Three Positives From the Week of September 1st
As we enter the final month of the regular season, the Guardians continue to sit in a good spot.
As the weather gets cooler and the regular season begins to come to a close, here are three positive moments from the last week in Guardians baseball.
Big Series W in KC
After Kansas City had closed the gap to first place to just one game, the Guardians knew they had some work to do. They traveled to KC last Monday to face off against the Royals for the final time this season. They did exactly what they needed to do and took two of three from the second place team. With the help of a strong outing from Gavin Williams and a one-run effort from Tanner Bibee, the Royals had next to no chance of taking the series.
While the Royals are now only 2.5 games back after Cleveland lost the weekend series versus the Dodgers, that series win last week gave them a much-needed cushion. If they hadn’t performed so well, we could be sitting in second place today. With just three weeks left in the regular season, the team is looking good as they face the record-breakingly horrible White Sox and below-.500 Rays this week.
Boyd Has Another Great Start
In his fifth game with Cleveland so far this year, Matthew Boyd once again shocked fans by putting together a beauty versus the Dodgers. In the series opener on Friday, Boyd was six innings strong before handing the game off to the most trustworthy bullpen in baseball. He gave up just one run on three hits while striking out six. His 2.20 ERA on the year shows just how reliable he’s been in a year where Cleveland has been in desperate need of starting pitchers.
With four-to-five more starts ahead of him before the end of the season, the team is hoping he can provide these kinds of outings for just a bit longer. However, it would be even better if he could continue to perform like this in the postseason. While he’s not Shane Bieber, he’s been a perfectly good replacement. He’s also been saving the bullpen by eating innings before handing off the ball.
Manzardo on a Hot Streak
While he’s clearly been more successful on his second go-around in the big leagues, Kyle Manzardo is having a heater of a week. In his last seven games, the first baseman is hitting .316/.381/.737. He’s had six hits and two home runs (which came in the same game) while only striking out six times. I think it’s safe to say he’s figured some things out since his debut.
If he continues to learn and build upon the success he’s currently having, he’ll be a staple for this team come October. We’re still hoping he can find a bit more power to show off that home run trot a little bit more, but as long as he can get on base and help the team score runs, he’ll be vital to their success.