Guardians notes: Cleveland's remarkable comeback has put it in playoff contention

CLEVELAND — When September began, the Guardians were in third place in the Central Division, facing a 10½-game deficit to the Tigers and considered a long shot to qualify for the postseason. They entered Tuesday night with the opportunity to replace Detroit atop the standings, while owning the American's League's final wild card berth via a tiebreaker with the Astros. Cleveland's remarkable comeback story has included chapters on the loss of starting pitcher Luis Ortiz and three-time All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase and a 10-game losing skid. "They did a great job of showing up every day ready to win despite what got thrown at them, what we went through," manager Stephen Vogt said of his team, which entered Tuesday 15-2 since Sept. 15. "I couldn't be more proud of that group of players and coaches for keeping the energy. We had every reason in the world to just turn our heads down and just finish the season and not one person in that room allowed that to happen. "This whole month has kind of felt like the playoffs. The roll that these guys have gotten themselves on and the belief and confidence they're showing up with is what you need when you go into these types of games." The Guardians are in position to control their own destiny in the wild card race, something that didn't appear possible when the month began. "I hear a lot of pressure tones and things like that. Are you kidding me? We have six games to go with an opportunity to get into the postseason," Vogt said. "There's no pressure. 'Go have fun and play baseball.' That's how we've gotten to this point is by having fun and playing baseball. "Our goals haven't changed. We talked about it when we got to spring training. Our goal is to win a World Series." Tiger tamers Cleveland and Detroit have battled for division supremacy the past two years, with the Guardians eliminating the Tigers in five games of last season's ALDS. Cleveland owned the tiebreaker with Detroit through Tuesday, winning six of the 10 head-to-head meetings. The Tigers swept the Guardians at Progressive Field on July 4-6 to boost their lead to 15½ games. Cleveland returned the favor Sept. 16-18 to trim its deficit to 3½ games. "I'd call it like a friendly rivalry. We get along with their coaching staff. There's really just good people that play for both teams," Vogt said. "There's not a whole lot to hate and we have a mutual respect that we're similarly built and match up. We know they're going to make moves, they know we're going to make moves and no one's caught off guard. It's just a matter of going out and having fun and executing and it's just been a lot of fun playing these guys the last couple of years." Doctor's office With the minor league seasons over, the Guardians will have to make a decision on right-hander John Means, who has been rehabbing from his second Tommy John surgery. "There's a world where we activate him or a world where he can continue to rehab," Vogt said. "It's going to be day-to-day conversations with John on how he feels." + Outfielder Lane Thomas underwent surgery on his right foot Tuesday morning in Indianapolis. He has been sidelined since July 5 with plantar fasciitis. Thomas is expected to make a full recovery and can begin baseball activities within three to four months, but it could come with a different organization since he becomes a free agent at the end of the season. Injuries limited Thomas to 39 games this year (.160 batting average, four home runs and 11 RBIs). Deal with it Vogt was asked for his thoughts on the Automatic Ball-Strike (ABS) system, which MLB approved Tuesday for the 2026 season. "It's a big change. It's coming. It's a new rule and we're going to have to learn how to use it," he said. "We're going to learn how to adapt to it. You can like it, dislike it, it doesn't matter. It's coming. So we'll figure out what all that entails and how we're going to implement that into our strategy or how we're going to police it, however you want to say. But it's coming and we've got six months to figure it out. "It's going to change the game forever. But with most of the rule changes that we've seen, we learn how to use them and you end up either liking it or dealing with it. And so either way, we're going to have to do it." Roundin' third Cleveland's pitching staff had posted a 1.59 ERA over its last 17 games through Monday, accounting for the lowest mark in the majors in front of Seattle (2.54). The rotation led the majors with a 1.25 ERA over the span, while the bullpen ranked third at 2.40. … Catcher Bo Naylor entered Tuesday leading MLB with seven two-out RBIs since Sept. 16. … Detroit's All-Star shortstop Javier Baez was scratched from the lineup minutes before first pitch with a stiff neck. … Wednesday, 6:40 p.m., Guardians TV; WOBL 1320-AM and 107.7-FM, WTAM 1100-AM, WMMS 100.7-FM. Bibee (11-11, 4.34) vs. Flaherty (8-14, 4.60). Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on X @CAwesomeheimer.