Analyst Makes Big Prediction About Guardians In ALDS

The 2026 MLB postseason officially starts on Tuesday with the Philadelphia Phillies – Atlanta Braves clash. There will also be three additional games on the schedule that day.

The Cleveland Guardians, however, are playing the waiting game. They won the AL Central, so they earned a first-round bye and a chance to re-align their rotation as they please.

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report wrote a postseason preview and made it clear he likes the Guardians to advance past the Division Series.

“The White Sox’s magical run— two seasons after losing 121 games—will end at the hands of the Cleveland Guardians, the team that swiped the division from under them in September. Cleveland is back in the postseason for the third time in as many years under Stephen Vogt. With Kwan and excellent pitching, the Guardians will advance to the ALCS for the second time in three years. Guardians in four,” Kelly wrote.

Kelly did express concern about Jose Ramirez’s mediocre September, but predicted that the Chicago White Sox will leave the Houston Astros behind in the AL Wild Card round and they will lose to the Guardians in the Division Series. As the writer explains, Cleveland’s superior pitching staff could be the driving factor in a hypothetical matchup between the two AL Central teams.

The rotation is Chicago’s main weakness, and the Guardians offense is sneaky good these days. On the other hand, Cleveland has the rotation and bullpen depth and quality to overcome Chicago’s talented lineup.

Cleveland finished the regular season with one of the top offenses in the American League in the second half, with Ramirez starting to play better, Steven Kwan leading things off, rookies Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana firing on all cylinders, and power-speed threat Angel Martinez shining in recent weeks. Parker Messick and Gavin Williams are too much to handle at the top of the rotation, and Chicago might see them in four of the five ALDS games.

For what it’s worth, Kelly also predicts that the Tampa Bay Rays will eliminate the Guardians in the AL Championship Series in six games. Cleveland, however, has a good chance to make its first World Series appearance since 2016 and win it for the first time since 1948.