The Cleveland Guardians are about to play their biggest series of the season. They will start a three-game set against the Chicago White Sox, the current leaders in the AL Central.
It’s not just any series: it’s the one that will likely decide who wins the division and who gets relegated to fighting for a Wild Card spot. The 76-74 Guardians reach Monday just half a game behind the White Sox, so if Cleveland wins on Monday night at Progressive Field, it will leapfrog Chicago at the top.
Despite the importance of the game, however, veteran first baseman Nathaniel Lowe wants to bring some calm before the storm. He praised the White Sox and acknowledged how crucial the three-game set is, but he correctly points out that every win is equally important at this point.
“Yes, you want to run down the team that’s in first place. But you don’t want to put too much weight on one major league game vs. another. You can’t put too much weight on it,” Lowe said, per Cleveland.com. “I’d love to tell you we’re going to dial up an extra gear and beat them by a hundred. But wins are wins, and losses are losses regardless of who is in the other jersey. You just have to go out and play hard.”
It’s a good way to keep everyone relaxed and not overly excited ahead of Monday’s opener. Sometimes, when adrenaline is running high, mistakes are made. It may be wise to throw some cold water on the overall excitement and enthusiasm ahead of the series, if only to keep everybody sane and focused. Everyone knows what’s at stake, after all.
Lowe’s message is simple: the Guardians won’t achieve anything by sweeping the White Sox and then losing five or six straight. Every game is important, and every game is a must-win affair. Yes, winning the clashes against the White Sox could be extremely advantageous, but they have other games and other series to focus on, so they can’t afford to put all their eggs in one basket.
Regardless of what Lowe says, however, the world knows that the Guardians will jump on that field and play hard to win. There will be some extra motivation, because it’s a division foe and the one obstacle in the way of their third straight AL Central title.
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