The Cleveland Guardians logged a much-needed win on Wednesday to avoid getting swept at the hands of the Chicago White Sox and move back into a tie atop the AL Central. Given the struggles of the offense of late and the fact that Cleveland had lost six of eight to drop dangerously close to falling under .500, every win at this point is huge.
With all the injuries of late and the losses piling up, it’s fair to wonder how the team is handling things in the locker room. The Guardians are getting hit with a ton of adversity, but manager Stephen Vogt recently pushed back on the idea that the team is frustrated.
In a recent article for Cleveland.com, Joe Noga quoted Vogt saying that frustration isn’t the word for the current stretch. He had a positive spin on the situation and believes a lot of good can come from this adversity.
“I feel like frustration’s not the right word,” Vogt said. “I just think we’re getting to know who we are again.”
It’s not entirely clear what exactly Vogt meant by that, but hopefully it doesn’t mean the team is back to trying to win every game 2-1. Chase DeLauter, Angel Martinez, and Jose Ramirez all getting hurt in the same game was about the worst thing that could have happened to this team, but none of their injuries should keep them out long term and DeLauter should be back soon to provide some relief.
The Guardians begin a key stretch on Friday where they’ll start a ten-game home-stand against the Seattle Mariners. After Seattle, the Texas Rangers come to town for a three-game set followed by a pivotal four-game set with the White Sox that is vital for the team’s quest to win the division for a third straight season.
Hopefully the team isn’t frustrated, because these struggles are understandable given the circumstances. They shouldn’t feel bad for themselves or play victim because it’s baseball and things happen over the course of a long season, but if they can patch things together for a few more weeks and get to know who they are again, help will be coming soon and everything will hopefully get back on track.
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