Six games remain in the regular season for the Cleveland Guardians, and they are in the thick of a heated American League Central Division race. After trailing the Chicago White Sox for a good part of the season, the Guardians are one game up with two series remaining.
Cleveland opens a three-game series at Fenway Park on Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox. Meanwhile, the White Sox begin a series on the road against the Kansas City Royals. Whoever wins the division likely gets a bye in the wild-card round and awaits the winner of a series early next week. Winning the division will be key for both teams.
Cleveland Guardians Announce Starters Against Boston Red Sox
Cleveland will be sending out two of their top arms in the first two games, while they will see the three likely starters for Boston next week in the Bronx against the New York Yankees.
Tuesday: Parker Messick (12-9, 2.57 ERA) vs. Payton Tolle (9-6, 3.02 ERA), 6:45 p.m.
Wednesday: Foster Griffin (15-5, 3.67 ERA) vs. Sonny Gray (17-5, 2.82 ERA), 6:45 p.m.
Thursday: TBD vs. Ranger Suárez (8-4, 3.27 ERA), 6:45 p.m.
Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt will send a pair of left-hander to the mound in the first two games in Messick and Griffin. Messick allowed one run and five hits in five innings back in May against the Red Sox and didn’t get a decision.
However, on the flip side, the Red Sox are all but locked into the second AL wild-card spot. Furthermore, interim manager Chad Tracy will be lining up his rotation for the Yankees’ best-of-three series next week. The Guardians have not named a starter against Suárez on Thursday night.
Cleveland Guardians Face Pivotal Series Against Red Sox
Cleveland faces the more difficult schedule this week and over the weekend. While the Guardians are playing the Red Sox, Chicago is in Kansas City. However, this weekend, Cleveland finishes the regular season against the Royals in Kansas City. The White Sox will have a series at home against the Colorado Rockies. First-year manager Warren Schaeffer and his club are going to be suffering another 100-loss season.
Now, as is the case every final weekend of the season, some teams may not play all of their players. Teams that are out of contention tend to sit some players. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Royals and Rockies do that. Would it make that much more of a difference? That remains to be seen, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
Given the playoff system, the Guardians and White Sox both want to win the division. Whoever claims the division will likely avoid a wild-card series and advance right to an AL Division Series as the second seed. The Tampa Bay Rays have all but locked up the No. 1 seed in the American League.
Whoever loses the division gets a wild-card round series against the winner of the American League West Division. The Texas Rangers have a one-game lead over the Houston Astros going into the final week of the season. However, it’s all about getting into the playoffs and having a chance. That’s all you can ask for this time of the year.
Cleveland Guardians Announce Starters for Pivotal Series Against Boston Red Sox