4 Cleveland Guardians whose stocks are up after swiping two from Reds

If you can call a two-game set a series, the Cleveland Guardians swept the Reds in Cincinnati, winning the first pair of contests in the Ohio Cup.

A tie ensures the Guardians will keep that precious hardware, while one more win notches Cleveland the title of Ohio Cup Champion.

Alas, nobody actually cares who wins this marketing driven title, but I like to live by the motto, “Never turn down a won trophy.”

One other rant: Cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto was asked by readers about a nickname for the Guardians. He said he tried G-Men, which he wrote drew the ire of fans. Paul Dolan said “The Guard” which was instantly hated because of whom it came from.

That’s why it’s just the Guards. It’s what’s flowed off the lips most naturally for the diehard Cleveland fans I know, so there you go. Moving on…

There wasn’t much to nit-pick over the Guardians performance on the banks of the Ohio River, so here’s a look at three studs from the matchup.