It is make or break time for the Cleveland Guardians. They are in the midst of a 12 game stretch where they play some of the teams in Major League Baseball with the worst records. They won a three-game set against the San Franciscon Giants at home and have won the first two of a trio in Colorado against the Rockies.
They then take on the Angels before coming home to play the Royals, who by the way are currently on a six game winning streak.
We know where they are in the standings, 3.5 behind first place Chicago and tied for the last spot in the wild card race, but for us, until they are over the .500 mark, it is difficult to get excited about post-season baseball.
Because really, if you can’t win more than half of your games, you aren’t a good baseball team. If Steven Vogt’s team emerges from this stretch over the break-even mark, then we can feel like it’s a pennant race.
That doesn’t mean we don’t want them to win. We have written about this many times. We have been a fan of this baseball team since 1965 and like everyone else, would like nothing better than to see the franchise win its first World Series since 1948.
However, it doesn’t mean that we will polish a turd and say this year’s edition of the Guardians is a threat to do just that. Nothing would be better if they did it, we just don’t see it.
These Guardians just can’t hit. After finishing last season with the third worst offense in the game, they have improved this season. They are fourth worst. That’s not luck, by the way, it’s a trend. And if the organization doesn’t do something about it in the off-season (if not sooner) we really have to wonder what goes on at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.
And for those who point out the one good thing a hitter does in a week (Hey, Petey Halpin hit a HR!!!) let us remind you baseball is an everyday sport. You have to contribute on a nightly basis (hey, he has a 569 OPS). That’s why we keep track of the number of games where a player gets three or more plate appearances and does not contribute offensively.
We understand baseball is a game of adjustments, especially for young hitters. Chase DeLauter has done a great job changing and reacting to how pitchers are working to get him out. Is he perfect at altering his approach? Of course not.
And he is probably the best hitter this organization has drafted since Steven Kwan. Those two are gifted in putting the bat on the ball. But name another hitter who has gotten significantly better since getting called up? Guys like Angel Martinez, Halpin, Daniel Schneemann, and the since released Gabriel Arias, have never understood a ball from a strike.
For Schneemann, he was much better at it in the minor leagues. What happened up here?
But we digress.
Can the Guardians get hot and make a run at another AL Central title and/or a wild card spot? Of course, we saw it last year. But there is a reason that had never been done before. It’s unlikely and difficult.
We hope the 2026 edition can pull it off. But excuse us for not getting excited right now.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 