Category Archives: Guardians

Emmanuel Clase notches 40th save

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The Cleveland Guardians closer’s late game dominance continued Friday night.

Emmanuel Clase record his 40th save of the season in the Guardians 6-3 win over Kansas City Friday night. The Cleveland reliever has appeared in a career-high 75 games this season and the save total is also a career-high.

The last time a Cleveland reliever registered 40 or more saves in a season was Joe Borowski all the way back in 2007. It is hard to believe that during the impressive run in the 2010’s that Cody Allen was not able to eclipse 40 saves. Allen’s high was 34 in 2015 and that number steadily decreased during his tenure with the club.

It is quite the story for Emmanuel Clase considering he came to Cleveland in the deal that sent Corey Kluber to Texas, a rather unpopular move at the time. Before Clase even threw a pitch for Cleveland he suffered an injury in spring training prior to the delayed 2020 season. Prior to the shortened season starting later that year Clase tested positive for a banned substance and was suspended for 80 games, encompassing all of the 2020 season and lasting into 2021. The fact Clase was able to become the elite closing option he has is quite impressive with the rollercoaster start to his career in Cleveland.

Guardians must embrace balance

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The Cleveland Guardians must embrace a delicate balance as the regular season comes to a close with the playoffs about to begin.

As the Cleveland Guardians get set to begin their final series of the regular season they find themselves in a comfortable position. Cleveland clinched the American League Central nearly a week ago and have continued to cruise with the playoffs on the horizon. With a playoff spot locked in and a six-game series with Kansas City that will not change their playoff positioning, the Guardians must find a way to achieve the right balance.

What is that balance exactly? One aspect is finding rest for players down the stretch in order to avoid the exhaustion. The other? Maintaining a certain rhythm for the players that will allow them to continue their production into the postseason. Often times teams find themselves resting players too early resulting in poor performance and an early playoff exit. The other side of the coin is becoming exhausted with playing too much and again a premature end to their postseason run. Luckily the Guardians have one of the best managers in the game in Terry Francona. Francona has found himself in similar situations many times before and is more than capable of handling it properly even with his tendency to “stick with his guys” too often at times.

This has been a magical season for the Guardians as they near and possibly eclipse the 90-win mark. As the season has progressed the team continues to find ways to win when it appears that it might not be their night. Time after time they manage to win games late, coming from behind and even in their final at-bat.

The Guardians have been able to scrape and claw all season and the teams that win in October usually have a knack for pulling off wins in this manner. A team that is able to continue battling even when the stakes appear to not be in their favor can be a tough out in the postseason and that appears to be what Cleveland is.

Steven Kwan AL Player of the Week

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The Cleveland Guardians rookie has been named the American League Player of the Week.

Steven Kwan has been a welcome addition to the Cleveland Guardians this season as he has nailed down a spot in their lineup. Kwan impressed over the last week helping the Guardians clinch the American League Central and has been named the American League Player of the Week for his efforts.

During this stretch Kwan batted .438 with 10 runs driven in on the strength of two home runs, including his first career grand slam, in addition to two triples and scoring nine times.

Steven Kwan is slashing .298/.373/.400 with 22 doubles, seven triples, and six home runs with a WRC+ of 124 in 139 games. Kwan has also scored 84 runs, driven in 49 more and stole 19 bases this season. The young rookie outfielder solidified his spot in the lineup displaying the calm demeanor of a seasoned veteran from the jump. This uptick in production shows that there may be even more to come from Kwan in the future. Cleveland’s upcoming postseason appearance will introduce Kwan to the national baseball landscape to those who still have not become properly acquainted yet.

Guardians clinch AL Central

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The Cleveland Guardians have clinched the American League Central and are headed to the postseason.

When the season began not many expected much from the Cleveland Guardians. With their 86th win of the season Cleveland has clinched the American League Central and is heading to the playoffs. This is the first division title for the club since 2018 and the first with the Guardians name.

Cleveland is locked into the third seed and will host the sixth seed once the postseason begins.

