Cleveland wrapped up its road trip through Baltimore and Minneapolis with the kind of finish the Guardians needed heading into the most important week of their regular season. A 3-3 trip closed with a bounce back effort from Tanner Bibee and a red hot offensive day at Target Field, and the timing lines up perfectly with a three-game series against the division-leading White Sox now waiting at Progressive Field. With Chicago dropping its own game Sunday, Cleveland heads home sitting just half a game back in the American League Central with the two rivals about to settle plenty on the field.
Steven Kwan summed up what that opportunity means to a clubhouse that has fought through plenty this season.
“To go home a half-game out, with three games against a team you’re chasing – I mean, that’s why you play the game. That’s why you play 162,” Kwan said. “Obviously, there’s been some tough parts of the year, but to come back and play the first-place team right now, only a half-game back, it should be really exciting.”
Stephen Vogt could not help but draw a parallel to how last season played out. Cleveland’s manager pointed back to a similar final homestand a year ago, when the Guardians took care of business against Detroit and Texas to claim the division title by a single game. Vogt made clear he hopes fans turn out in force to support the club over what amounts to the final six days of the regular season at home, a stretch that carries every bit as much weight as last year’s stretch run.
The coaching staff has already set up its rotation with this series in mind. Gavin Williams, Foster Griffin and Parker Messick are all lined up to start against Chicago, giving Cleveland three of its most trusted arms a direct shot at the White Sox with the division title very much in play. That planning reflects just how much emphasis the organization has placed on these three games specifically, treating the series as close to a must win stretch as the regular season allows.
Bibee echoed the sense of urgency that has carried this team through a recent rough patch from the rotation. He acknowledged that stringing together a couple of difficult outings can wear on a starter, making it that much more important to get back on the mound and prove things are trending the right way, something he did emphatically against Minnesota. With Williams, Griffin and Messick now set to follow that same pattern against Chicago, and Cleveland’s final regular season homestand also including a series against the Athletics, the next several days figure to go a long way toward deciding whether the Guardians close out the year on top of the American League Central.
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