There may have been some good news coming out of the Cleveland Guardians’ rainout on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. It could give them a little time to regroup and figure out how to end their poorly timed five-game losing streak.
While there is never a good week to go through such a slump, leading up to the MLB trade deadline is one of the worst. Almost falling into third place in the AL Central and embroiled in an eight-team battle for two wild-card spots, the Guardians have to determine if they are willing to be buyers and improve their ballclub for a potential postseason run.
Based on their play of late, the Guardians have moved down in Bleacher Report’s latest MLB power rankings, falling from No. 12 to No. 13.
“The Guardians’ playoff chances fell from 62.0 to 48.8 percent after getting swept by the Rays, though they did welcome back Jose Ramirez from the injured list last week. The face of the franchise missed 30 games with a broken hamate bone in his left hand, and his return to action will be more impactful than anything they decide to do at the deadline,” Joel Reuter wrote.
Ramirez’s return was expected to provide a boost to the lineup, but the third baseman is just 3-for-16 in his four games back, including 1-for-11 in his past three when Cleveland scored a total of one run. Outfielder Angel Martinez also recently returned from a foot injury, but he is 0-for-11 in his three games.
Entering a day-night doubleheader on Tuesday, the Guardians trail the first-place Chicago White Sox by two games in the division (three in the loss column) and lead the third-place Minnesota Twins by one game. By comparison, the White Sox are No. 9 in these power rankings, and the Twins are No. 14.
The Guardians have also lost a fairly comfortable lead in the AL Wild Card standings. They currently hold the third position, falling behind the surging Boston Red Sox, with the Twins, Astros, Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles all within two games. The Detroit Tigers are four games behind, and the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays are five back.
The landscape of the American League is likely to change dramatically before the Aug. 3 deadline, and the Guardians can only hope that they are not left behind after all of the deals are made.
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