September has turned the AL Central into something Cleveland can actually chase.
What looked like a steep climb for the Guardians is suddenly a real race, with the final month giving them a chance to make up ground on the White Sox. Cleveland is 69-68 and sits 3 1/2 games back of first-place Chicago, which enters the stretch at 72-64. The Guardians have tightened things up by winning 10 of their last 14 and going 8-2 over their last 10, while the White Sox are trying to hold off a division push and secure their first AL Central title since 2021.
The key for Cleveland is simple: stay close long enough to make the mid-September matchup matter. The Guardians have 25 games left, and their path looks manageable for much of the month.
They open Tuesday with a three-game set against Toronto at Progressive Field, and among the teams still on the schedule, only Boston and Chicago are currently above .500. That makes the Sept. 14-16 series against the White Sox at Progressive Field the clear pivot point.
Those will be the final head-to-head games between the clubs, and they could wind up deciding the division.
Chicago, though, still controls the race. The White Sox have 26 games remaining and begin a four-game series in Houston tonight at Daikin Park.
Anthony Kay (9-6, 4.09 ERA) is scheduled to face Peter Lambert (8-7, 3.66) at 8:10 p.m. Chicago has taken four of its last six and just won two of three in Minnesota.
Houston, meanwhile, comes home after taking two of three from both the Yankees and Mets during a six-game road trip to New York.
Cleveland’s opener this week brings its own intrigue. The Guardians start a three-game series against the Blue Jays on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. at Progressive Field.
Gavin Williams (12-7, 3.98 ERA) will start for Cleveland against Toronto right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (7-7, 4.81). Williams has piled up 204 strikeouts in 156 innings, while Arrighetti has had a rough start with the Blue Jays, posting a 7.36 ERA in his first two outings.
The Guardians’ road through September runs like this: Toronto, Detroit, Baltimore, Minnesota, Chicago, Athletics, Boston and Kansas City. The White Sox, after Houston, get Minnesota, Pittsburgh, St.
Louis, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City and Colorado. That sets up a month where the two division rivals are tracking each other closely, with Cleveland needing to keep the pressure on until the Sept. 14-16 showdown.
The standings tell the same story. Chicago leads the AL Central, while Cleveland is hanging in at 3 1/2 back.
In the Wild Card picture, the Guardians are third at 69-68, behind the Yankees and Red Sox, and just ahead of Baltimore, Toronto, Texas, Minnesota, Seattle and Detroit. But for Cleveland, the bigger prize is still the division - and the next few weeks will decide whether that chase stays alive.
In Other News...
Guardians Roster Decision Could Expose A Bigger Power Problem
When rosters expand, the Guardians will have a chance to add a fresh body for the stretch run, and Daniel Schneemann is part of that conversation. Hes the kind of versatile piece teams often like to have on hand, but the bigger issue for Cleveland is less about filling a bench role and more about whether the roster finally gets another bat that can change an inning.
That is why the alternatives matter. Kyle Manzardo, Ralphy Velazquez and Cooper Ingle all point more directly toward the kind of offensive upside the Guardians have lacked, while a utility addition would only paper over a larger need. However Cleveland handles the move, the decision says plenty about whether the front office is trying to get through September or actually address the power shortage that has defined too much of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Face A Tough September Choice With Two Roster Spots Open
With September call-ups arriving Tuesday, the Guardians are preparing to move from 26 players to 28 and give the roster a little more breathing room for the seasons final stretch. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said one of those additions will likely be a reliever and the other a position player, with the club still sorting through a mix of Triple-A options and injured-list candidates as it looks for the best fit.
The decision comes down to more than just filling space. Cleveland wants players who complement what is already on hand, and it is also weighing the reality that the extra bat may not see many plate appearances. In other words, these final roster spots are less about headlines than balance, and the Guardians still have a few moving pieces before those choices are locked in. [Read more 🡒]
Jose Ramirez Just Raised A New Concern For Guardians Fans
Jos Ramrez has already given Guardians fans enough reason to breathe easier by making it back after surgery for a hamate fracture, but his return has not come with a full sense of normalcy. He missed more than a month earlier this season, came back in July, and has still been working through the lingering effects of the injury while trying to anchor Clevelands lineup.
After a recent game against the Royals, Ramrez said the hand is still part of the conversation because the pain and strength have not fully gone away. Even so, he showed again why the Guardians need him, collecting two hits, a home run and four RBIs in the win, a reminder of the production he can still provide even while the injury concern hangs around. [Read more 🡒]