The Cleveland Guardians will face the Detroit Tigers in Game 4 of what was an ALDS battle. Quincy already has the full summary ready and, like him, I opt for optimism now that we are on our way to a victory or a home game in enemy territory.

That’s not to say I don’t understand where more cynical fans choose to “doom” in these situations. The pitching did its job. A playoff-caliber team should be able to overcome their pitching staff by allowing three runs. However, the team was plagued by the inability to put home runners in scoring position.

In retrospect, armchair management makes it very easy to question Vogt’s response with the early pinch-hitting pick. I don’t necessarily disagree with PH Noel for Brennan, but that seemed to play into AJ Hinch’s strategy early on in the match. Considering the way Brennan started in the month of September, it is alarming to see that he has only managed one AB in the playoffs thus far. Will he get cold when he starts again today? These concerns go double for Kyle Manzardo. With how early Manzardo was drawn, he wasn’t really challenged in his at-bats yesterday. Manzardo needs a chance to play a challenging game if he wants to parlay his late-season success into any kind of meaningful post-season contribution. He has more than earned this opportunity.

Ultimately, this team dug in and found success from deeper wells. Ultimately, this is still the best bullpen in the entire league. Ultimately, Vogt is still the leading nomination for AL Manager of the Year. Now all they have to do is remember that and work their way back into the conversation.

The first pitch is today at 6:08 PM.

Zack Meisel weighs in with his report on yesterday’s game. You can read Mandy Bell’s summary here.

Here are some fun stats from Game 3:

Fall competition update:

Around the League:

Francisco Lindor gave the Mets a spot in the NLCS with a grand slam on the go-ahead.

The Yankees and Royals remain neck and neck. The Yankees’ 3-2 victory gave them a 2-1 lead in the series.