The Cleveland Guardians came out of their showdown series against the Chicago White Sox over the weekend in worse shape than when they entered it. The Guardians lost two of three games to fall four games behind and into third place in the AL Central.
After being passed in the standings by the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland will open a four-game series against them on Monday. It could set the stage, either good or bad, for the remainder of the season.
Heading into the rest of this important road trip, analyst Anthony Castrovince explained what the Guardians need to fix for a playoff push, identifying their lingering offensive woes and their newly ineffective bullpen.
“Mathematically, they’re in a better position. They have a worse record than this time last year, but they’re in a better standing position in the Central. They don’t have to have a historic comeback in the month of September, the way things stand today. The formula last year was elite pitching and league-average offense. The problem right now is they’re not getting elite pitching, predominantly in the bullpen. Also, league-average offense would sure help,” Castrovince said.
"The formula last year was elite pitching and league average offense. The problem right now is they're not getting elite pitching. Also, league average offense would help."
➡️ @castrovince w/ @KenCarman and @SportsBoyTony on the #Guardians outlook the rest of this season https://t.co/jZHrWPDSbm pic.twitter.com/hl2ub9VZlD
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) August 10, 2026
It is correct to point out that the Guardians, despite their struggles since the All-Star break, are still in better shape than they were at this point in early August 2025, when they were six games over .500 but five games behind the first-place Tigers. Entering play Monday, Cleveland is 58-61 but just four games behind the first-place White Sox and one-half game behind the second-place Tigers.
The Guardians closed the gap on the White Sox to two games by winning the series opener with an impressive 8-2 victory that included a grand slam by Angel Martinez. However, Cleveland lost the next two by scores of 6-3 and 5-3, with a reliever taking the loss in each game, and the bullpen giving up eight of the 11 runs.
That includes four runs in just one-third of an inning by Craig Yoho on Sunday. He, along with starter Foster Griffin and outfielder Jo Adell, were brought in at the trade deadline to help during the pennant race, but Yoho now has an 18.90 ERA, Griffin’s ERA is 11.25, and Adell has just three hits in 22 at-bats in their first week with the team.
With 43 games to go, there is still plenty of time for the Guardians to turn things around like they did last year, when they came from much further back to win the division.
NEXT: Stephen Vogt Gets Candid About Concerning Trend With Guardians' Pitching Staff
