The Cleveland Guardians have spent most of the season searching for a lineup that could finally hold up its end of the bargain. They’ve shuffled the roster, sent players down, brought prospects up and added pieces at the trade deadline. The results have come in flashes, but never for long.
Now, with one month left in the regular season, the bats are starting to look like they might be arriving at the right time. Cleveland’s recent run has pulled it back into the AL Central race and into the final AL Wild Card spot, and Sunday’s 11-1 rout of the Kansas City Royals only added to the sense that something may be changing.
After the win, manager Stephen Vogt said the offense is “trending in the right direction.”
“I think we’ve seen it over the last two weeks. You look at the past road trip.
You look at the way it’s trended since the deadline. Our offense is trending in the right direction.
You’re gonna have games where pitchers shut you down. You’re gonna have games where you just don’t put it together.
We like what this offense is. We like what it’s trending to be, and we’re getting contributions up and down the lineup,” Vogt said.
The encouraging stretch has been a welcome shift after a brutal spell coming out of the All-Star break. Cleveland was shut out five times in that span, a slide that knocked it into fourth place in the division and pushed it deeper into the wild-card mix. But the Guardians also found a softer stretch of schedule and pounced, piling up 41 runs during a seven-game winning streak against the San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels.
Then came another reminder of how fragile the progress still is. Cleveland was blanked by the Royals to start a 10-game homestand, then managed only three runs in another loss before breaking loose on Sunday.
Even with the recent surge, the overall numbers show how much work remains. The Guardians are batting .264 in August, which is a step up from every previous month, when they never hit better than .240. Still, the club sits 26th in the majors in runs scored, 28th in OPS and 29th in home runs.
The spark has come from several places. Steven Kwan has been rolling since the break, hitting .376 with a .909 OPS.
Chase DeLauter has added his own punch, posting a .328 average and .877 OPS over that same stretch. And Jo Adell, brought in at the deadline, has given Cleveland the right-handed power it was looking for, with four homers, 21 RBIs and a .796 OPS since coming over from the Angels.
Jose Ramirez may be the next key piece. The third baseman has shown signs of a breakout over the past week, and if that carries over, it could be a major boost for an offense trying to turn a promising stretch into something lasting.
In Other News...
Clase And Ortiz Face A Damaging New Twist In Cleveland Case
Federal prosecutors say the Cleveland Guardians pitchers at the center of the alleged pitch-rigging and betting case did more than simply face accusations tied to baseball integrity. In court filings, they allege Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz tried to mislead Major League Baseball investigators about their involvement, deepening a scandal that has already put the club in the middle of one of the sports uglier legal fights.
Both pitchers have pleaded not guilty to charges that include conspiracy, fraud, money laundering and sports bribery, and the case is now headed toward a November 2 trial. Prosecutors contend the pair ran afoul of MLBs Rule 21, which bars betting on baseball, while also attempting to hide payments and their roles during the leagues inquiry, adding another layer of risk for a franchise still waiting for this case to play out. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Bullpen Move Comes With One Roster Twist To Watch
The Guardians are set to get a little more flexibility as September roster expansion gives the club a chance to shuffle some pieces around. Right-hander Carlos Hernndez will be added to the major league roster to fill an open spot on the 40-man, while utility man Daniel Schneemann is also coming back up from Triple-A Columbus to give Cleveland some extra bench depth.
Hernndez has been in the organization on a minor league deal and recently returned from injury, which makes his promotion a notable step as the team evaluates its bullpen options down the stretch. Schneemanns recall gives the Guardians another versatile bat and glove to work with, and the move creates one roster wrinkle worth keeping an eye on as Cleveland sorts out how it wants to use its expanded September group. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Spark Debate With September Choice On Intriguing Young Bat
The Guardians' September roster move brought a little bit of everything, with the club adding Daniel Schneemann and Carlos Hernandez as the expanded roster opened the door for help down the stretch. But the most interesting omission was Ralphy Velazquez, a first baseman whose minor league performance has made him one of the more intriguing young bats in the organization. His name had been in the conversation for a look, especially with rosters growing and the season entering its final month.
Instead, Cleveland is taking a cautious path with Velazquez, and the reasoning appears tied to bigger-picture concerns about how a potential MLB lockout next season could affect his development. The choice has already drawn some second-guessing, mostly because Velazquez is at a stage where every opportunity matters and the immediate upside is hard to ignore. For now, the Guardians are betting on patience, even if the decision leaves plenty of room for debate about when the next chance will come. [Read more 🡒]