News Summary
The Cleveland Guardians achieve a stunning turnaround in the AL Central division, going from 12.5 games back to a top position with a 22-7 record. Rookie pitcher Parker Messick has been instrumental in this success, supported by a robust rotation. The Guardians’ bullpen has excelled despite challenges, as the team continues to compete offensively. With their recent performance, they solidify their playoff chances while maintaining strong pitching depth despite setbacks.
Cleveland — The Cleveland Guardians have surged to the top of the AL Central division after recording an impressive 22-7 record over the past month, the best in Major League Baseball. This remarkable turnaround comes on the heels of a difficult start to the season, as the Guardians found themselves two games below .500 and 12.5 games back in the division on August 26. With this recent performance, the Guardians have not only solidified their playoff chances, but they also saw their odds increase by nearly 3,000 percent during this stretch.
Rookie pitcher Parker Messick, who made his second MLB start on August 26, has played a pivotal role in this resurgence. Following his remarkable outing against the Tampa Bay Rays, where he threw seven scoreless innings and earned his first MLB victory, the Guardians have utilized a six-man rotation that has proven effective. Over the past month, the rotation has averaged 6.1 innings per start while achieving a remarkable 2.46 ERA. This level of performance has been a significant improvement compared to previous seasons, as the pitching staff currently leads the majors in key metrics such as ERA, xERA, FIP, fWAR, and WPA.
In addition to Messick, other pitchers like Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen have found their rhythm after experiencing rough patches early in the season. Bibee has notably improved, while Allen has rebounded to provide effective pitching. Gavin Williams is showing promise during his first full season, and Joey Cantillo has made a strong impact since returning to the rotation. Moreover, the Guardians welcomed Slade Cecconi, recently acquired from the D-backs, which has further bolstered their pitching depth.
The Guardians’ bullpen has also seen improvements with Closer Emmanuel Clase placed on leave due to a gambling investigation. In Clase’s absence, Cade Smith has excelled as the closer, contributing to the bullpen’s overall 2.31 ERA over the past month. Other effective relievers include Hunter Gaddis, Jakob Junis, Kolby Allard, Erik Sabrowski, and Matt Festa. This strong pitching has allowed the Guardians to limit their opponents to just 72 runs in the past month.
Offensively, the Guardians have scored an average of 4.4 runs per game, which has complemented their pitching prowess, enabling them to remain competitive in the league. After initially being knocked down by a daunting 15.5-game deficit, they climbed back into contention for the division title and recently claimed the top spot, aided by a tiebreaker win over the Detroit Tigers.
In a recent matchup on September 25, the Tigers managed to stop their eight-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory against the Guardians. Despite the loss, Cleveland retains the tiebreaker over Detroit, which both teams hold with identical records. Notably, the Guardians faced a recent scare when designated hitter David Fry was hit in the face by a pitch, resulting in injuries that required a hospital visit. Fortunately, Fry displayed resilience by giving a thumbs-up while leaving the field and was expected to be hospitalized overnight for observation.
This season, the Guardians did not make any significant pitching additions during the offseason, yet they have managed to thrive and establish themselves as a formidable contender. Their accomplishments over the past month are commendable and mark an impressive turnaround from where they started just weeks ago.
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Additional Resources
- Cleveland.com: Guardians’ Six-Man September Rotation
- The New York Times: Guardians vs Tigers Takeaways
- Detroit Free Press: Tigers Game Recap vs Guardians
- MLB.com: Guardians Take Lead in AL Central
- Cleveland.com: Guardians Move into First Place
- Wikipedia: Cleveland Guardians
- Google Search: Cleveland Guardians MLB
- Google Scholar: Cleveland Guardians baseball
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Cleveland Guardians
- Google News: Cleveland Guardians
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