What’s on Guardians’ checklist for home stretch?

Get the sparkplug back at the top of the order

The Guardians can be successful without Steven Kwan hitting .400. They’ve demonstrated that since the middle of June, when Kwan’s bat started to go quiet. However, life is much easier for this Cleveland offense if the sparkplug is back at the top of the order.

In his first 49 games, Kwan hit .390 with an OPS over 1.000. In his next 67 games, he hit .210 with an OPS under .600. In six September games, Kwan has logged just one hit, going 1-for-23 since the month started.

Josh Naylor’s bat has been better of late. José Ramírez can always deliver in the clutch moments, no matter what his recent at-bats have shown. Andrés Giménez — who has gotten more time in the two-hole — has started to look more like the 2022 version of himself. If the Guardians can also get an early-season Kwan to mix in with these other three bats at the top of the lineup, that will be a big boost in October.