CINCINNATI -- As bad as things have gone for the Guardians lately, in a stretch directly leading up to the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, they can say this much: They’ve managed to stay above the .500 mark and within earshot of first place in the AL Central standings.
Consider Wednesday a victory on all fronts.
The Guardians beat the Reds, 6-1, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Great American Ball Park, in which Cleveland also won the Ohio Cup for the 11th time in the past 12 seasons. The Guardians (who entered the day 1 1/2 games behind the first-place White Sox in the AL Central) improved to 56-54 with the win.
The last time Cleveland had a .500 record was May 10, when it was 21-21. For all the ups and downs the Guardians have had since (including the five-week stretch José Ramírez spent on the injured list), they have kept their head above that mark.
A lot goes into any front office’s decision to buy, sell or to stand pat this time of the year; record is just one piece to the pie. That being said, in a crowded American League postseason picture, an extended poor stretch can sway the pendulum the wrong way.
The Guardians entered Wednesday 1-6 over their past seven games, during which they were shut out four times. They have a chance to keep the pendulum swinging in the right direction heading into the Deadline.
Wednesday, Cleveland’s offense had some life.
The Guardians scored four times in the fifth inning, when they sent all nine batters to the plate. Travis Bazzana opened the scoring with a bases-loaded RBI single, and Reds starter Brady Singer walked Kyle Manzardo and Gabriel Arias to force in a pair of runs.
Manzardo later belted his team-leading 13th home run of the season to provide some insurance. The solo shot in the seventh inning went a Statcast-projected 425 feet.