Guardians Already Benefiting From Time Off Ahead of ALDS Against Chicago

After winning the AL Central and securing a first-round bye, the Cleveland Guardians are already feeling the benefits of the extra time off, as manager Stephen Vogt says the team’s health has already improved

Sep 25, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) hits a base hit during the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Guardians have their ALDS matchup set.

There will be an AL Central showdown as the Chicago White Sox knocked off the Houston Astros in the Wildcard series, two games to none. Chicago had the best turnaround in MLB history. After losing 102 games last year, they qualified for the 2026 postseason.

ALDS: Guardians vs. White Sox

Game 1: Saturday at 1 p.m. ET in Cleveland
Game 2: Monday at 5 p.m. ET in Cleveland
Game 3: Wednesday at TBD in Chicago
Game 4*: Thursday at TBD in Chicago
Game 5*: Saturday at TBD in Cleveland

*if necessary

— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) October 1, 2026

After earning a first-round bye in the playoffs, questions arose about whether the Cleveland Guardians would benefit from extra time off. During the regular season, the Guardians only had 24 scheduled off days.

Their gap between the end of the regular season and the start of their ALDS run is five days.

The five-day gap has given Steven Vogt flexibility with his pitching staff. Cleveland enters the series with all its potential starters fully rested. More importantly, Cleveland's bullpen has been given time to fully recuperate after working overtime as the regular season concluded.

Steven Vogt says that the time off has already been beneficial. "It's helping already. We already have guys feeling better," He said.

"It's helping already"#Guardians Stephen Vogt on Cleveland getting a weeks worth of rest before the ALDS#GuardsBall @WEWS pic.twitter.com/UmGdM9othv

— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) September 30, 2026

Chicago won the regular-season series 7-6, although Cleveland won the final regular-season series 2-1. Cleveland started Gavin Williams, Foster Griffin, and Parker Messick in the final series.

Gavin Williams had the lone loss among Cleveland pitchers in the final regular-season series against Chicago despite starting his outing in dominant fashion. Williams gave up two earned runs in five innings when his night ended following an 18-pitch at-bat against Chicago's Tristan Peters that ended in a walk.

Still, Williams is projected to start either Game 1 or Game 2 for Cleveland. He leads the American League in strikeouts this year and will be an X-factor throughout the postseason.

The Big Rig was dominant every time he toed the rubber.#GuardsBall | #StandGuard pic.twitter.com/xxDf8oocnl

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) September 29, 2026

Cleveland's bullpen struggled against Chicago this season. In 49.2 innings, they posted a 4.35 ERA and allowed 24 earned runs.

The bullpen's ERA across the 2026 campaign was 0.81 points lower, at 3.54. After being stretched to maximum capacity in September, being 100% is crucial to the team's overall success in the ALDS and throughout the postseason.

Guardians starting pitchers posted a 3.93 ERA in the regular season. Against the White Sox, Cleveland starters posted a 4.23 ERA, exactly 0.3 runs higher than on average during the season.

Pitching will clearly play the biggest role in the Guardians' success in the ALDS. The White Sox averaged an American League-best 4.81 runs per game in the regular season. Meanwhile, Cleveland sits ninth in the American League with 4.19 runs per game.

Both teams have yet to release their starting pitchers for Game 1 on Saturday in Cleveland.