The Guardians have spent this season answering questions, and most of the answers have pointed in the same direction: toward another division title. A roster built around uncertainty still found enough traction to put Cleveland on the verge of a third straight AL Central crown, with some new faces delivering and a few expected pieces falling short.
That mix is what makes Rowan Kavner’s take so interesting. The FOX Sports analyst pointed to Parker Messick as the season’s bright spot and Jose Ramirez as the biggest letdown.
“The good surprise? Parker Messick has the third-lowest ERA among all qualified AL starters and is a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate who will likely also receive Cy Young votes.
The bad surprise? The Guardians are doing all this despite Jose Ramirez being a below league-average hitter for the first time in more than a decade.
(Worth noting: He has looked a lot better lately.)” Kavner wrote.
Messick’s rise has been one of the cleanest developments in Cleveland’s season. He flashed last year when he was brought into the rotation during the historic pennant race rally, but spring training left plenty of questions about whether he’d stick there and how he’d handle a full workload. Those doubts have been blown away.
The 25-year-old left-hander has turned into a real award candidate. In 30 starts, he’s 12-9 with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP, both of which rank sixth in the majors. He made the AL All-Star team, and the Guardians have gone 18-12 in his starts.
Ramirez’s season has looked different, but even that story comes with a lot of context. If the worst thing happening to your team is that Jose Ramirez is having an off year, you’re still in decent shape. The 34-year-old scuffled before getting hurt in June and is well short of his usual 30-homer pace, but he has stayed in the lineup whenever he’s been able to go, and that matters on a young club.
Even in what has been his worst season since 2015, Ramirez has found ways to impact games. He leads the team with 35 stolen bases and ranks second with 68 runs scored. And as the Guardians hit the final stretch, he’s also heating up, with eight hits in his past four games.
With Cleveland almost locked into another postseason trip, the door is still open for even more twists before the season is over.
In Other News...
Guardians Moved Within Reach Of October After A Win That Got Tense
The Guardians gave themselves another October boost with a fast start and enough steady work from the mound to hold off a late push. Angel Martnez, David Fry and Nathaniel Lowe all helped build the early cushion, and Parker Messick did his part in a five-inning start before the bullpen took over to finish the job.
Tim Herrin, Craig Yoho, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith each had a hand in protecting the lead, keeping Cleveland in control even as the game tightened down the stretch. The win leaves the Guardians with a magic number of two to clinch a playoff spot, and depending on how the other results break, it could shrink to one before long. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Are Suddenly One Step Closer To A Clinch After Another Thriller
The Guardians kept finding ways to survive on September 22, outlasting the Red Sox 3-2 in another tight, late-September game that fit the tone of a team trying to finish the job. Nathaniel Lowe provided the decisive blow with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, while Parker Messick did enough in his start to keep Cleveland in position before the bullpen took over.
Cade Smith finished it off and reached 40 saves on the year, a notable marker for a club that has leaned on its late-inning arm all season. The bigger picture is even better for Cleveland: its magic number to clinch a playoff spot is down to two, and the Guardians still sit atop the AL Central as the calendar turns toward the final stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Vogts Late-Game Guardians Move Is Becoming A Real October Weapon
Travis Bazzanas rookie season has come with the usual growing pains, and for Stephen Vogt, that has meant getting creative when games tighten up late. The Guardians manager has turned to Angel Genao as a defensive replacement in key spots, using his versatility around the infield to help shore up a young roster when the margin for error shrinks. It is the sort of September adjustment contenders make when every clean inning and every sure-handed exchange starts to matter more.
Against the Red Sox, that move paid off in a big way, as Genao made a crucial defensive play that helped close out the win and trim Clevelands magic number to clinch a postseason berth. The contrast between the two young infielders has become part of the clubs late-game equation, with Genao offering the steadier glove right now while Bazzana continues to work through the challenges of his first full season. For a team trying to lock down October, those small swaps can carry outsized weight. [Read more 🡒]