The season is starting to slip away from the Cleveland Guardians, and they have no one to blame but themselves. With seven losses in their past nine games, including two of three in a showdown series against the Chicago White Sox, the Guardians are now fourth in the AL Central and one of seven teams in legitimate contention for a wild-card spot.
Cleveland failed to take advantage of a recent schedule that provided them with a great opportunity to get back on track. The Guardians got to face the lowly New York Mets, one of the worst teams in the majors, but got swept.
Then, after taking the series opener against the first-place White Sox, their bullpen failed to get the job done in two straight losses that pushed them four games behind. With just 43 games remaining, a team cannot afford to give potential victories like that away.
In the aftermath, former player Jensen Lewis recently revealed a big concern about the Guardians, saying that failing to seize opportunities could be what costs them a playoff berth.
“The sweep by the Mets. Inexcusable. If you are a contending team, that cannot happen, especially at home. That one will probably stick with them for a while. And then you give away leads on Saturday and Sunday, there again, it kind of rears its ugly head. It’s not just a series here or there,” Lewis said.
"You give away leads on Saturday and Sunday, there again, you know, it kind of rears its ugly head. It's not just a series here or there." #GuardsBall@JLEWFifty is declaring panic on the bullpen. https://t.co/5Tltzkth03 pic.twitter.com/0kApQqWk5f
— BIGPLAY Cleveland (@BIGPLAYcle) August 11, 2026
Cleveland entered the All-Star break tied for first place in the division with Chicago. After taking the first two games of a series with the Minnesota Twins, the Guardians dropped the next two to begin a five-game losing streak. They split six games with the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks, and with the Mets coming to town, it looked to be the perfect time to get a winning streak going.
Instead, the Guardians got swept, with Cade Smith blowing a save in the middle game on an error by Brayan Rocchio. Cleveland bounced back by defeating Chicago, but after taking a lead in each of the final two games, the Guardians bullpen allowed eight runs combined, and they left having lost ground instead of gaining some.
Now, after being passed by the Tigers in the standings, Cleveland travels to Detroit, and another squandered series could put its playoff hopes in even more jeopardy.
NEXT: Guardians Make Big Slide In Latest Power Rankings