The Guardians are the youngest team in baseball and the first to make the postseason with that designation since the 1986 New York Mets. Of the seven times the youngest team in baseball made the postseason two have won the World Series, the aforementioned Mets and the 1944 St. Louis Cardinals.

This Guardians club has defied the odds all season long and have succeeded when nobody thought they would. Perhaps they can keep the magic going a little bit longer and make some history with their new name.

Winning ways continue for Guardians

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The Cleveland Guardians defeated the Chicago White Sox Thursday night as they continue to inch closer to the postseason.

With the Guardians 4-2 win over the White Sox Thursday night they continue to pile up wins as the season comes to a close. Cleveland is now 83-67 on the year and have won eight of their last 10 games, nine of which were against Chicago and Minnesota. Taking care of business against two other teams who were in the mix for the division title and postseason play down the stretch has propelled the upstart Guardians to having a 99.9% chance of making the postseason. Meanwhile the White Sox sit at 1% and the Twins are at less than 0.1% according to the playoff odds on ESPN. This stretch of play is very impressive, but it is deeper than that.

Their current winning ways can be traced back to their extra-innings win over the Kansas City Royals on September 5th. Since that point the Guardians are 15-3 and have rocketed up the American League Central standings. Cleveland played 15 games against division opponents during that stretch, winning 12 along the way. Taking care of business during this stretch is much more impressive considering what transpired over the previous 10 games. Cleveland was just 2-8 from August 25th-September 4th, finding themselves on the wrong end of the final score against Seattle and Baltimore. Being able to recover and play as well as they have after what many thought was a death blow to their season is nothing short of impressive.

As the American League Central crown appears to be a near certainty and postseason play is on the horizon, it is important to appreciate how far this team has come. The Guardians have moved on from players in order to construct the roster they currently have. While the team is not free from warts, they have made the most of the team as currently constructed. Regardless of how the postseason plays out this has been a successful season for this ball club.

Guardians clinch winning record

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The Cleveland Guardians have clinched a winning record Wednesday with their 82nd win of the 2022 MLB season.

When the season began not many expected this Guardians team to amount to much. Most experts picked anyone besides Cleveland and Kansas City to win the American League Central. To the surprise of everyone the Guardians won their 82nd game of the season growing their division lead over the White Sox and the still technically not eliminated Twins.

Winning seasons in Cleveland has become customary under the guidance of Terry Francona. Since Francona took over as manager in 2013 Cleveland has had just one season under .500 and that was an 80-82 mark just last season. Even in a season that was described as transitional and developmental Tito is still able to guide this team to a winning record. Manager of the Year honors would be on the table if it were not for the pesky Baltimore Orioles under Brandon Hyde. If the Guardians had middling expectations the Orioles had none when the season began. With that being said it is usually a foolish proposition to downplay a Tito managed ball club. Time after time again he is able to at least have this team in the mix and that is proven true today.

Postseason baseball appears to be on the horizon for Cleveland as they inch closer and closer to a division crown. If and when the Guardians make the postseason they could prove to be a tough opponent for most teams. The style of play is not the norm across the league and this death by a thousand paper cuts offense paired with their pitching and defense will make them a tough out. Before the cart gets put before the horse the Guardiac Kids still need to keep winning in order to win the division for the first time since 2018 and the fourth time overall under Francona.

Guardians clinch tiebreaker over White Sox

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The Cleveland Guardians are now in the driver’s seat when it comes to the American League Central.

It took a couple of tries Tuesday night, but the Cleveland Guardians clinched the tiebreaker against the Chicago White Sox. After coming back to tie the game late, Cleveland did take the lead in the 10th inning. Unfortunately the White Sox continued to fight, forcing another round of Mickey Mouse extra-innings. This time Cleveland made sure to put Chicago away, scoring five times in the 11th, more than enough keep the White Sox at bay.

