'Stick to the plan': Guardians rattle off 10-2 stretch to follow 10-game losing streak
They were backsliding out of the playoff picture altogether, unable to gain any offensive traction — 10 losses in a row, five of them via shutout, and the sun was beginning to set on any postseason hopes.
Manager Stephen Vogt maintained a level of calmness through the turbulent waters of a double-digit losing streak, insisting that the lineup was putting together quality at-bats and, with the pitching staff delivering quality outings, the tide would soon turn.
On July 6, the Tigers rallied in the ninth and then put together an onslaught in the 10th to deliver a desperate Cleveland club consecutive loss No. 10.
Since that day? The Guardians are an American League-best 10-2. They've averaged 7.5 runs over those 12 games. The pitching staff, which was mostly terrific even during the losing streak, is now being supported.
Guardians schedule among MLB's easiest to finish 2025
With a 6-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles on July 22, which brought their post-All-Star-break record to 4-1, the Guardians were back to a .500 record at 50-50 through 100 games.
The route back to an even-.500 record was rocky but, as of the end of the July 22 slate of games, the Guardians were 2.5 games out of a wild card spot despite being less than 2.5 weeks removed from that double-digit losing streak.
"Obviously you want to be higher up, you want to have more wins, but given the way that these first three and a half, almost four months have gone, we have 62 games left — let's go, let's not stop," Vogt said. "Our guys have been playing great baseball for the last two weeks and, like we said, even during that 10-game stretch, we weren't playing horrible.
"We got to keep it rolling."
Vogt's message, while from the outside it seemed as though the ship was sinking, was essentially to stick to the plan. It bled into the clubhouse, then the dugout, then the batter's box. After a few weeks of the lineup seemingly viewing runs like pulling teeth at the dentist's office, the dam has been apparently broken and, with it, the Guardians are back in the thick of the wild card race.
"Our guys are buying into the plan and they're sticking to it," Vogt said. "I think it was [Steven Kwan] telling [Nolan Jones], 'Hey, stick to the plan.' They're talking about it, they're living it. It's just been good to see."
Manager Stephen Vogt guides Guardians through 10-game losing streak, followed by 10-2 stretch
Lengthy losing streaks are almost inevitable for every club in every season. It's the nature of the game that features 162-game seasons. But while players know better than to panic too early, there's also a human element to it all. By the end of that 10-game skid, Cleveland was eight games below .500 and looking up at half a dozen teams in the wild card race, with the AL Central division all but wrapped up by the Tigers.
Now? They have not only have as much momentum as any team in the American League but also one of the easiest remaining schedules over the final 62 games. That momentum could flip tomorrow, and the offense could again backslide into some shutouts. But after a brutal losing streak, the Guardians have climbed back into the race, and they again have their collective heads above water, which might also alter how they attack the trade deadline.
For the time being, their season is about perseverance more than anything else.
"Yeah, I mean, I feel like it had to roll our way after those 10 games at some point," starter Tanner Bibee said. "I feel like that was one of the toughest stretches of baseball we're been a part of. But I feel like we all knew it was going to swing back our way eventually, and we just had to be ready for it and ride it as long as we can."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians climb back into AL wild card race with hot streak
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