Trade Pieces Were Needed, But Guardians’ Biggest Boost Came From Guys Already Here

There is no question the Cleveland Guardians’ front office took a big swing at the August 3rd trade deadline acquiring two bats in Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe and a starting pitcher in Foster Griffin. There is no question the team needed hitting, in fact they are still ranked 12th in the AL in runs scored.

The question is how much the newcomers impacted the success of the team, and the Guards have gone 25-16 since August 4th.

Our favorite deal was the one bringing Griffin to Cleveland and that hasn’t been as impactful as hoped. In his eight starts, he’s pitched to a 5.19 ERA and has allowed 55 hits in 43.1 innings. He’s gone just six innings in two of those starts, not exactly the inning eater we thought he would be, as he went that long in half of his 22 starts with the Nationals.

To be fair, his numbers are skewed a bit by his start on September 9th vs. Baltimore when he gave up a eight runs in 2.1 frames, and it wasn’t as though he was hit hard. Without that start, his ERA would be 3.73.

However, he hasn’t been a guy that Steven Vogt can count on to provide a solid start when he takes the bump. If the Guardians reach the Division Series, can he be trusted to get a start?

Nathaniel Lowe has upgraded the left-handed platoon at first base. Kyle Manzardo had a 684 OPS prior to the trade, and while Lowe has a 654 OPS overall with Cleveland, against right-handers, he has hit .241 and a 704 OPS, driving in 20 runs with five homers. Manzardo had 39 ribbies through the end of July.

The veteran is still just 4 for 42 against southpaws but did deliver a big sacrifice fly vs. a lefty in the series opener against Boston. He’s a solid veteran bat and a good defensive player at first base. He was picked up in the last hour of the deadline and has provided length to the batting order.

We were not thrilled with the deal for Jo Adell, not because of what the Guardians gave up (minor league catcher Jacob Cozart), but because he’s really a platoon player. He struggles vs. RHP and that’s been the case with Cleveland, as he’s hitting just .200 (24 for 120) with 36 strikeouts.

He has been more selective with the Guardians (15 BB in 186 PA vs. 16 BB in 456 PA with the Angels) and he has been a run producer with 31 RBI in 44 games. Ideally, if Steven Vogt wants to play him every day, he probably shouldn’t hit in the middle of the order vs. righties, but it’s not as though the skipper has a lot of options.

Adell and Lowe get a lot of credit for the offense being better since the deadline, and the Guardians have averaged almost a run more per game in August and September. But you can’t forget Steven Kwan hitting .355 with a .440 on base percentage in the second half, and Chase DeLauter batting .310 with a .467 slugging percentage during the same time frame.

And you can’t forget Travis Bazzana’s last month where he has a 964 OPS.

All three of them were here before the trade deadline.

The front office couldn’t stand pat at the deadline and they didn’t. They also brought in players who could help, and they have. But the resurgence of Kwan and the continued development of DeLauter and Bazzana have perhaps made more of an impact.

Seeing Good Things In A Browns Victory

Last week, we said this would be a big week for Browns’ defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg because of the way his unit was gashed in the opening week loss to Jacksonville. We thought it was a test of a coaches’ ego, he wanted to play a certain way and would he adapt after the poor performance.

Good for the coach and head coach Todd Monken that they made adjustments, and the result was a 23-19 victory over Tampa Bay and raised their record to 1-1 on the young season. The Browns’ defense was better, causing the game’s only turnover, an interception by Myles Harden, and allowed the Buccaneers to cross the goal line just once.

As for the offense, Monken said he simplified things on that side of the ball, which is great coaching. After getting blown out in game one, there was a lot of improvement and that’s a good thing to see if you are a fan.

For all of the quarterback talk during the week and even prior to kickoff, Deshaun Watson played well, not tremendously, but well, and that’s not a criticism. He didn’t turn the ball over, was sacked just twice, keeping the negative plays to a minimum.

He mostly dinked and dunked, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, completing 24 of 30 throws for 238 yards, and two TDs. He completed only three passes for over 15 yards, and two of them were the scoring throws. He also led the team in rushing for the second straight week, which is not a good thing, but more on that later.

The running game was nonexistent, getting just 44 yards on 23 rushing attempts with Quinshon Judkins getting only 21 yards on 12 carries, with an early carry being his longest, that of nine yards.

We have our doubts on how long the offense can be effective with no running game to speak of and a QB who doesn’t seem to want to push the ball down the field. But it worked against Tampa and a win is most definitely a win.

