The Cleveland Guardians have shown a lot of good things in Spring Training, even if the .500 record isn’t representative of that notion. Of course, wins and losses mean very little this time of year, and the important thing is that multiple young outfielders have churned out an OPS over 1.000.
The hope is always that the next-level performances at the plate can carry over to the regular season, which is never a sure thing. Regardless, there is a lot to be excited about, though one analyst recently threw a wet blanket on the fire and reminded the fans that the early portion of the schedule is quite brutal.
Cade Cracas of BIGPLAY Sports Network recently reminded us all that the Guardians’ early schedule will be a huge test. Cleveland begins the season with a seven-game West Coast road trip at the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers before its first home series against the Chicago Cubs.
“The Guardians open the season with three challenging series: on the road against the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers, followed by a home series against the Chicago Cubs. Here are my predictions: Away: March 26-29 (SEA): 2-2; Away: March 30-April 1 (LAD): 1-2; Home: April 3-5 (CHC): 2-1. I expect the Guardians to start the season around 5-5, maybe even 4-6 or 6-4, after this tough opening stretch. This team’s talented enough to snag some early wins, but they’ll have to get through the settling-in phase,” Cracas posted on X.
The #Guardians open the season with three challenging series: on the road against the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers, followed by a home series against the Chicago Cubs.
Here are my predictions:
Away: March 26-29 (SEA): 2-2
Away: March 30-April 1 (LAD): 1-2
Home:…— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) March 18, 2026
It will be a great early test against the two-time defending World Series champions, a team that reached Game 7 of the ALCS, and another playoff team. If the Guardians can go .500 over this stretch, it would be a strong boost of confidence for a team that could certainly use one and doesn’t need to put itself in a big hole like it did last year.
It’s also helpful to get a West Coast trip out of the way early in the year when the team is already adjusted to the time zone due to Spring Training. Also, the Guardians will get to enjoy some decent weather, which will hopefully warm the bats up early.
The Guardians had to fight tooth and nail in the second half to catch the Detroit Tigers in the division and it’s important to get off to a better start this year to avoid having to do that again. If they can do so, hopefully the fans will be getting treated to a little World Series preview in that Dodgers series.
NEXT: Guardians Nearing Important Rhys Hoskins Decision
