5 reasons the Cleveland Guardians could make a deep playoff run

Pitching plays in October. Dominant starting pitching is the way that MLB teams typically try to build their teams. The classic template for an unexpected run to a World Series victory is the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, who rode Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling to ultimately defeat the favored New York Yankees. For a small or mid-market club, the window to win the World Series depends on healthy, dominant starting pitching. The Oakland A’s tried this path for years with Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito, ultimately coming up short and proving that the formula does not always work.

The Guardians, however, have the pieces to make it work. Ace Shane Bieber and 2022 breakout star Triston McKenzie form a 1-2 punch that can match up with any other team in the playoffs.

The Guardians have the bullpen to back up their aces. Led by closer Emmanuel Clase, who paced the game in saves this year with 42, this group is deep. While they have been dominant for much of the year, they also have not been over-taxed and are not showing signs of slowing down. Their x-factor here might be Sam Hentges, who has been a surprise for them this year, but provides an elite left-handed option that could prove to be pivotal in a short series against teams with left-handed power.

Speaking of power, the Guardians don’t have a lot of it. They are not going to mash their way to a title. But that may be an advantage in an age of teams playing for the long ball. The Guardians seem more like the Mets this year – a deep lineup that grinds out at-bats, puts the ball in play, strings hits together and keeps the pressure on the other team. By running up pitch counts and putting pressure on opposing defenses, the Guardians play a professional style of baseball that is reminiscent of the San Francisco Giants teams of the early 2010s.

No run to the World Series will be easy. However, the Guardians seem to have the ideal matchup in both the wild-card series and (if they make it that far) ALDS rounds. The Guardians went 4-2 against the Rays, who enter the playoffs in a serious skid, having lost eight of their last ten games. The only playoff team that Cleveland played better this season was the Blue Jays, who enter the playoffs on a hot streak of their own. Add in home-field advantage for all three games in the wild-card series and the Guardians have an ideal setup to advance.

If they were to advance, the Guardians would face the Yankees, who have at times looked like the best team in baseball, and at other times looked like a complete disaster. They seem to have stabilized somewhere in the middle, but also have to deal with a long five-day layoff between games. Long layoffs typically mean rust, and in a short series that could allow the Guardians to steal a game (or two) in New York and be in excellent position to advance to the ALCS.

We all know that managers are overrated, right? They are just middlemen and don’t impact the game. Not Terry Francona. He has led teams on improbable runs and huge comebacks in big spots, providing stability and creating a consistent winning culture in his decade-long run in Cleveland. Managing on an expiring contract, Francona is anything but a lame duck, and as clichéd as it may sound, the “win one for the Gipper” factor cannot be ruled out.