Stephen Vogt and the Cleveland Guardians are full of excuses after their Game 2 loss

The moment might be too big for the Guardians after all. Cleveland lost the first two games of the ALCS to the New York Yankees and they surprisingly won. Had it not been for mismanagement in the bullpen and hits with runners in scoring position (not to mention some catastrophic errors), Cleveland could have tied the series by now.

But that is not the reality we live in. It's up to Stephen Vogt to prove that the Guardians deserve to be here. Cleveland defeated Detroit Tigers star Tarik Skubal in Game 5 of the ALDS, lighting a fire under the fan base while the mighty Yankees were on the rise.

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In Game 2, the Guardians were forced to go to their bullpen early. Like every other playoff team, the Guardians pitching staff is overloaded at this point in the season. That's a lot to ask, which is why Wednesday's day off is so valuable as the Guardians return to Cleveland for a must-win Game 3.

“These guys have pitched a lot all year,” Vogt said. “We didn’t overwhelm anyone today. We didn't overwhelm anyone yesterday. So with the day off, our bullpen should be back at full strength (for Game 3).”

Keepers could strike with runners in scoring position

Yankees star Gerrit Cole allowed 10 baserunners in less than five innings, but the Guardians couldn't take much advantage with runners in scoring position. Vogt pointed out that this is the main reason his team returns to Cleveland with a two-game deficit.

“We had traffic all night tonight,” Vogt said. “We do what we do. We get on base and make things happen. We just didn't have much success with the runners in scoring position tonight. We are one shot away from taking the lead in this game. We're one shot away from being back in it. We just have to keep going.

If these sound like excuses from Vogt, that's because they are. Instead of acknowledging the Yankees' pitching staff or simply acknowledging that tired arms are part of the game this time of year, Vogt assumes his group is the only team suffering. He couldn't be more wrong.

Few would have expected the Guardians to achieve such success last April. Cleveland has proven the experts wrong at every turn. Game 3 at Progressive Field is as close to a must-win as any non-elimination contest the Guardians will play this year.

Excuses or not, the Yankees will be ready.