The world has witnessed battles with much larger stakes between these franchises, but the Cleveland Guardians (39-40) and Chicago Cubs (37-41) have plenty to play for on Friday. Both teams are fighting for a playoff spot in crowded divisions. Their journeys bring them together over this weekend, beginning at 2:20 p.m. EST in Wrigley Field. These rosters may be completely different from 2016, but the memories linger for one long-broken curse and another lengthy drought that endures.
The moment.#WorldSeries pres. by @TMobile pic.twitter.com/CsrG5yvfII
— MLB (@MLB) November 3, 2016
On a 7-2 stretch before playing Thursday, Cleveland finally woke up atop the AL Central. Now the race is on for this club to seemingly do the impossible, get above .500. The pitching staff has been trying to carry them there all season, led by one of two bullpens with a sub-3.00 ERA. When Cleveland has a lead late, it usually doesn't leave their grasp. Cal Quantrill's job is to keep the game manageable for the rest of the team. This will be his first start since May 30, and hopefully, it'll be much better than the eight runs he gave up that day. Generally, Quantrill has struggled on the road in 2023. He hasn't been on a big league mound in a month, so who knows how he'll come out for this game.
We had the runs. You know what that means.
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— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) June 29, 2023
If the Guardians swing as they did on Wednesday, it won't matter much how well the pitchers perform. An offense that's last in homers and 25th in walk rate excelled in both areas during that 14-1 win. They clubbed three long balls in a difficult park to hit home runs in while drawing eight walks. Could things be turning around for this team that's 26th in runs per game? Cleveland's offense has held them back for most of the season, so the rest of the American League would probably appreciate it if they didn't turn into the scrappy pests that they were last season.