The Cleveland Guardians have yet to put together a long winning streak that would stamp them as a genuine playoff contender this season. They also have not gone on an extended losing streak that would remove them from consideration.
That means it’s hard to tell what kind of team the Guardians really are, and that makes them difficult to compare to other teams around the league. Hovering around .500 for most of the year so far, but also spending time in first place in the AL Central, Cleveland could be confounding experts for a while.
The Guardians have made a concerning move in MLB.com’s latest power rankings, falling to No. 12 from No. 6 despite excellent performances from pitcher Parker Messick and third baseman Jose Ramirez.
“The story in Cleveland this week has been Parker Messick, and for good reason, but it should be noted that Jose Ramirez looks like an MVP again, batting .375/.531/.792 with three homers and nine runs scored in a seven-game stretch. Remember: He still hasn’t won one,” Will Leitch wrote.
The Guardians had lost three of four games before taking the final two of a four-game series from the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend. They enter Monday with a 13-10 record and in first place in their division by one-half game over the Detroit Tigers, who are at No. 13 in these power rankings.
Messick authored his latest brilliant pitching performance by taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning of the series opener against Baltimore. Ramirez continued his offensive resurgence after an early-season slump with two solo home runs in the finale.
If not for a meltdown by the bullpen, Cleveland may have swept Baltimore, which likely would have prevented such a fall in these rankings. But because of that, the Guardians have yet to win more than two games in a row all season. Yet they have not lost more than two in a row either, which is significant having played almost a full month.
With the quality of starting pitching the Guardians are getting, a long losing streak is unlikely. But their offense has not shown an ability to stay hot over multiple games, which has kept them from a long winning streak.
On Monday, they will again try to win three in a row for the first time this season, when they host the Houston Astros.
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