One player who has caught our eye on offense is rookie WR Denzel Boston. We were disappointed when the Browns chose KC Concepcion in the first round because we thought the team needed a big wideout but were thrilled getting him in the second round. He’s caught 7 passes in the first two games for 154 yards and two touchdowns.

In the second half, Cleveland was faced with a third and seven (or so) situation and our thought was find Boston. Watson did for a key first down. Monken and offensive coordinator Travis Switzer should be trying to get the ball in his hands more often.

On the defensive side, last year’s first round pick, Mason Graham looks like a standout. He had a sack for the second week in a row, and the reigning defensive rookie of the year, Carson Schwesinger, had ten tackles and a big play on the final drive when he corralled Baker Mayfield on a key third down.

The best thing about the win is a week off from talking about tanking and replacing the QB. Watson needs to continue to play well, avoiding turnovers and not sacking himself. Can he do that? We will see.

Besides, tanking is stupid and doesn’t work.

Monken’s crew finally comes home to take on Carolina next Sunday. Hopefully, this game is something to build on.

Browns Want Winning To Be Easy. It Just Doesn’t Happen That Way.

Comedian Steve Martin used to do a bit where he would tell the audience he could make a million dollars and not pay taxes. His first step was “get a million dollars”, like that’s the easiest thing in the world.

We bring this up because we think that’s how the Cleveland Browns view winning in the National Football League and they base every decision they make on one principal: Get a franchise quarterback.

But in reality, it’s not that easy. It’s not easy to find a great QB and once you have him, it’s not easy to achieve success.

You want proof? Under the Haslam family ownership, the Browns already went through a plan to tear the roster down to the studs to get the signal caller the franchise has been lacking since Bernie Kosar was unceremoniously released by Bill Belichick.

They went 1-15 in 2016, drafted Myles Garrett, the cornerstone of some great Browns’ defenses and the best defensive player in Cleveland history and followed that up by going 0-16 the following year and drafted Baker Mayfield, who will be at the helm today for Tampa Bay against his old team.

The Browns went 7-8-1 in Mayfield’s rookie season and there was hope the franchise could be contenders once again. They went to the playoffs in 2020 at 11-5 and even won a playoff game in Pittsburgh. But we guess making progress from that wasn’t easy enough, and after the following season the Browns went in hot pursuit of Deshaun Watson, a three-time Pro Bowl selection who led the NFL in passing yards in ’20, the same year Mayfield was guiding the team to the playoffs.

Why go after Watson? Because the front office thought he was better, and therefore it would be easier to make a run at the playoffs every season.

Again, let’s go back to 2020. The worst record in the NFL that season belonged to Jacksonville at 1-15 and they selected Trevor Lawrence as the first overall pick. They went 3-14, followed by making the playoffs at 9-8 and winning a playoff game under Doug Pederson. They had the same record in Lawrence’s third season, before dropping to 4-13.

The Jags didn’t give up on Lawrence and go after some shiny new keys jangled in their direction, but changed coaches bringing in Liam Coen, and went 13-4 last season. We don’t know how it will play out, but Lawrence looks like a player worthy of the first overall pick.

As for Mayfield, he’s directed the Buccaneers to two playoff appearances and a win in his three seasons, and if probably in the top half at the position in the sport. The shiny new toy in Watson? Browns fans know all too well how that’s working out.

Yes, you need a quarterback, but there is so much more a franchise needs to win consistently year in and year out. And tanking is a ridiculous way to try. We bring this up all the time, look at the best QBs in the league right now, how many were taken with a top three pick? The list is short, Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow. Lawrence might be on the cusp.

Here’s another example. The Miami Dolphins had Dan Marino and Don Shula, arguably the best coach in NFL history together. They made it to one Super Bowl, in Marino’s rookie season.

So, note to the front office. It’s not easy and stop thinking getting your QB solves all your problems. A solid roster, offense, defense, depth, good coaching are all parts of the puzzle. Until you get all the pieces, the puzzle isn’t complete.

Pressure On Rutenberg And The Defense Too.

As we wrote a couple of weeks ago, coaches have egos. They like to put their stamp on things, to show they made a difference. We are sure that Browns’ defensive coordinator, Mike Rutenberg, is no different.

Rutenberg will be 45 next month and this is his first gig as a defensive coordinator. He started as an intern with Washington at age 22, went to the college ranks, and has been in the NFL since 2013 where he was an assistant defensive backs coach with the Jaguars. So, he’s a guy who has worked his way up the coaching ranks and getting his first opportunity to run a professional defense.

