Based on the way the Cleveland Guardians have closed out the past two MLB seasons, there should be a great deal of confidence that they can get the job done again this year. But this is a different team with a lot of new players, and it is baseball, after all, so anything can happen.
The Guardians have put themselves in prime position heading into a crucial three-game series against the Chicago White Sox that begins Monday at Progressive Field. Cleveland is just one-half game behind Chicago for first place in the AL Central, and based on the way both teams have been playing over the past couple of weeks, the Guardians look to have all of the momentum.
Nevertheless, Bleacher Report analyst Kerry Miller has revealed a potential nightmare scenario for the Guardians, as the possibility remains that they will fall apart down the stretch.
“Sputter to the finish line; miss the postseason,” Miller wrote. “Climbing to the No. 2 seed is still well within the realm of possibility, too. Then again, if the Guardians continue to play sub-.500 baseball, missing the cut altogether is also very much on the table. And if they lose the remaining series to the A’s and Royals in the process of blowing it, that would be especially embarrassing.”
Granted, the Guardians are just two games over .500 with just 12 games remaining, which would not normally be the profile of a potential playoff team, let alone the possible No. 2 seed in the American League. But a third consecutive division title for Cleveland could lead to that unexpected result.
Since Sept. 3, when the Guardians were at .500 and three games behind the White Sox in the loss column, Cleveland is 6-4, including a win against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. Meanwhile, Chicago has gone 3-6 in that time, allowing the Guardians to close the gap and putting first place on the line over the next three days.
Both teams have somewhat favorable schedules after that. They each visit the Kansas City Royals, who have the fifth-worst record in the majors, while the Guardians have games against the third-worst Athletics, and the White Sox close the season with the overall-worst Colorado Rockies.
The determining factor for Cleveland could be its three-game set against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park next Tuesday through Thursday. But there is a chance the Red Sox will have secured the second wild card by then and have nothing to really play for.
While the Guardians may not need a break like that to make it back to the playoffs, any little bit can help at this point in the season.
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