With their backs against the wall, the Cleveland Guardians are fighting for their playoff lives

Coming into the ALCS, most people were not expecting the Cleveland Guardians to be able to compete with the New York Yankees. There were multiple projections of a New York Sweep, and considering the Yankees hold a 2-0 lead over Cleveland, it seems like there may be a chance they could be proven right. The Guardians are currently in a spot with their season is on the line, and they must find a way to extend it beyond the next two games, or else their offseason will begin much earlier than they want it to,

This series has not gone according to plan for Cleveland. Brief outings from their starting pitchers combined with an offense that has been outscored 11-5 is not a way for any team to win games, regardless of talent. It seems the Guardians are currently experiencing every possible outcome that could work against them manifest itself and result in New York's commanding lead in this series appearing more insurmountable than usual.

Anyone who has watched the Guardians in this series knows they have not quite looked like themselves. Something just feels off, and it does not feel that it can be attributed to any one thing. When assessing the Guardians' roster, most of these players are experiencing their first success in the postseason, and that includes the manager Stephen Vogt. With the exclusions of Jose Ramirez, Alex Cobb, and Austin Hedges, the ALDS win over Detroit was the first career postseason series win for this team. When putting that against the extensive list featured on New York's roster and the first two games taking place in The Bronx, the Yankees had a clear advantage at the series' start.

While this may seem like somewhat of an obituary for this team, let's get one thing straight here. It's not, at least yet. The Guardians have a chance to change their fortunes and have things start working in their favor on Thursday back home at Progressive Field. Taking the field in Cleveland in front of a home crowd could be exactly what this team needs to start playing like the team that finished with the second-best record in the American League this season, and it could make this series much more competitive than it seems now. If not, well, that previously mentioned obituary-style post could be making an appearance in the coming days.