On the other hand, he took over a Cleveland defense that just a year ago, Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin said was the best unit in the AFC North. ranking in the top five defenses in the league three times in the last five years under Jim Schwartz.

In the words of Charles Barkley, “if it ain’t broke, don’t break it”.

To be fair, Rutenberg was put a little behind the eight ball when the Browns traded the two-time Defensive Player of the Year in Myles Garrett. But they did replace Garrett with a Pro Bowl player in Jared Verse. Still, that’s a drop off.

But the nature of coach’s egos is making something better. And we raised an eyebrow during training camp when Rutenberg said he wanted to play more zone defense, even though his starting cornerbacks, All Pro Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell, both excel in playing man-to-man.

We believe that in both football and basketball, man-to-man is the preferred style of defense. Zone defense is used because you can’t play man-to-man. And we understand in football, you can’t play man on every down.

In the season opener, the Browns’ defense, previously the strength of the team, was shredded by Jacksonville, giving up 360 yards, including 126 on the ground. And that was with the Jaguars taking their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter.

Watching the Jaguars’ completions down field, many of them were against a zone defense, which will happen if you can’t put pressure on the QB, and Cleveland had only one sack. Any decent passer, given time, will find the holes in a zone.

We bring all of this up because this week we will see what kind of defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg will be. Will he be so sure of his convictions that the Browns will use the same schemes this week against Tampa Bay? Or will he listen to his players, some of whom seemed puzzled by all of the zone looks.

A lot of the focus will be on the quarterback, and has there been improvement at that position from week one, but the game against the Jaguars was a blowout because the defense was terrible, allowing 24 points in the first half.

If that unit isn’t better, it will really be a long season because most experts figured the defense could keep the Browns in games.

No pressure on the new coach though.

Didn’t Have High Expectations, But Browns Looked Worse

We weren’t very optimistic about the Cleveland Browns’ chance last Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but quite frankly the game was worse than we thought.

This one was over at halftime with the Jaguars holding a 24-0 advantage in route to cruising to a 34-10 beatdown in Todd Monken’s head coaching debut. It was everything the biggest Browns’ pessimist could have feared.

The second half was a bunch of garbage time so the end of game stats don’t look as bad as it was. Deshaun Watson wound up completing 16 of 22 throws for 205 yards and a 46 yard touchdown pass to rookie Denzel Boston, who wasn’t a factor in the first half for some unknown reason.

The game started okay with a good kickoff return by Dylan Sampson and Watson clicking on some short throws and moving the Browns for a couple of first downs. Then came the big mistake, an interception by Foyesade Oluokun on a pass over the middle where it seemed like Watson never saw him. There have been reports of similar plays throughout training camp by the folks who cover the team on a daily basis.

We were concerned about the defense with the loss of veteran coordinator Jim Schwartz and the best defensive player in the league (and franchise history) Myles Garrett, and those fears were warranted. The new guy in charge, Mike Rutenberg, said he was going to play more zone, and Jags’ QB Trevor Lawrence chewed up that coverage, targeting the weaker links in the secondary, outside of one play where Tyson Campbell had good coverage.

It will be interesting to see what Rutenberg learns from the defeat and goes back to more man coverage. Because it seems the personnel is more suited to that style. By the way, the Browns had only one sack, by Mason Graham and didn’t put much pressure on Lawrence, so maybe Garrett was missed even though he didn’t show leadership.

Offensively, beside Watson’s issues, we believe Monken wants to run the ball, but when you fall behind by 17 points midway through the second quarter, that plan goes out the window. Quinshon Judkins had just 33 yards on 12 carries, as Watson led Cleveland in rushing with 38 yards.

It does seem crazy to have a QB who had three serious injuries over the past four years running read option plays, but that’s a question for the coaching staff.

Watson was sacked five times, but we didn’t think the rebuilt offensive line was visibly bad. As usual, the QB sacked himself a few times, and former NFL offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley (Iggy grad) pointed out he retreated after taking the snap in the shotgun. That doesn’t help the linemen.

As we said before, Boston seemed an afterthought in the first half, perhaps because the quarterback can’t make the sideline throw from the pocket and he was lined up outside. The other rookie receiver, KC Concepcion caught four passes for 43 yards and ran three times for 15 more.

Last year’s leading receiver, Harold Fannin, also was missing in the first half, and caught two balls after halftime when again the Jaguars’ defense was playing very loose.

