3 improvements Guardians must make to rebound against the Yankees
By Mark Powell
The Cleveland Guardians dropped Game 1 to the New York Yankees in the Bronx. If they’re going to contend against the Bronx Bombers, they must make some adjustments.
Cleveland has the youngest team in all of baseball, so it’s not necessarily surprising to see them struggling on the road in a tough environment.
Despite an early home run from Steven Kwan, the Guardians dropped their opener against the Yankees, 4-1. Home runs by Harrison Bader and Anthony Rizzo were all she wrote, and before the Guardians knew it, the Yanks were playing ‘New York, New York’ from the stadium speakers in the Bronx.
With that being said, it’s a five-game series for a reason. Cleveland has plenty of time to rebound, but they must make some adjustments.
Guardians offense must be more well-rounded
Cleveland recorded six hits on the night — ironically one more than their opponents, who they lost to — and three of those went to Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan. J-Ram is a monster, and hopefully he keeps performing as such. He went 2-for-3 on the day in an encouraging start to his ALDS experience.
However, if the Guardians hope to beat a team like the Yanks, they’ll need contributions from unlikely sources at the bottom of their lineup. The 4-9 spots in Cleveland’s starting lineup went a combined 2-for-22 in Game 1. That’s not remotely good enough.