How the Cleveland Guardians can return to the ALCS against the New York Yankees

NEW YORK – There’s a stark contrast between a baseball clubhouse after a team wins and after a loss.

After a victory, the bass of the blaring music makes the ground vibrate. Players sit at round tables and play cards, with a Coors in one hand and a pair of Fours in the other.

After a loss, it’s so quiet you can hear players closing their gear bags, the slap of a stack of $20 bills hitting a clubhouse attendant’s palm, and the squeak of shower-soaked flip-flops, who trample across the carpet.

On two consecutive nights, the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium resembles a library. How can the Cleveland Guardians turn their postgame room into a party scene as the American League Championship Series moves back to Progressive Field? How can they bounce back against the New York Yankees?

Grab some of the appetizers

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt wouldn’t name a starter for Game 3 on Tuesday night, but signs point to Matthew Boyd. After that it’s new territory. Ben Lively replaced Alex Cobb on the ALCS roster, ending Cobb’s season after just three regular-season starts and two postseason starts (22 total innings as a guard, after being traded on July 30). Gavin Williams still exists, even though it’s been a month since his last appearance in a big league game.

Boyd and Williams are expected to start in Cleveland on Thursday and Friday, respectively. If the series requires a Game 5, Lively and Tanner Bibee could be the options. Bibee only threw 39 shots in Game 2. He suspected he might return sooner, and Vogt said it could be a consideration, although Bibee added he’ll have to see how his arm bounces back Wednesday before he can be sure.

No matter how they plan it, the Guardians need more from the rotation. Vogt has been aggressive in getting his starters out – they were a touch over three innings per start in October – and with a heat-throwing cyborg named Cade Smith ready to obliterate the people standing in front of him in the batter’s box, that is understandable to a certain extent. But without a day off for Smith, Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin and Emmanuel Clase to breathe between Games 3, 4 and 5, Vogt will have to show more patience. It’s up to Boyd, Williams and whoever to earn their faith.

Get a timely hit or two from the heartbeat of the lineup

José Ramírez appears to be on the verge of one of his patented tears, but the clock is ticking. He hit a home run to right field against Yankees closer Luke Weaver in the ninth inning of Game 2, and he hit a couple of balls to the outfield in Game 1, but both resulted in loud outs. He’s just a little annoyed, like when your mom or dad adjusted the knob on the stereo to find Herb Score’s call, but his comment was accompanied by a static. With Brayan Rocchio and Steven Kwan reaching base so frequently, Ramírez has had plenty of opportunities to cash in, but even with Tuesday’s ninth-inning blast, he is 4-for-24 this postseason.

Ramírez has often been called an underrated superstar, especially on this stage alongside Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, two of MLB’s most recognizable names, an endangered species in our time.

The narrative prompted Yankees manager Aaron Boone to say before the series that when he hears a talking head describing Ramírez as underrated, “I want to rip my arms off and throw them at the TV.” He is not underrated. He is not underestimated. He’s a great Hall of Fame player on the circuit and everyone knows that.”

There is no better time for him to step into the spotlight and hush up this topic of conversation.

Back to “Guard Ball”

The Yankees made some base-running errors that might have made Game 2 closer than it otherwise would have been, but Cleveland’s self-inflicted errors in both games in the Bronx gave the Guardians an uphill climb. Cobb and Joey Cantillo left a parade of Yankees batters standing idle at the plate and eventually scored in Game 1. Rocchio dropped an infield popup in the first inning of Game 2. Will Brennan made two errors in right field. Cleveland cannot survive this series with such sloppy play.

“If we want to win some games,” Kwan said, “we have to play guard ball. … Basic baseball: Make the plays we’re supposed to make, hit with the runners in scoring position, get the guy over.”

Get results from unlikely sources

Cleveland’s catchers are 0 for October. Bo Naylor is 0-14 in the postseason. Austin Hedges is 0 of 9. Their inability to contribute has put Vogt’s close calls under scrutiny. Hedges had to hit twice in the later stages of Game 2 because Vogt called for a pinch hitter to throw Naylor’s second strike. The catchers aren’t the only ones jockeying for the plate. Jhonkensy Noel and Brennan, the tandem on the right, didn’t offer much. The Guardians could use a boost from Kyle Manzardo, who is expected to start the next two games against Yankees right-handers Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil.

The Guardians’ catchers, including Austin Hedges, have yet to record a hit this postseason. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Rocchio and Kwan fueled the offense. Lane Thomas and David Fry provided some power in crucial moments against Detroit. But it’s pretty easy to predict whether the Guardians have a chance in a playoff game based on how offensively they produce. In their three wins, they scored seven, five and seven runs, respectively. In their four defeats? Zero, zero, two, three. They also had chances (which, as Brennan said, makes their 2-0 deficit even more frustrating).

“We’ve done that all year,” Bibee said. “I feel like at the start of the year we weren’t supposed to be here in a lot of people’s eyes, but we always knew we were supposed to be here and we’re still thinking about it.” That. That doesn’t change just because we’re two games behind. There’s a reason it’s a seven-game series.”

(Top photo: Elsa / Getty Images)