The Cleveland Guardians have been Major League Baseball’s hottest team all season.
They’ve also managed to maintain a comfortable lead in their American League Central Division, bouncing back from a lull before the All-Star break. But their inconsistency in the last couple of weeks has opened the door for the surging Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals to gain some ground in the division.
Ideastream Public Media’s sports commentator Terry Pluto said the Guardians are now in a tight pennant race.
“Even though the Guardians have been among the winningest teams in the American League, either first or second, it used to be that it would be more than enough to take care of the Central Division. Well, you look at the standings, and right now, three of the five winningest teams in the American League are in the Central Division,” Pluto said.
The AL Central has long had a reputation of being one of the league’s weakest divisions, due to its teams’ lower payrolls.
“These teams put together a good front office and they've made some good moves. That's it. Games are not won simply based on payroll. It's based on talent, it's based on being smart,” Pluto said.
The Guardians have been winning with rookie manager Stephen Vogt, whom Pluto said has a “modern” approach to handling players.
“He's Mr. Positive, you know, ‘Stay the course. Our guys are hustling.’ His feeling is unless he sees a lack of effort, you know, he's not going to go just slam these guys and criticize them. (Vogt believes) that you've got to make sure when you call (a player), you have a real reason to do so, other than, kind of, to yell at the players so the manager feels better. Instead, he favors kind of individual meetings with different guys who are struggling, and maybe others that just need to be encouraged,” Pluto said.
Pluto said the key for the Guardians for the rest of the season is pitching. He said the struggling starting pitching is taking a toll on the team’s elite bullpen.
“You know, they have two veteran pitchers coming who are coming off injuries. Matthew Boyd is one and another is Alex Cobb. (Vogt) needs to make sure he can get 5 or 6 innings out of both guys,” Pluto said.
A big test comes this weekend, as the Guardians open a four-game series against the Twins at Target Field with a day-night doubleheader on Friday.
“Fans' emotions will be going up and down, and I think this is what you want of your baseball team," Pluto said. "Keep me engaged. Make the games important. Let's see how the players react. Let's see how the manager reacts. This is another winning season. This is another big time of year if you're a baseball fan. And I think it's a very likable team."
Pluto encourages fans to enjoy the ride: “Enjoy it. Even when you get mad, remember there's another game tomorrow.”
