The Cleveland Guardians are set to play in the American League Division Series this weekend. They will be facing the winner of the series between the Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox, and they will enjoy home-field advantage: three of the five hypothetical games will be played at Progressive Field.
As it turns out, the Guardians lost the season series against both potential opponents. Tim Stebbins of MLB.com believes that one of these two teams could be a more convenient matchup for Cleveland.
“Regular-season results aren’t predictive of what’s to come in the postseason. But if we did go off the past 162 games, the Astros could be a more ideal opponent. Cleveland went 2-4 against Houston this season and was outscored 28-22, but those matchups spanned April 20-22 and June 19-21. They’re less reflective of the team the Guards are now. Key hitters José RamÃrez, Chase DeLauter and Angel MartÃnez were on the injured list during the June matchup,” Stebbins wrote.
Recent evidence suggests that Cleveland has enough on its roster to successfully challenge either team. They won a key series against the White Sox from September 14-16, showing the world that they can beat them. However, evidence also suggests that Chicago might be a better team than Houston.
The White Sox finished with an 84-78 record, and Houston stumbled to an 81-81 mark. They are close, though. Very close.
What Stebbins says is that these Guardians, the ones who will start their postseason journey in four days, are much, much better than their April and, especially, their June versions. Those were the ones that Houston saw.
Ramirez was struggling in April, and so were Steven Kwan, Kyle Manzardo, Bo Naylor, George Valera, and other elements of the roster back then. The star third baseman, Chase DeLauter, and Angel Martinez were all injured during their June series, too.
Right now, the Guardians offense is a much better unit. It has deadline additions Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe, prospect Angel Genao, and most of the aforementioned stars have turned their season around.
Combine that with an excellent bullpen and two studs at the top of the rotation in Parker Messick and Gavin Williams, and the Guardians are a very well-rounded team. Of course, they would have to minimize the impact of superstar and AL MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez if Houston advances, but they have the pieces to work around that threat.
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