The Guardians don’t have much use for Saturday anymore.
After Cleveland’s 3-0 loss to the White Sox in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, Steven Kwan said the message inside the clubhouse is simple: move on fast and put all of the attention on Game 2. The club had a full day to sit with an opener that produced only three hits and left seven runners on base at Progressive Field, but Kwan said the response is not to spiral or start tearing everything apart.
“You flush whatever happens the day before, and you pour all your focus to the next game,” Kwan wrote.
That has been the Guardians’ approach all season, and Kwan said the postseason is no different. He acknowledged that nobody is satisfied with the way Saturday went, but he also made it clear that the answer is not to overreact.
Chicago’s pitching staff deserves credit, he said, and Cleveland’s job now is to get ready for the next arm it will see and keep pressing forward. Kwan said the players trust the plan in front of them, stay locked in on the present, and put their energy into the next game on the schedule.
For this team, that kind of short memory isn’t just talk. Cleveland used the same one-game-at-a-time mindset to rescue its season in September.
The Guardians were 70-70 and three games behind the White Sox after a loss to Toronto on Sept. 3, a point when plenty of people had already written them off. Instead, they caught fire, going 15-6 over their next 21 games to win the division.
Kwan has lived that reset button himself. He was hitting roughly .210 through his first 77 games before turning into a different hitter over the final stretch, batting .353 with a .443 on-base percentage across his last 74 games. If there’s someone on the roster who understands how quickly a season can change after a rough patch, it’s him.
Still, Game 1 gave Cleveland plenty to think about before Kwan’s message to keep it moving. He drew one of three straight walks with two outs in the third inning to load the bases, but Chase DeLauter lined out to end the threat.
The Guardians loaded the bases again in the fourth and came away empty, finishing 0-3 with runners in scoring position. Grant Taylor then worked four innings of relief to close the door for Chicago.
The margin for error now is thin. Teams that win Game 1 of a best-of-five series go on to take the series roughly three out of every four times, which puts even more pressure on Cleveland heading into Monday. A loss would send the Guardians to Chicago needing three straight wins to keep their season alive.
Kwan has been steady in October before, hitting .321 in 20 career playoff games, including a .381 mark during the 2024 run. If Cleveland really has put Saturday behind it, the next chapter starts with a chance to even the series.
In Other News...
Guardians Send Clear Message With Urgent Game 2 Lineup Shakeup
The Guardians came into Game 2 against the White Sox with a noticeably different look, making several lineup adjustments that suggested urgency after the opener. Patrick Bailey was behind the plate and Nathaniel Lowe handled first base, while Chase DeLauter and Jo Adell were shifted into different defensive spots as Cleveland also rearranged the batting order.
Chicago answered with changes of its own, inserting Andrew Benintendi, Sam Antonacci and Tristan Peters while moving Kyle Teel up to the No. 2 spot. With both clubs altering the mix on the fly, the second game had the feel of a quick reset, with Cleveland clearly trying to spark something early and keep the series from settling into one team's preferred rhythm. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Suddenly Have A Real First Base Problem
Clevelands run to a third straight AL Central title came with plenty of familiar caveats, but first base has emerged as one of the clearest offseason questions on the roster. Kyle Manzardo looked like part of the answer after his breakout in 2025, only to stumble offensively in 2026 and wind up back in Triple-A. The Guardians responded at the trade deadline by adding Nathaniel Lowe and Jo Adell, a sign they were willing to patch the spot quickly rather than wait for the bats to come around.
Now the bigger issue is what comes next. Manzardos future in Cleveland is uncertain, and prospect Ralphy Velazquez is expected to take over first base, which puts the organization in a position it likely did not expect when the season started. The Guardians have survived roster uncertainty before, but this one has the feel of a move that could reshape how they handle the position for the long haul. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Need Someone Else To Deliver Their Big October Moment
The Guardians had plenty of pitching in place for a familiar playoff script, but the first game of the ALDS turned on the kind of offensive drought that can make even a solid performance feel hollow. Chicagos 3-0 win was driven by Munetaka Murakamis two-run homer, while Cleveland spent the night trying to solve a parade of White Sox arms, including Anthony Kay and Sean Burke, and never found the timely hit it needed.
Clevelands players pointed to the challenge of facing multiple starters in one game, even as they leaned on the comfort of having seen this Chicago pitching staff during the regular season. The bigger issue is less about recognition than execution, because the Guardians now need someone beyond the mound work to supply the defining October swing if they want this series to tilt back their way. [Read more 🡒]