Guardians Draw Buzz Among MLB’s Postseason Dark Horses

For most of August, it didn’t look like the Cleveland Guardians deserved to be taken seriously as a playoff contender anymore. After being tied for first place in the AL Central at the All-Star break, the Guardians fell below .500 and into fourth place in the division, while also tumbling down the AL Wild Card standings.

But thanks to a recent seven-game winning streak, Cleveland has revived its playoff chances. The Guardians will go into September with a very good chance of winning the Central for a third straight season.

That is why the Guardians are drawing buzz among MLB’s postseason dark horses, with MLB.com analyst Travis Sawchuk saying they are better than their current record indicates.

“The Guardians’ regular-season record understates how dangerous their October roster could be. The Guardians have one of the stronger rotations among the fringe contenders. Their rotation is tied for sixth in ERA (3.74), tied for eighth in xERA (3.96) and 11th in fWAR (10.5). The Guardians also strengthened themselves at the deadline by adding [Foster] Griffin, Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe. This is a stronger group than it was before the deadline, or that its record might suggest,” Sawchik wrote.

The winning streak came to an end with a 3-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Friday in the opener of a 10-game homestand. It left the Guardians at 68-67, and they lost a game in the standings to the White Sox to fall 3.5 games behind with 27 left to play.

Cleveland still has a two-game lead over the Texas Rangers for the final wild card, and that may be their best path back to the playoffs. None of the five teams chasing them are even within three games of a winning record.

Prior to the shutout loss to the Royals, the Guardians’ offense looked to have turned things around during a six-game road trip. It scored 36 runs in sweeping three-game series from the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels.

Adell was a key factor with six hits and six RBIs against the Rockies, but the outfielder is just 2-for-16 in his past four games. Starting pitcher Griffin has also played a key role, winning his past three decisions heading into his start against Kansas City on Saturday.

The Guardians have shown an ability to rally in the final month, evidenced by last season’s historic run to the division title, so they should not be counted out of reaching the playoffs and then potentially making some noise if they get there.