Guardians have new lease of life in AL Central thanks to predictable White Sox swoon

Not much went right for the Guardians last night. Joey Cantillo struggled, Dylan Cease added another gem to his Cy Young résumé and Austin Hedges pitched the ninth inning of what became an 11-0 win. It was about as bad as you can get for a game in the middle of a postseason race. 

Luckily for the Guardians, they’re still just three games behind the White Sox in the American League Central thanks to Chicago’s 2-0 loss to the Astros. 

While every Guardians loss on a day where the White Sox lose means another lost opportunity to gain ground in the AL Central standings, all the Guardians need to do is stay within striking distance for the next two weeks ahead of their crucial three-game home series against the White Sox that starts on Sept. 14. 

The Guardians just need to keep pace with the White Sox

Even if the White Sox’s resurgence has been one of the best stories in baseball, it always seemed like there was some kind of regression right around the corner. 

That may seem like a drastic statement considering Chicago’s only lost two games in a row, but their longest losing streak this season is somehow just four games. 

Meanwhile, the Guardians are coming off two straight division titles and have been one of the best teams in baseball across the past two Septembers (though that may seem hard to believe given how last night went). 

That loss to the Blue Jays may have stung a little more since Toronto is one of three teams within two games of the Guardians for the AL’s final Wild Card spot, but it was only one game (and they still have the advantage of being able to control their destiny). 

That said, today’s game is a must-win since a Blue Jays win would give Toronto a better head-to-head record between the two teams, which is the first tiebreaker used to determine a postseason spot. 

Ironically, the Blue Jays were the only team to gain any ground on the Guardians yesterday. The Orioles suffered a walk-off loss to the lowly Rockies, the Rangers got blown out by the Athletics and the White Sox had their aforementioned loss to the Astros. 

All that sets up today's series finale, which will provide Tanner Bibee with the perfect avenue to make a statement. He pitched great down the stretch for the Guardians last year during their incredible September run, and today will be his first opportunity to have that carry over into this September. 

If he’s able to do his job on the mound and the offense is able to make things happen in support, the Guardians will head into the weekend within striking distance of the White Sox. 

At this point in the season, that’s all you can ask for. 

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