Guardians continue to slip in MLB Power Ranking

It was another up-and-down week for the Cleveland Guardians, a phrase that has become a recurring theme as of late. Cleveland has not been able to find much consistency since the All-Star Break, seemingly going from one extreme to the other. This trend is one that the Guardians could not shake and would continue over this past week.

Cleveland went 3-3 in their six games played, as they lost a road series to the New York Yankees, followed by coming home and taking a series from the defending World Series Champion Texas Rangers. These two series went about as expected, considering the Yankees are one of the best teams in the sport and the Rangers are experiencing quite the World Series hangover.

The .500 record over the week is fine, as it shows some level of stabilization for the Guardians, but considering who their wins and losses came against, it is no wonder that they slipped in a recent MLB Power Ranking.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter placed the Guardians seventh in MLB Power Rankings 2024: Yankees vs. Dodgers for Top Spot, Diamondbacks Surging. This is down one spot from last week's ranking of sixth, and with how things played out, it is hard to argue with that. Reuter would note Cleveland's recent lackluster OPS numbers and the continued bad luck that has hit their starting rotation.

The Guardians rank 23rd in the majors with a .674 OPS in August, but they continue to find ways to win while navigating a somewhat precarious starting rotation that saw deadline addition Alex Cobb head back to the injured list last week.

On the bright side, Reuter also mentions the offensive output from Jhonkensey "Big Christmas" Noel as a positive development.

Rookie Jhonkensy Noel has a .965 OPS with 12 home runs in 41 games, giving the offense a major shot in the arm while staking his claim to the primary right field job.

Seeing Noel break out lately has certainly helped Cleveland's post-break offensive woes. While there are concerns about sustainability here, riding the hot bat while he continues to slug like a man on a mission is an incredibly easy lineup decision for manager Stephen Vogt.