The Cleveland Guardians are 34-27 heading into the first week of June. They are first in the AL Central and have a 1.5-game lead over the surprising Chicago White Sox.
Things could have been better, though, as Cleveland is coming off a rough week in which they lost the two series they played. They took just one of three against the Washington Nationals and then also one of three vs. the Boston Red Sox.
Both series were at home, so the outcome was far from desirable. Still, it’s nothing to be alarmed about yet, as the season is long and series losses will inevitably happen.
One of the results of the rough week, however, was the team sliding down some spots in a few power rankings, including Bleacher Report’s.
Before this ranking, they were fourth. After the 2-4 week, they are now sixth, which is still very solid. The Guardians wrapped up a terrific month of May in which they positioned themselves to compete for the division until the very end.
“Even with a pair of series losses last week, the Guardians still went 18-11 in May to seize control of the AL Central race. The offense has been good enough around superstar José Ramírez, the starting rotation has a terrific one-two punch in Gavin Williams and Parker Messick, and the bullpen ranks second in the majors with 23 saves in 28 chances,” they wrote.
The Guardians’ bullpen was amazing in May, and the offense has done just enough to keep the team in most games. Sure, consecutive losses in which the pitching staff allowed 18 runs left a sour taste in fans’ mouths after the weekend series loss vs. Boston, but those games shouldn’t erase the gains that Cleveland made this month.
They have overcome a rather ordinary campaign by Ramirez to this point, as he is sporting a mediocre (for his standards) 106 wRC+. Hitters such as Brayan Rocchio, Travis Bazzana, and Chase DeLauter have remained steady and productive all year, and that one-two punch at the top of the rotation has been amazing.
The good news is that the Guardians still have minor leaguers who can make an impact this year, such as Cooper Ingle, Franco Aleman, and Daniel Espino, and have the farm system depth and quality to strike a couple of deadline upgrades.
Cleveland had a bad week, yes, but things are still trending up in the grand scheme of things.
NEXT: Guardians Pitcher Earns Nod Among Best In His Position
