The Cleveland Guardians are in a bad place, and the standings have started to reflect it. They’ve dropped 14 of their last 18, slipped four games behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central, and now sit at 58-62 - four games under .500.
The skid has been ugly, too, with six losses in their last seven games. The White Sox, the Detroit Tigers, and the Minnesota Twins have all moved ahead of them.
What makes this stretch sting even more is how far the team has drifted from the formula that made it recognizable in the first place. Cleveland still has a strong rotation, but the bullpen has been shaky lately.
The offense has too often gone quiet. The defense has had its sloppy moments.
It’s not the same team identity fans have come to expect.
That was the point Anthony Lima drove home while talking through where the Guardians are right now and what it might mean if they somehow claw their way into October.
“Let’s say we do get into the playoffs. We finish strong the final month of the season or whatever.
Whoever draws us in the first round, what would they say about the identity of the Guardians? They’d mention Jose Ramirez.
That’s not our team this year. They’d mention our bullpen.
That’s not our team. They always find ways to manufacture runs.
That’s not our team. All the things that we’ve been living by, and sometimes dying by over the years, that’s not even us this year, and so they’ve gotta find that.
Yeah, there are still games to do it. It kind of feels like we’re running out of time,” Lima said.
He added, "That's not our team this year. All the things that we've been living by, and sometimes dying by over the years, that's not even us this year…and so they've gotta find that. It kind of feels like we're running out of time."
There’s no sugarcoating the current version of Cleveland. The defense hasn’t been reliable, the bullpen has let games slip away, and the offense has been a mess.
Still, that doesn’t mean the story is finished. These kinds of problems can be turned around with hard work, talent, and a clear plan.
It won’t happen by accident, and it won’t happen fast, but the door isn’t shut yet.
Jose Ramirez would obviously help if he could get rolling again. The star third baseman has been dealing with the effects of his surgically repaired wrist, and his line shows it: .235/.335/.383 with 10 homers, 29 stolen bases, and a 101 wRC+. He hasn’t homered since early June.
Right now, the Guardians don’t look like a team with much margin for error. But they still have time to show they’re better than the version that’s been on the field lately.
In Other News...
Myles Straw Puts Clevelands Old Contract Mistake Back In Focus
Myles Straws path through Toronto has put a familiar Cleveland topic back in view. The former Guardians outfielder is now in the mix for the Blue Jays center field job, with the opening created by the Daulton Varsho trade giving him a real chance to carve out a role for himself in a new setting.
For Cleveland, though, Straws presence on a contender also serves as a reminder of the contract extension that once tied him to the Guardians and still hangs over his value. His defense has always kept him on the radar, but the offensive limitations that complicated his tenure in Cleveland have not gone away, and the money attached to his deal makes his long-term fit a tricky call for Toronto as it looks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Chase DeLauter Sounds Off On Why Cleveland Keeps Stalling At The Plate
Chase DeLauters take on the Guardians recent trouble at the plate was refreshingly direct: when the pressure rises, the swings get bigger and the approach gets tighter. Cleveland has spent the last 17 games hitting under .220 with runners in scoring position, a stretch that has turned too many promising innings into missed chances. DeLauter said the situation should not change the assignment, because the best version of hitting with traffic on the bases still starts the same way it does with the bases empty, by finding a pitch to drive and staying clean through the swing.
For a team that has had enough chances to do more damage, the issue sounds less like a lack of opportunity than a failure to stay settled in the moments that matter most. DeLauters comments get at the frustration inside the lineup, where chasing and pressing have become a recurring theme whenever Cleveland gets close to cashing in. The underlying problem remains the same, and until the Guardians simplify those at-bats, the scoring drought is likely to keep hanging over them. [Read more 🡒]
Jos Ramrez Has Cleveland Facing A Brutal Late-Season Decision
Jos Ramrezs return from a hamate bone injury has not brought the usual lift to Clevelands lineup, and that has turned a nagging health issue into a real roster question as the season wears on. Since coming back, he has struggled to find impact at the plate, while the Guardians have managed to hang around even in the games he has missed, keeping the discussion focused less on what he means in theory and more on what he is providing right now.
Angel Genaos recent promotion only adds another layer to the decision, because Cleveland is weighing both immediate production and the longer view of how best to handle Ramrezs recovery. The organization appears to be sorting through whether a more cautious approach would serve everyone better, and the answer could shape the late-season infield picture in a meaningful way. [Read more 🡒]