The Cleveland Guardians begin their quest for a pennant this week as the American League Division Series gets underway against the Chicago White Sox. Cleveland won its third straight AL Central championship in September, capping a late-season push that included taking two of three games from Chicago in a pivotal mid-September series.
The White Sox swept the Houston Astros in the best-of-three Wild Card round to reach the ALDS, arriving with momentum and home-field edge questions still to settle. Chicago held a 7-6 regular-season edge over Cleveland and finished with a plus-56 run differential compared with the Guardians’ plus-11 — but Cleveland was the hotter September club, going 16-9 while Chicago went 12-13.
Cleveland’s formula leans on rest and rotation depth. The bye gave star third baseman Jose Ramirez extra days to rest a hamate bone injury, and the series’ built-in off days let the Guardians start Parker Messick and Gavin Williams twice if the series runs long. Most preseason predictions have Cleveland taking the series in four or five games.
For Guardians fans, another deep October run would extend one of the franchise’s most consistent eras. Cleveland has now won three straight division titles, and an ALDS victory would send the club to its second AL Championship Series in three years.