It couldn’t have gone worse for the new coaching staff in their debut, and the first test comes next week against Tampa Bay with an angry QB in Baker Mayfield and coming off a loss in their opener. Will Monken and Rutenberg stubbornly stay with what didn’t work or will they start taking advantage of what talent they have?

Time For A Little Hoops Talk.

With the Browns opening their season today and the Guardians in the midst of a race to play in the post-season, we thought we’d go against the grain a little bit and talk basketball. After all, the Cleveland Cavaliers did get to the Eastern Conference finals last season, and they open training camp in a few weeks under Kenny Atkinson.

Besides, both of those teams are very frustrating right now.

For years, we have said the wine and gold need to be bigger, and they have made some improvement along those lines. When they swung the big deal for James Harden in February was that if the Cavs were going to have a ball dominant guard who wasn’t a great defender, it is better for it to be the 6’5″ Harden, rather than 6’2″ Darius Garland.

Koby Altman has also acquired two 6’8″ wings in Mario Hezonja and Peyton Watson, who we would think will share time at the small forward spot with Jaylon Tyson. And don’t forget another 6’8″ player in Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who played in 64 games a year ago, getting most of his time before the trade deadline.

Remember that the deal for the 17-year veteran came late in the year. Harden only played in 26 games with the wine and gold, so the offensive became doing what Harden did best, using a lot of pick and roll. We are sure that will be the case again, with Harden getting the most out of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in that way.

Cleveland still has Tyson, Sam Merrill, and second-year player Tyrese Proctor to share time in the backcourt with Harden, and of course, Donovan Mitchell. With those players on the roster, we would love to see Harden’s and Mitchell’s regular season minutes controlled, especially Harden, who is now 37.

We would still love to see Altman add a better big man to back up Mobley and Allen than veteran Thomas Bryant, no disrespect to him, but Cleveland should consider itself a contender to win the title, and particularly in the playoffs, you need another big man who can make an impact. The Cavs saw that need in both their series against the Pistons with Paul Reid and the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson.

Because the Cavs like to play “small ball’, our guess is they think they can easily slide either Watson, Hezonja, or Tomlin over to the four, but we don’t like that from a rebounding standpoint. Defense isn’t over until you grab the rebound. Thus, the need for someone to play center/power forward and can give the Cavaliers about 18 solid minutes.

As it has been for the last few years, the biggest question for the Cavs is Evan Mobley. Can he take the next step into being a perennial all-star. His points, rebounds, and shooting all took a drop last season, and we have doubts as to whether or not he can do it. We just don’t think it’s in his personality to assert himself.

We have seen questions about the depth on the team and we will go back to the old adage of “if you don’t play your bench, you won’t have one”. We said it last year and we will say it again, Atkinson has to use and trust his second unit early in the year. It will pay dividends in the second half of the season.

Last season, he went away from Tyson and Tomlin after the trade and probably could’ve used both in the post-season. Hopefully, that’s a lesson learned.

Don’t Believe Everything The Guardians Tell You, And Stop Picking On Ramirez

In this new age of media coverage, the messenger is certainly controlling the narrative, and sports is no different. We watch the telecasts of the Cleveland Guardians and we and several others call it the “propagandcasts” because it you watch, you certainly get a skewed message.

The picture is rosier if Chris Gimenez is the game’s color analyst, but that’s another subject for another day.

One of the things the announcing team is pounding through our head is that the offense is much better since the trades for Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe were made. To an extent, it is true,

Cleveland has averaged 4.6 runs per game since August 1st, compared to 3.9 before that date. However, they still rank 27th in the sport in scoring ahead of just the Angels, Blue Jays, and Mariners. In addition, they’ve also been shutout six times since the trading deadline. So, the offense has become a bit “feast or famine”, in a sport where consistency is most important.

The major league average OPS is currently 718. Right now, the Guardians have two players over that figure and crazily they are both rookies, Chase DeLauter at 830 and Travis Bazzana at 721. Jo Adell has a 729 OPS with the Guardians, but including his time with the Angels, his figure is 696.

So, Steven Vogt gets to write just two better than average offensive players in his lineup every night. Keep in mind that before Bazzana’s big game on Tuesday, he was below average too. Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez, and Angel Martinez are close, but still below the league average.

And of course, since the All-Star break, Kwan has a tremendous 856 OPS, a big number considering he doesn’t hit for power.

