CLEVELAND, OH - Every streak has to start somewhere, and the Cleveland Guardians (76-58) are hoping that their 7-5 comeback win over the Kansas City Royals is the start of a hot streak to finish the 2024 season.
Cleveland had squandered a nine game lead in the division as of June 25th, putting together a 24-32 record entering Wednesday, but the team's five unanswered runs scored in the 7th and 8th innings could be the sign of things turning for the Guardians, who retake possession of first place in the AL Central.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt knows that the team has had its struggles on offense recently, but Wednesday is a reminder that the offense can still push them to a win.
“We've talked the last couple weeks, we haven't looked exactly like ourselves at times, but for our guys to come back in that game, put up that inning, that's us,” Vogt said after the win. “Find a way to put up a cricket number, especially with two outs. Two out innings have been great for us all year. That was such a great response from our guys today, and then the bullpen, again, was great.”
The Guardians had a similar come-from-behind win against the Chicago Cubs on August 12th, but with a win like this over one of the teams chasing them in the division, it's definitely a step in the right direction.
“Anything like [the comeback], especially for what's been [this] stretch for us [recently], it's huge,” Guardians catcher Bo Naylor said after the win. “The vibes are electric. It's back to what we'd known and just the vibes that we carried throughout this year, especially when we've been very successful. So to be able to get that back was definitely huge and a great step in the right direction.”
For the Guardians, they now have an opportunity to extend their lead this weekend, as the Royals will travel to Houston to take on the AL West leading Astros. Cleveland will host the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are in last place in the NL Central.
Among the Greats
It's not a question of if Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase is one of the best closers in the game for Stephen Vogt, and Clase continued to show that on Wednesday as he slammed the door shut for his 39th save of the season, as well as his 149th save in his career, tying Cody Allen for the most in Guardians history.
“He's one of the best in the game right now, if not the best,” Vogt said of Clase. “I think he's the best, but I'm a little biased. Just the attitude at which he takes the ball every night. Even in the game the other night, the doubleheader, [he] picks up the team and throws a huge inning and was able to keep them off the scoreboard in a very non-leveraged situation. It doesn't matter when we give this guy the ball, he goes out and pitches to the best of his ability every time.”
While it took Cody Allen seven seasons to rack up 149 saves, Clase has done it in just three and a half seasons. In this season, Clase has a 0.58 ERA over 63.1 innings. The lowest ERA in MLB history with 25 innings minimum is 0.64.
What's Next?
The Guardians welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates to town on Friday evening, with first pitch being thrown at 7:10 PM. Ben Lively (11-8, 3.62) takes the bump for the Guardians. Southpaw Bailey Falter (6-7, 4.25) will start for the Pirates.