Fade Another Playoff Bound Team Off Of A Celebration

Guardians vs. Cardinals, 8:15 ET

It was nice to get a victory in baseball last night as we took down the Mariners game against the Yankees. It wasn't exactly a sweat-free endeavor, but Seattle remained alive and got a solid 3-2 victory. All of the scoring for the game was done by the third inning, so we just had to avoid a late-game letdown and we did. Today, I have a similar play, with similar reasoning for why we will take it. Let's take a look at how we should play the game between the Guardians and the Cardinals in St. Louis.

The Guardians have to feel pretty good right now. They are coming off of a four-game series where they took three of four games against the Twins. This continues to push the Twins into a tougher spot to even getting into the playoffs, but it also was a game that assured the Guardians of a playoff berth. Cleveland has been among the best teams in baseball and is the second American League team to assure themselves of a spot in the playoffs. To be honest, I'm rather surprised at just how good Cleveland has played. They don't have many big names, but they do have one superstar. Their pitching staff doesn't really have an Ace, but they do have very reliable arms. They are not a team I personally expect much from in the postseason, but they are a team that works well together. Tonight, they send out Ben Lively to the hill. He's been good for them with a 12-9 record with a 3.87 ERA, and a 1.23 WHIP. He's only made three starts this month. In the first start, against the Royals, he allowed four earned runs in four innings. In the second start, he left after just two innings due to a leg injury. He didn't miss any time though and threw five scoreless innings in his last game. Cardinals hitters have been very good against him in their at-bats, going 15-for-41. 

Sep 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, middle, celebrates with players after the Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. The Guardians clinched a playoff berth with the win. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cardinals are not yet eliminated, but for all intents and purposes, they are. They are 11 games back of the division so that isn't a path as the Brewers have already won that route. They are eight games behind the Diamondbacks who own the final Wild Card spot, and with just nine games left, it is as good as impossible for them to make the playoffs. The season was a bit of a mixed bag for the Cardinals - starting the season they looked bad, then finally woke up and looked like they might challenge the Brewers. Then they had a few injuries and they started to slip in the standings again. It looks like best hope for them this season is for them to be above .500 for the season. Kyle Gibson is taking the mound tonight. He's been decent, and reliable, for the Cardinals, but is not a front-of-the-rotation type starter. Gibson comes into the game at 8-7 with a 4.11 ERA, and a 1.33 WHIP. He has been very good over the past three games, going 19 total innings and allowing just two earned runs. His last game was a bit more unimpressive than the previous two as the Blue Jays did score five runs off of him, but just one of them was earned. The Guardians hitters also have had success against Gibson in the past, going 30-for-90 against him. Jose Ramirez is very good against him, hitting .410 off of him with five extra-base hits in almost 40 at-bats. 

I mentioned I plan to play this game similarly to what I did yesterday with the Mariners and Yankees. The Guardians are in a very similar situation to the Yankees, they won a game in extra innings, and clinched a playoff berth at the same time. That means there was a party. That means there was drinking. And, the Guardians had to travel to St. Louis - not a far trip, but still a trip. I'll back the Cardinals to win this game. Wouldn't be surprised to see an over though considering how much success the hitters have had against the pitchers.

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