Certainly, Ramirez hasn’t had his usual great season, and we are sure he is not 100% healthy due to the surgery to remove the broken hamate bone. However, it’s not like he is dreadful and calls for him to be removed from the lineup and get ready for next year are just silly.

Even with him not being healthy, he is still one of the better hitters currently available. His 24 doubles are second on the team (DeLauter has 28) and his on base percentage is 5th best. In fact, we wish he would take more walks, particularly with his injured hand. He still goes out of the strike zone too often in our opinion to try to get runs home, although the home run pop isn’t there.

Meanwhile, the front office puts a guy like Petey Halpin or David Fry in the lineup and no one bats an eye. Neither is remotely close to being as productive as the seven-time all star, who also by the way, is fourth in the AL in stolen bases.

And note to the viewers of the telecasts, giving Halpin a nickname like “Speedy Petey” doesn’t make him a good hitter. It’s just another attempt to divert your attention that the team has given 173 plate appearances to someone with an OPS under 600.

For the season, the Guardians have given 689 plate appearances to hitters with an OPS under 600, Halpin actually doesn’t have the most, that honor (?) goes to Daniel Schneemann with 287.

We checked the Twins (at random), and they’ve given under 500 plate appearances to hitters in that category.

We guess our point is the offense is better for sure, but it’s a long way from being in the top half of the game.

Looking At Browns. Don’t See A Lot Of Wins

The joke around northeast Ohio is that the day before Labor Day would be the last Sunday the Cleveland Browns would not ruin for sports fans for almost five months. Yes, it’s a joke but you know the old saying about there is a bit of truth in every one liner.

The Browns open their 2026 season this Sunday with the first of two games in Florida, the first against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They have a new coach in Todd Monken, who is guiding his own professional team for the first time at age 60. But they also have the same problem they have had for pretty much every year since 1999.

They have an issue at quarterback.

We all know the Browns have cast their lot with the player they traded three first round picks for in 2022, and then gave a huge, guaranteed contract in Deshaun Watson. Sunday will mark Watson’s 20th start with Cleveland and perhaps he will throw for 300 yards or more, which would mark the first time he has done so in the orange and brown.

GM Andrew Berry used high draft capital to bring in two wide receivers, KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston, and both look very promising, but with a word of caution. Both will be playing in games that count for real this week.

We liked Boston because the Browns have needed a big wide receiver for years, after choosing a bunch of guys who are small but fast and hoping they could make big plays. The rookie from the University of Washington provides someone who can shield off opposing defensive backs to make plays.

Cleveland has some weapons in the two wideouts, and second year players TE Harold Fannin and RB Quinshon Judkins, but they are also starting a brand-new offensive line and there isn’t a lot of depth on the roster.

So, the keys will be how quickly the line gels and what kind of production they get out of the quarterback position, be it Watson, Shedeur Sanders, or even Dillon Gabriel (when he is back) or rookie Taylen Green. They need someone to provide solid play if they want to be competitive.

The defense is another question, again due to the seeming lack of depth, and of course, because they traded the best defensive player in the history of the franchise, and according to NFL Network, the best player in the entire league in Myles Garrett.

We believe the front office treats this as a rebuilding year, part of their “Free Beer Tomorrow” plan the sell their fans on every year. Unfortunately, hiring a guy like Monken, who no doubt wants to win in his first opportunity, flies in the face of that.

Can Monken run an offense that puts points on the board? We used to joke that the reason Cleveland scored 17 points per game the last couple of years under Kevin Stefanski, was that was it was designed to do.

With the defense probably not being the dominant unit it was the past few years, if more points can’t be generated, it could get ugly quick. The other question will be if Watson does not return to being the player he was in Houston, when will Monken pull the trigger?

Remember, what other QB in the history of the NFL come back from a long period of inactivity and returned to form after six years? We guess you can make a case for Jim Plunkett (look him up), but we can’t think of anyone else.

So, even with an easier schedule, playing the NFC South makes it easier, it is difficult to see more than five wins there for this year’s Cleveland Browns.

Get ready for quarterback draft talk by the end of September?

Guardians Aren’t A Good Team, But Someone Has To Make The Playoffs

The race for the last wild card spot in the American League is like the island of misfit toys. The Guardians are tied for the top spot at 72-71 with Toronto, but Texas (70-73), Baltimore (69-74), and even Minnesota (68-74) are hanging around.

Of those teams, Cleveland and the Rangers have a second opportunity to play October baseball because both of still in their division races, the Guardians being 2.5 behind the White Sox and Texas being 3 behind Houston.

