3 Burning Questions For Guardians Before ALCS Game 3 vs Yankees

The Cleveland Guardians have some very serious questions to answer before Game 3 of the ALCS against the New York Yankees.

Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez reacts after hitting a fly out against the New York Yankees during the third inning in Game 2 of the baseball AL Championship Series Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez) / Godofredo Vasquez-Associated Press

The Cleveland Guardians backs are firmly pressed against the wall, as they have fallen behind 2-0 in the ALCS against the New York Yankees.

Now, the Guardians have to win four out of five games versus the Yankees in order to advance to the World Series, which is an arduous task.

After all, Cleveland is just 2-6 against New York this year, including regular-season play.

So, how can the Guardians turn things around?

Here are three burning questions for the club heading into Game 3 on Thursday night.

Will Jose Ramirez's Game 2 home run get him going?

When Jose Ramirez stepped to the plate in the ninth inning on Tuesday night, he had gone hitless over his first seven at-bats in the ALCS. He ended up hitting a home run, but it was a rather meaningless one to draw to bring the Guardians to within 6-3. That ended up being the final score.

But will that long ball jumpstart Ramirez for the rest of the series?

Ramirez does have a couple of dingers in the playoffs, but overall, he is slashing just .167/.310/.458 in the 2024 postseason.

Unfortunately, this is nothing new for Ramirez, who has struggled in the playoffs throughout his MLB career (lifetime .659 OPS over 39 playoff games).

Make no mistake: Cleveland will need its best player to be special for the Guardians to have any chance of coming back in this series, especially when it looks like Aaron Judge may have finally awakened from his October slumber in New York.

Can the starting pitchers last a few innings?

In Game 1, Alex Cobb lasted just 2.2 innings, surrendering three earned runs on five hits. To be fair, he exited due to back spasms, but he clearly wasn't going to last much longer anyway.

Then, in Game 2, staff ace Tanner Bibee's night was even shorter, as he went just 1.1 frames before being pulled. He allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits.

The fact that Bibee couldn't even put together a quality effort is concerning given that he has been the Guardians' top arm all season long.

Matthew Boyd will likely be on the mound for Cleveland in Game 3. Can he at least go a few innings just to give the Guardians' bullpen a breather?

It would be nice if Boyd could last five or six innings. If he does and manages to keep the game close, Cleveland will have a chance. If he gets bounced early like Cobb and Bibee, it will likely be deja vu for the Guardians.

Will the Guardians get any offense from their catchers?

Cleveland's catchers—Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges—have gone hitless in the playoffs. As a matter of fact, neither backstop has had a hit since Sept. 25.

And the last time a Guardians catcher had a multi-hit game? That was over a month ago on Sept. 9.

I understand that neither Naylor (.614 OPS) nor Hedges (.422 OPS) are exactly offensive warriors, but can one of them just get a base hit? A walk? Anything?

It's getting to a point where the Guardians may seriously have to consider putting David Fry behind the plate and rolling with a different designated hitter.

Cleveland simply cannot afford to keep giving away outs like this.