaniel Lowe, LF Angel Martínez, 2B Travis Bazzana, C Patrick Bailey, SS Brayan Rocchio.
Toronto counters with Brett Bateman in center, George Springer at DH and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first. Alejandro Kirk is catching, Kazuma Okamoto is at third, Nathan Lukes is in right, Ernie Clement is at second, Andres Gimenez is at short and Myles Straw is in left.
Blue Jays lineup: CF Brett Bateman, DH George Springer, 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., C Alejandro Kirk, 3B Kazuma Okamoto, RF Nathan Lukes, 2B Ernie Clement, SS Andres Gimenez, LF Myles Straw.
The game will be carried on CLEGuardians.TV, WTAM 1100 AM, WMMS 100.7 FM, WARF 1350 AM in Spanish and the Guardians Radio Network.
In Other News...
Brayan Rocchio Is Putting Cleveland In A Tough Lineup Spot
Brayan Rocchio spent the first half of the season giving Cleveland a real boost with the bat, but the second half has looked nothing like that version of him. The downturn was severe enough to send him to Triple-A in early 2025, and it has turned what once looked like a stable middle-infield situation into a much trickier decision for the Guardians as they sort out their infield plans.
Stephen Vogt now has three names in the mix for those spots, with Rocchio competing against Angel Genao and Travis Bazzana. If the offense does not turn back in Rocchios favor, Cleveland could lean toward Genao and Bazzana and leave Rocchio in a reserve role, a sharp shift for a player who not long ago seemed positioned to hold a much more prominent place in the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Parker Messick Is Giving Cleveland Fans A New Reason To Believe
Cleveland has stayed in the thick of the race for most of the summer, with a postseason path still very much alive and the club again proving it can hang around deep into September. A big reason for that is rookie starter Parker Messick, who has quickly moved from promising arm to one of the more dependable pieces in the rotation, giving the Guardians a fresh lift as they chase another playoff berth.
Messicks rise has also pushed him into the conversation for AL Rookie of the Year, a reminder that Clevelands recent success is being driven by more than just veteran steadiness. The Guardians still have work to do in both the Wild Card hunt and the division race, but Messicks arrival has given fans something beyond the standings to watch, with the Kalshi odds reflecting just how much his season has started to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Playoff Push Just Ran Into A Frustrating Defensive Problem
The Guardians playoff push took a jarring hit at Progressive Field, where a lopsided loss to Toronto was made worse by a defensive lapse from a pair of rookies. Cleveland had already been chasing the game after Dylan Cease carved through the lineup over six scoreless innings, but the bigger problem came when Joey Cantillos outing unraveled and the defense behind him could not clean it up.
A sloppy second inning turned into the kind of inning that lingers, with Travis Bazzana and Angel Genao both involved in the breakdown that opened the door for the Blue Jays to pile on. Cleveland wound up staring at an 11-0 defeat, and the frustration was not just the final score but the way the Guardians kept giving Toronto extra life when they could least afford it. [Read more 🡒]