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The Cleveland Guardians are trailing the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series 3-2 as the series is set to shift back to Tampa Bay on Monday. Cleveland dropped back-to-back contests at home in Games 4 and 5. The Rays clearly have momentum, and the Guardians’ best postseason pitcher this year, Gavin Williams, is not available for Game 6. Instead, the Guardians will start Shawn Armstrong in what will be a bullpen game.
But you read the title of this story. You’re surely wondering why the heck are the Guardians in a “perfect position” heading into Game 6 despite their clear unfavorable overall circumstances. Well, Guardians fans, the MLB world may think this series is over. Even Rays star Yandy Diaz believes the Rays will win on Monday night.
Here’s why the Guardians are poised to upset the Rays on Monday — and possibly even on Tuesday in a potential Game 7.
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The Guardians operate in a unique manner
No, I’m not talking about their hesitancy to spend big in free agency. There are a number of teams around the sport who operate in that manner. Rather, this specific Guardians ball club has found success in unique scenarios this year.
Cleveland played around .500 baseball at home this year, going 41-40. Typically, teams are content if they can play .500 baseball on the road while performing better at home. That wasn’t the case for Cleveland.
On the road, the Guards were indeed much better. They went 44-37 overall.
Cleveland’s American League Division Series wasn’t much different. The Guardians instantly lost their home field advantage by dropping their first two games at Progressive Field to the Chicago White Sox. It seemed like the series was over. Then the Guardians stepped up and earned two consecutive wins in Chicago.
Their pitching got the job done back at home in Game 5, while a Jose Ramirez two-run home run provided all of the run support the ball club needed in a 2-0 victory to clinch the series.
Cleveland was once a massive underdog heading into the ALCS. Tampa Bay won 98 games during the regular season compared to Cleveland’s 85. Surely, the Rays would cruise to a quick series win, especially with home field advantage, right?
Well, the Guardians once again utilized their surprising success on the road to win Game 1. A rare Jose Ramirez error played an unfortunate role in the team’s Game 2 loss at Tropicana Field, but Cleveland still came away with a win on the road, as the series was 1-1 heading back to Progressive Field.
The Guardians were able to get the job done in Game 3 to begin their three consecutive contests at home, but the Rays, as mentioned, rebounded and earned wins over the weekend.
So, that all leads us back to the main point.
Is Cleveland truly in the perfect position?
The Guardians have the lowest payroll in baseball and were not expected to do much this season. Experts predicted that the Detroit Tigers or Kansas City Royals would overtake them in the AL Central. The experts were clearly wrong as neither of those teams ended up contending. Only Chicago challenged Cleveland in the division, but the Guardians still upset expectations and won the AL Central.
People thought the Guardians were done while they were trailing 0-2 in the ALDS. They weren’t. People thought Cleveland would not stand a chance against Tampa Bay in the ALCS. They have. And they’ve done it all while finding success on the road.
Now the Guardians are in an especially familiar position. The Rays are once again a massive favorite and the Guardians are playing on the road. An ideal situation for most teams? No. For this Guardians ball club, however, they are right where they want to be.
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