The Cleveland Guardians saved their season on Thursday night by defeating the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS. Now, instead of being down 3-0, it’s a 2-1 series.

It all feels well and good for now. Jhonkensy Noel’s two-run homer to tie the game in the ninth inning was crazy. David Fry’s two-run blast to seal victory in the 10th was a drama.

That said, there are still some serious underlying issues for the Guardians even after their thrilling victory.

Emmanuel Clase was one of the best closers ever during the regular season, with a 0.61 ERA, 0.659 WHIP and 674 ERA+ (!!!). But in the play-offs? It has become a completely different story.

Clase had a pair of rough outings against the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS, and in Game 3 against the Yankees, he surrendered back-to-back long balls in the eighth inning to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, converting a 3-1 lead in a draw. 4-3 behind.

Are the post-season lights just too bright for Clase? At no point during the 162-match campaign has he looked more vulnerable.

Stephen Vogt will of course stay with Clase in safe situations. After all, he was an All-Star and a legitimate Cy Young candidate. But how good can the Guardians be Real What do you think of Clase now?

Jose Ramirez is now just 2-for-12 in this series after going 1-for-4 on Thursday night. Yes, the lone hit was a double and the other hit was a Game 2 homer, but the home run came when Cleveland was already down 6-2 in the ninth inning.

Overall, Ramirez was not good in the playoffs, hitting just .179/.324/.464. Additionally, he owns a lifetime .666 OPS throughout his career in postseason play.

Make no mistake: Ramirez needs to be much better if the Guardians want to have a legitimate shot at winning this series. The contributions of role players like Noel and Fry are nice, but for Cleveland to beat New York, Ramirez needs to produce consistently.

We already know that Stanton is essentially the modern-day Mr. October is. But there were serious questions about Judge’s understanding of the playoffs.

Judge had a miserable ALDS showing against the Kansas City Royals, and his struggles continued during Game 1 of the ALCS. However, he homered against the Guardians in Game 2, and in Game 3 he tied the game with a two-run shot off Clase.

Yes, Judge went just 1-for-5 with three strikeouts in the affair, but the fact that he has left the field in consecutive games is scary.

Couple Judge may emerge with Stanton’s brilliance, and Cleveland could be in big trouble in the future.

The Guardians are still very active in this series, and their victory in Game 3 was as exciting as it gets. And again, it’s now a very manageable 2-1 instead of a near-guaranteed season-ending 3-0.

So yeah: It’s good to be optimistic, especially considering Cleveland still has two home games left on tap. But let’s also be real here: the Guardians have some very obvious flaws, and their late-inning theatrics in Game 3 aren’t going to suddenly make them disappear.

Maybe Cleveland’s magic will continue and the Guardians will be able to overcome their glaring shortcomings and advance to the World Series.

But for now, it’s wise to show cautious optimism rather than put on rose-colored glasses as Cleveland heads into Game 4.