The Cleveland Guardians looked like they were dead and buried just days ago, but now that the offense has finally woken up, they find themselves just one game away from the ALCS. Game 5 against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday is for all the marbles as the Tampa Bay Rays await their opponent for Game 1.
Cleveland was well on its way to being swept and it was shocking to see the Guardians put up nine runs each in Games 3 and 4. That is the kind of thump this team has sorely lacked over the last few postseasons, and a lot of it can be credited to one big trade deadline acquisition.
MLB Network shouted out Jo Adell’s performance over the last two games, in which he has a .500 on-base percentage and five RBIs. Mark DeRosa went a step further and credited the team for bringing him in, calling him a “perfect addition.”
“He was the perfect addition for the Guardians,” said DeRosa.
Jo Adell in the @CleGuardians' Game 3 & 4 wins 💪
.375 AVG (3-8 AB)
.500 OBP
3B
5 RBI
2 BB“He was the perfect addition for the Guardians…” – DeRo pic.twitter.com/4EJNvNYxjK
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 9, 2026
DeRosa is right. Fans have urged this team to be more aggressive for years and Adell brought the kind of game-changing power this lineup was desperately lacking.
Angel Martinez led the Guardians with just 18 homers this season. Adell hit 23 and walloped an impressive 37 during a breakout 2025 campaign with the Los Angeles Angels. Rhys Hoskins and David Fry were the only right-handed hitters who hit more homers than Adell’s seven in Cleveland this season, so you don’t have to dig too deep to see the value he has brought to the heart of this lineup.
Adell’s three-run triple to give Cleveland the lead in Game 3 has been the hit that opened these floodgates for the Guardians. The offense was lifeless in this series up until that point and it will be fun to see if he has another big hit or two in him on Saturday to set up a date with the Rays.
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