The Guardians are now 81-67 on the season with a five game lead on the White Sox (76-72). With the tiebreaker in hand the division title is within grasp. If somehow Cleveland ends up tied with the White Sox (increasingly unlikely) or Minnesota (not quite winning the lottery chances, but close enough) they have the advantage. As long as the Guardiac Kids keep on taking care of business there will be postseason baseball in Cleveland.

Guardians take down Twins

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The Cleveland Guardians took care of business against the Minnesota Twins during a crucial portion of their schedule.

After dropping their one-off game against the Chicago White Sox, the Cleveland Guardians were staring straight in the face of a gauntlet of division games beginning Friday. Cleveland was scheduled to play the Minnesota Twins five times in four days including a doubleheader on Saturday. Any misstep over this stretch could result in the Guardians falling out of first place and potentially their playoff spot. Luckily the Guardiac Kids were up to the task and were not going to let a lesser Twins squad interfere with their postseason hopes.

Cleveland took four of five games outscoring Minnesota 27-14, the only loss being a shutout on Sunday following a 15-inning victory in the second game of a doubleheader the night before. While not an optimal result, this game does reside on the more acceptable end of the forgiveness meter. Bouncing back and putting a nail in the coffin that is the Twins season with Monday’s 11-4 win was the perfect way to end this series.

This set of games against Minnesota featured everything from the Guardians. Cleveland kicked things off with a comeback win featuring Ernie Clement doing his best Kenny Lofton impression. Clement scored from second on wild pitch in the bottom of the 8th to edge out Minnesota resulting in a crucial win.

The second game of the twin bill featured a 15 inning marathon with Amed Rosario coming to the rescue in the 13th prior to Austin Hedges scoring on an error to give Cleveland a hard earned victory.

The Guardians are now 80-67 on the season with a four game lead over the White Sox. Cleveland will now travel to Chicago as they attempt to deal the White Sox a similar blow that they gave the Twins. Taking the series in the Chicago would bring Cleveland one step closer to a division title in what has been an exciting yet unexpected seasons from the newly renamed Guardians.

Guardians sweep Twins, extend division lead

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The Cleveland Guardians took care of business in Minnesota as they remain on top of the American League Central.

It was a critical weekend for the Cleveland Guardians as they began a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins. Cleveland was clinging to slight lead in the division and needed to come through with at least a series win against the Twins. Safe to say that the Guardians were able to take care of business in Minnesota as they came out victorious in all three contests.

Cleveland was able to survive a couple of close calls, but were still able to win on the road. The Guardians held a 7-0 lead in Friday’s contest that would eventually be closed with Cleveland winning just be a single run. A lackluster outing from Bryan Shaw Saturday saw Terry Francona be forced to turn to Emmanuel Clase. Minnesota rallied from a 6-0 deficit which saw Tito call on his closer to secure the win. Luckily Sunday was not as drama filled as the Cleveland bullpen was able to hold on to their lead in the ninth this time. Good thing too as the city of Cleveland could not handle any more tension with the Browns hanging on to win in Carolina Sunday afternoon.

After the sweep the Guardians hold a 2.5 game lead in the division. Being able to come out of their series in Minnesota with a larger division lead is huge for Cleveland as they are set to host the Angels for three games before playing nine division games in eight days. Having a slightly margin for error is massive for a team about to head out on their gauntlet of divisional opponents.

Elite defense from Myles Straw

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The Cleveland Guardians center fielder ranks at or near the top in multiple defensive categories this season.

The defensive ability of Myles Straw in center field is more than deserving of praise. Straw leads the American League in Outfield Assists (12), Ultimate Zone Rating (12.7), and second in Defensive Runs Saved (15).

It is a good thing that Myles Straw is able to provide this level of defense, because his performance at the plate is on the complete end of the spectrum. Entering Friday Straw is slashing .202/.276/.251/, career-worsts in batting average and slugging percentage and his .527 OPS being the second-worst mark of his career. Straw’s WRC+ currently sits at 54, the second-lowest of his short career (37 in 2020 with Houston). Again, it is a really good thing that Myles Straw plays elite defense, because anything below that would be bench-worthy considering he is basically useless at the plate.