Guardians return to form to tie up ALDS

Guardians 4, Yankees 2 (ALDS tied 1-1)

Box Score | Game Thread | CTC Recap | MLB Recap

Home runs? We don’t do that here. The Cleveland Guardians finally won a game that truly felt like a Guardians win yesterday, as they dragged the Yankees through extra innings and outlasted them just long enough to dink and donk their way to two runs in the top of the 10th. José Ramírez’s unrelenting hustle landed him at third with no outs, and I swear to you, I knew they were going to win at that moment.

The Rays wins were fun, they were tense, but they didn’t feel like 2022 Guardians baseball, even with the low scores and great pitching. This Guardians team isn’t all great pitching, they’re also making boatloads of contact and flooding the bases. They finally put it all together yesterday. Shane Bieber didn’t have his best stuff, but he powered through 5.2 innings and struck out seven Yankee batters. Emmanuel Clase pitched the longest outing of his career (2.1 innings) and allowed just two baserunners who did not score.

Cleveland Guardians news

Social media, fans react to Cleveland Guardians’ ALDS Game 2 win over New York Yankees | WKYC
Yesterday was a good day to be a Guardians fan.

With a Bloop Instead of a Blast, Guardians’ Oscar Gonzalez Plays the Hero Again | FanGraphs
Oscar Gonzalez is quietly becoming the story of the Guardians’ postseason run.

“He has the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark, like he did the other day. But he also has the awareness to shorten up enough,” said manager Terry Francona afterward, referring first to Gonzalez’s series-winning drive and then to the 1–2 count in which he found himself against Jameson Taillon. “Getting the bat on the ball gives you a chance. And he’s young and he’s still learning.”

How postponing Game 2 of the ALDS could benefit the Cleveland Guardians | Away Back Gone
The Yankees are a more talented team than the Guardians in some respects, but the bullpen advantage absolutely goes to Cleveland. They have the better top-end relievers (as we saw yesterday), and their depth is absurd.

Do not test Ron Darling’s knowledge of Justin Bieber | MLB
The announcers for the ALDS have been ... an adventure. When Bob Costas accidentally referred to Shane Bieber as “Justin” in the sixth inning yesterday, Ron Darling made sure we all knew that he was aware of a Justin Bieber song or two.

Struggling Judge after 4-strikeout game vs. Guardians: ‘I gotta play better’ | TheScore
It’s fair to say the Guardians have Aaron Judge’s number so far this postseason. After putting 62 home runs (not a record) in the regular season, he has gone 0-for-8 with seven strikeouts in the ALDS. His performance has been so poor that even Yankee fans — known for being kind and level-headed people — booed him when he struck out. Yikes.

Around the league

• The Phillies blew out the Braves, 9-1, to take the lead in the NLDS.
• Rhys Hoskins had the bat flip (slam?) of the year in the win.
• The Padres narrowly beat the offense-less Dodgers.
• The qualifying offer this year is set at $19.65 million.
• Bruce Bochy interviewed for the Rangers manager position.
• Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter passed away at age 69.