When we look at the local team, we see a team that simply isn’t very good. Despite the deadline acquisitions of Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe, the offense is still third last in the game in runs scored. They have had some big games, scoring eight or more runs five times since August 3rd, but they’ve also been shutout six times in that span.

As for the pitching, Gavin Williams and Parker Messick are consistent, and for the most part, newcomer Foster Griffin is going to give you a solid effort, but when Tanner Bibee and Joey Cantillo take the bump, no one can be confident in how they will pitch.

The baserunning, which has been a strength of the past several years, has been plagued by silly mistakes. After hitting two homers to win the first game on Friday, Brayan Rocchio led off the third with a shot up the gap and the Guardians’ trailing. He tried to go to third and was thrown out, apparently not briefed on the rule to never make the first or third out of an inning at third base.

The bullpen has been better of late but went through about a month stretch where the only reliable guy was Cade Smith.

The defense seems to make an error or a misplay once a game, costing Steven Vogt’s crew an out in a key situation. Angel Genao’s throwing error this past week against Toronto is a glaring example.

Our point is none of the teams mentioned earlier are good teams, yet one of them, maybe two, are going to qualify for the playoffs, and frankly, we would like nothing better than it being the Cleveland Guardians. It makes the fall and winter go faster.

Many of the ups and downs for this team are due to its youth. On most nights, they are playing three rookies, usually Chase DeLauter, Travis Bazzana, and lately Angel Genao or Angel Martinez. And with youth comes inconsistency and mistakes.

The organization sacrifices hitting at catcher in favor of having elite defenders at the spot. And we also think some of the defense issues come from the constant shuffling of positions for players. Genao seems to shuffle around the infield on a daily basis. It’s probably a credit to his talent that he plays as well as he does.

However, if baseball is to be played in 2027, the front office shouldn’t overrate this team. Yes, there will be improvement from the young players, but the trades for Adell and Lowe should demonstrate the needs for some experienced players on the roster.

The goal shouldn’t be to win the AL Central. It needs to be winning the World Series

Have To Love Meaningful September Baseball

September baseball. There is nothing like it for fans with teams still in contention for a post-season berth, of which there are more than ever before. We have always used the standard that if a team is within five games of reaching the playoffs on September 1st, they still have a reasonable shot of getting in.

In today’s game, it means most teams still have something to play for, which is what the powers that be wanted when they expanded the post-season. For hardcore fans, it brings an added meaning to each and every game.

We think of 2013, Terry Francona’s first year as the Cleveland skipper when the Indians went 21-6 in September coming back from six games out of a playoff spot to hosting the Wild Card Game, which they unfortunately lost. And everyone recalls Jason Giambi’s huge home run to beat Chicago, the signature moment from that run.

In 2017, buoyed by a record 22-game winning streak which spanned from August 24th through September 14th, the Tribe went 25-4 in the last month of the year in route to a franchise record 102 wins.

And of course, just last season Cleveland went 20-7 in September going from four games out of a wild card spot and 10.5 out in the Central to win the division on the last day of the season.

Those seasons provided an unbelievable amount of excitement as baseball fans hung on the results of every single game. Of course, we grew up in the 60’s and 70’s, so a then pennant race was just the rumor, our team was never a part of it, outside of a role as a spoiler.

When the Indians emerged from mediocrity in 1994, supporters were robbed of a potentially great race by the strike. When play ended in August, the White Sox were a mere 1.5 games ahead of Cleveland. We guess the first experience came in ’97 but even still, Mike Hargrove’s squad has a 3.5 game lead heading into the last month, then won 13 of 20 to stretch the advantage to 7.5 and coast to a title.

What we are trying to say is this is a fun, if not stressful time of the year for baseball fans. And for the Guardians, it seems obvious, but this would be a great time to put together a solid stretch of winning, fundamental baseball.

After a four-game set against the Tigers, Steven Vogt’s crew enters a nine-game stretch against three playoff contenders, Baltimore and Minnesota on the road, followed by what could be a huge three game series against the division leading White Sox.

The latter could be very special as winning the AL Central would seem to put that team right into the Division Series with time off to set up the starting pitchers as well as having home field advantage.

Don’t forget the penultimate series of the season is in Fenway Park for three games against the Red Sox, who might already have their playoff plans set at that time.

So, a lot of important baseball coming up. Position in the standings can change series by series, but if you keep winning games and/or series, teams aren’t going to move down.