The Cleveland Guardians woke up on Thursday tied for first place with the Kansas City Royals, even though they are listed second by winning percentage. They are 4-3 after a rough opening schedule, with consecutive series on the West Coast against the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
These opponents are no slouches: the Mariners are the reigning AL West champions and won 90 games last year, and the Dodgers need no introduction after taking home each of the last two World Series.
The Guardians split the first four games with the M’s and then won the series 2-1 over the Dodgers, beating Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the process. Things weren’t always perfect, but the first seven games have shown that Cleveland will be a highly competitive squad.
Ken Carman and Spencer German discussed the Guardians’ opening road trip and came away feeling optimistic about where the organization currently stands.
“If you were looking for a start to the season that gave you some confidence of what this year can be, I think this was it. You’re seeing these great performances, and [Gavin] Williams feels like the guy who can stabilize things if he can be that ace-style pitcher. It does feel like, to me, you saw the true potential of this team with Chase DeLauter in the lineup,” German said.
"If you were looking for a start to the season that gave you some confidence of what this year can be, I think this was it."
⚾@KenCarman & @Spencito_ on #Guardians 4-3 start, series win over Dodgers pic.twitter.com/kseCQiOCkK
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) April 2, 2026
DeLauter’s emergence has been one of the storylines of Cleveland’s opening week. He hit four home runs and is sporting a 219 wRC+, and even though he had to leave a game this week after fouling a ball off his foot, he is expected to return this weekend to keep mashing.
He has been everything the Guardians thought he could be and more, and could be in a good position to hit at least 25 home runs if health is on his side.
Among pitchers, Gavin Williams and Parker Messick have been the most valuable performers in the first week of play. The latter tossed seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts on Wednesday to give the Guardians a series win in LA, and the latter was brilliant in his lone start with six scoreless frames on Monday.
The bullpen has been solid aside from a couple of Cade Smith hiccups, and the rest of the staff has played as expected. If Jose Ramirez and the offense can pick it up, this team could be going places.
NEXT: Stephen Vogt Credits 2 Guardians Players For Timely Impact
