Subscribe
Follow Us
The Cleveland Guardians' 6-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday represented their third consecutive defeat against Kansas City. The Guardians and Royals are now tied at the top of the American League Central Division. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins are only 2.5 games behind Cleveland and Kansas City. Losing sole possession of the division lead for the first time since April 14 is bad enough, but there is even more trouble for the Guardians to consider after Tuesday's loss.
According to Mandy Bell of MLB.com, the Royals clinched the season series against the Guardians. As a result, Kansas City will have a potentially crucial advantage in a tiebreaker scenario.
The Guardians have endured a forgettable month of August for the most part. Those frustrations have been especially difficult to ignore in recent action, as Cleveland is just 3-7 over their past 10 games.
This is a Guardians team that exceeded expectations early in the year. New manager Stephen Vogt seemingly helped Cleveland bounce back after missing the postseason in 2023. Overall, it has unquestionably still been a successful year for the Guardians, but they need to get back on track sooner rather than later.
Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan are two of the best hitters in the game. Emmanuel Clase has done his best Mariano Rivera impression in 2024. Hope is not lost for Cleveland. Can they turn things around, though?
Guardians should remain confident despite recent struggles
Pitching wins championships in baseball. It is an argued upon statement with the recent influx of offensive success over the past few postseasons. Still, pitching is of the utmost importance.
Aside from Tanner Bibee and Ben Lively, Cleveland's rotation has been unreliable in 2024. Ace Shane Bieber is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, while Carlos Carrasco and Alex Cobb are also currently injured. Matthew Boyd has pitched fairly well since joining Cleveland, and Gavin Williams features a high-ceiling. But the Guardians' rotation has uncertainty.
So why would we talk about pitching and championships if Cleveland's starting rotation has underwhelmed? Well, the Guardians' situation all comes down to to their Emmanuel Clase-led bullpen.
In addition to Clase, pitchers such as Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis and Nick Sandlin have performed well. The Guardians lead the American League in bullpen ERA. Cleveland's relief core is clearly their secret to success.
The offense has performed better than expected in 2024. Jose Ramirez is one of the best players in MLB, while Steve Kwan is in the middle of a true breakout season. Josh Naylor has endured some ups and downs but his power has impacted the lineup in a positive manner. Cleveland's bullpen has been excellent, while the offense has also played an important role.
There is reason to remain confident for the Guardians. Every team goes through slumps, but it is how teams respond that matters. The Guardians will have an opportunity to avoid a sweep against the Royals on Wednesday at 1:10 PM EST. It will certainly be an important contest with first place in the AL Central up for grabs.
