Why the Guardians’ post-All-Star momentum could define their playoff push

The Cleveland Guardians have been baseball’s best team in the second half. While their 21-9 record over the last 30 games trails the Brewers’ 25-5 mark, the Guardians entered play on Tuesday having trimmed nine games off the Tigers’ lead in the American League Central along with sitting just a game behind the Red Sox for the American League’s Wild Card spot. 

Although the Guardians are still on the outside of the postseason picture, they’ve developed a winning identity that could easily translate to postseason success, should they make it that far. 

Why Guardians’ post-All-Star momentum could define their playoff push

Last year, the Guardians made it to the postseason on the back of their lights out bullpen and penchant for timely hitting. And those themes have carried over into the Guardians’ hot streak, albeit in a bit of a different way. 

Last year, everyone in the ‘pen was working so the team could get to Emmanuel Clase in the ninth inning. But, with Clase on non-disciplinary paid leave due to a sports betting investigation, the ninth inning is a bit more open. 

That hasn’t hurt the Guardians, however, as Cleveland’s bullpen has posted a 1.77 ERA since Clase’s suspension, which is the best mark in all of baseball over that time period. 

Cade Smith hasn’t allowed an earned run since his blow up against the Rockies, while unheralded pitchers like Nic Enright, Erik Sabrowski and Kolby Allard have stepped up in higher-leverage opportunities. 

The Guardians were able to have some postseason success last fall despite Clase’s shortcomings, and that’s exactly what’s happening here.

The bullpen has also been set up for success thanks to a strong run of play from the team’s starting pitchers. While Gavin Williams’ near no-hitter is the highlight, the Guardians have gotten plenty of quality start from their starters over the past month, which has limited the stress on the team’s bullpen.

Teams always give their starters shorter leashes during the postseason so it’s not like this formula would be exactly the same, but there’s been enough positive signs to show that the staff has skill to be able to hold their own in October. 

That same kind of theme has also carried over to Cleveland's offense. 

After being shutout five times across their 10 game losing streak, the Guardians are third in MLB in runs scored over the last two weeks behind the Blue Jays and Brewers, two teams that seem like locks to play in October. And, perhaps even more surprisingly, it’s not happening because of the guys you’d expect. 

Kyle Manzardo, Daniel Schneemann and Brayan Rocchio have all hit .300 or better over that span, while David Fry (two home runs and six RBI) has finally started to look like the player who was an All-Star last year. Meanwhile, José Ramírez and Steven Kwan have combined for a .207 batting average (21-for-101) over that time. 

Ramírez and Kwan won’t stay in these slumps forever (they were all-stars for a reason, after all), but it’s a great sign to see the rest of the offense stepping up around them. 

That kind of production has helped vault the Guardians into the thick of the postseason hunt. It also may help them win a game or two if they end up earning a spot.