The Cleveland Guardians are just half a game behind the Chicago White Sox in the quest for their third straight division title. The two squads have two more games this weekend before clashing against each other in a huge three-game series next week.
The Guardians aren’t exactly the most consistent bunch, but they have a good chance of winning the AL Central, mainly for these two reasons:
The White Sox Are Slowly Collapsing
After going 18-10 in May, the White Sox have been merely average. They went 13-12 in both June and July, with a 14-14 record in August but a much worse 3-7 in September so far.
It hasn’t been a sudden fall from grace for Chicago. Instead, the summer months, and particularly September, have been a reminder that this group, while very talented, might just be a year away from truly blossoming.
This team has only three wins in its last 12 games, and appears to be crumbling at the worst possible time. Cleveland hasn’t fully taken advantage yet, but they managed to cut the deficit in the division to just half a game on Friday.
Make no mistake: the Sox are a solid ballclub, and might very well make the 2026 postseason. Heck, they might even hold off the Guardians and win the division. However, they are flawed in multiple ways, and they are showing some of those cracks this month.
2 Key Units Have Come Alive
Yes, the Guardians’ rotation outside of Parker Messick and Gavin Williams has been struggling a bit. And yes, that has resulted in some frustrating losses in the last couple of weeks. However, the bullpen and the offense have held this group together with incredible performances.
The bullpen has been particularly impressive. From September 1st through Thursday, the unit threw 44.1 innings and posted the second-best ERA in the league at 1.83. Then, on Friday, it tossed 3.2 solid frames in relief of Messick, allowing just a single run to give the offense a chance to come back. And it did.
The offense’s recent revival is the primary reason why Cleveland has been more competitive in the second half. For the season as a whole, the unit ranks 26th out of 30 teams with a 95 wRC+. However, they are 14th since the All-Star break with a 98 mark, and also 14th since the day after the trade deadline, August 4th, with a 100 wRC+.
Hitters like Steven Kwan, Travis Bazzana, and Brayan Rocchio have recently worked their way out of their slumps, and while Jose Ramirez remains affected by his injury, other stars such as Chase DeLauter and Jo Adell have shown up.
NEXT: Guardians Have Closed The Gap In The AL Central Race
