The Guardians left their series with Toronto with more than a loss in the standings. They also handed the Blue Jays a tiebreaker that could matter just as much when the wild card race comes down to the wire.
That was the key point cleveland.com beat reporters Joe Noga and Paul Hoynes broke down on the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast after Thursday’s 6-3 defeat. Toronto took two of three, and with that, it claimed the season series.
“Toronto wins the season series,” Noga said. “First time they’ve taken a season series against the guardians since 2021. And more importantly, taking the season series this year means that if the two of them end up tied for the final wild card spot, the, the tiebreaker goes to Toronto with a 4-2 series win.”
That changes the picture in a hurry. The Blue Jays finished Thursday just a half-game behind Cleveland in the wild card standings, but now they don’t need to pass the Guardians outright. If Toronto finishes even with Cleveland, the edge goes to the Blue Jays.
Texas is in the same position. The Rangers, also a half-game back, own the season series over Cleveland as well. That leaves the Guardians in a spot where simply matching those teams may not be enough.
Hoynes said the safest path may not even be the wild card.
“Their best bet right now might, be to win the division,” Hoynes said. “They should focus all their energy on that because the wild card is ... it’s a wild card.”
Cleveland does have one head-to-head edge still working in its favor. The Guardians are up 3-1 on Baltimore in the season series, with three games left beginning on Labor Day.
One more win would lock that up. Still, the Orioles are viewed as the least likely of the group to finish tied with Cleveland.
That’s what makes the Toronto series sting even more. While the Guardians were dropping games to the Blue Jays, the Chicago White Sox were losing back-to-back games to Houston.
A win in the series would have pushed Cleveland at least two games ahead in the division race. Instead, the Guardians came away standing still.
Now there are 22 games left, and the pressure is obvious.
“Every game’s a playoff game,” Hoynes said. “That sounds trite, but it’s every game they play, you know, the pendulum swings in their favor or against them and you lose two in one day, that’s not a good thing.”
Friday’s doubleheader against Detroit brings the next test immediately. The Tigers have been handled by Cleveland this season, with the Guardians going 7-2 against them. What happens next will say plenty about whether the Toronto series was just a stumble or something far more damaging.
Sweep Detroit, and Cleveland can start to put this week behind it. Get swept, and the playoff conversation turns sharply darker.
In Other News...
Former Guardians Outfielder Suddenly Back In The Middle Of Seattle's Push
Stuart Fairchild is back on a major league roster again, and this time the opportunity comes with a little more urgency for Seattle. After putting up strong numbers at Triple-A Tacoma, Fairchild was brought back by the Mariners to fill a roster spot opened when Victor Robles was placed on the family medical emergency list, giving the club another outfield option at a time when every healthy bat matters.
For Fairchild, the move adds another stop to a season that has already taken him through brief stints with both the Mariners and the Cleveland Guardians before he returned on a minor league deal with Seattle. His path has been anything but settled, but the Mariners clearly liked what they saw in Tacoma enough to pull him back into the middle of their push, even if the longer-term answer in the outfield remains to be determined. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Suddenly Have Another Chase DeLauter Health Concern
Chase DeLauters latest interruption came in the middle of a game, when the Guardians outfielder left after injuring his right wrist in his second at-bat. Stephen Vogt said DeLauter is expected to be day-to-day and is already getting treatment for soreness and stiffness, another reminder that Cleveland has had to keep recalibrating around one of its most intriguing young players.
The wrist issue arrives just after DeLauter sat out a series against the Los Angeles Angels because of hamstring tightness, extending a stretch in which availability has been the bigger question than production. For a player trying to build momentum, the timing is frustrating, and for the Guardians it adds another layer of uncertainty to a roster that could use some stability from him. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Keep Ignoring A First Base Answer Fans Want To See
Ralphy Velazquez has done enough in Triple-A to keep his name in the conversation, especially with the Guardians still looking for more offense at first base. The prospects production has made him an obvious candidate for a look in Cleveland, and general manager Mike Chernoff even acknowledged that Velazquez has earned a promotion based on performance.
For now, though, the path is blocked by roster fit rather than merit. Chernoff said there is not a role for Velazquez on the major league club at the moment, and he also pushed back on the idea that any looming labor concerns are driving the decision. So the question around first base remains the same one fans have been asking: if Velazquez keeps forcing the issue, when does Cleveland finally make room? [Read more 🡒]