The Cleveland Guardians have entered the make-or-break point of their season.

Driving the news: The team lost the first of three-game series with the Twins yesterday.

• Cleveland is seven games back of Minnesota in the American League Central.

Why it matters: The Guardians are in danger of missing the playoffs, and manager Terry Francona's future with the team remains unclear.

Flashback: The Guardians entered the All-Star break in July atop the AL Central with a record of 45-45.

State of play: The team has gone just 17-25 since the break and is far back in the AL Wild Card race with the regular season set to end on Oct. 1.

Yes, but: Last season, the Guardians went from five games below .500 in late May to winning the AL Central and making it to the American League Division Series.

Reality check: This season has been different. Cleveland has won fewer close games, while its top-five defense last season has been just middle of the pack in 2023.

The intrigue: Adding to the stress is Francona's health.

• The 64-year-old has dealt with major health issues in recent years and missed a few games in June after feeling lightheaded before a game in Kansas City.

Meanwhile, Francona has scheduled a shoulder replacement surgery and a pair of hernia operations for this offseason.

What they're saying: "I need to go get healthy for my life, and this lifestyle is just too difficult," Francona said at a press conference last week.

• "I also know how I feel about doing the job a certain way, and I don't think I can necessarily do that anymore. And that bothers me."

The bottom line: The Guardians appear headed toward missing the playoffs, leaving fans with a disappointing season and the potential loss of a beloved manager.

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The Cleveland Foundation yesterday announced grants totaling $1.36 million to 36 local organizations as part of the Cleveland Black Futures Fund.

Why it matters: The Cleveland Foundation established the fund in 2020 in the aftermath of the George Floyd protests to support and expand the capacity of Black-led and Black-serving nonprofit organizations.

Details: This is the fourth round of grants from the fund, which has distributed more than $4.4 million to over 130 organizations in Northeast Ohio.

By the numbers: The Jordan Community Resource/Residential Center, which provides services to women recovering from human trafficking and addiction, received $100,000, the largest grant.

• Four organizations, including community news outlet the Cleveland Observer, received grants of $75,000 each.

What's next: Applications for a fifth round of funding are expected to open in spring 2024.

The bottom line: "We are committed to raising additional funds to continue supporting Black-led organizations, demonstrating our desire to focus not just on the moment, but to think about the long-term impacts of change," the Cleveland Foundation's Joe Black said in a statement.

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🌭 The Village Dog, a drive-through hot dog diner, plans to open next month at Broadway and Fleet avenues in Slavic Village. (Cleveland Scene)

🍼 Due to staffing shortages, there are now 20% fewer child care slots available in Northeast Ohio than in January 2020. (Signal Cleveland)

💵 The Riverside Co., a global private equity firm that has long occupied two floors in Terminal Tower, is relocating to the top floor of Key Tower on the other side of Public Square. (Crain's Cleveland Business)

🛍️ Worth your time: The ups and downs of the funky Coventry Road retail strip in Cleveland Heights. (Cleveland Magazine)

👋 Sam here. I found myself at Hofbräuhaus last weekend — for only the second time ever — and got a taste for German beers served in comically immense steins and the gregarious biergarten atmosphere typified by Munich's Oktoberfest.

Driving the news: Cleveland Oktoberfest will descend upon the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds this weekend and next, with beer, food and entertainment celebrating European culture.

Details: Attendees can expect the popular "Miss Oktoberfest" competition, fireworks on Sept. 3 and the Cleveland Glockenspiel, the largest of its kind in the United States.

• Those who wish to burn calories before they consume beer in bulk can participate in the Great Lakes 5K Bier Run Monday.

If you go: Single-day general admission tickets are $16.

And if your weekend is already booked, the west side German tavern Der Braumeister is hosting its fourth annual Oktoberfest flight event Thursday evening.

• Eight beers will be offered from the Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr breweries, and Paulaner will have giveaways and Oktoberfest lore.
• Reserve a seat on Resy.

💼 Check out who's hiring now.

1. Product Development Director at 3Pillar Global.
2. Director, Content at Mercer Advisors.
3. Chief Financial Officer at Signature Health.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Use code FIRST50 for $50 off your first job post.

Filter's new album should strike a chord in Cleveland.

Why it matters: "The Algorithm" marks the first album in seven years for the rock band, which formed in Cleveland in 1993.

Flashback: Filter was the brainchild of Richard Patrick, former guitarist for Nine Inch Nails.

• The band found success in 1995 with its debut album "Short Bus" and the single "Hey Man, Nice Shot," which reached the top 20 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.

The intrigue: Patrick's one-off reunion show with his former bandmates from Nine Inch Nails at Blossom Music Center in September laid the groundwork for Filter's resurgence.

• He released "For the Beaten" — the lead single from "The Algorithm" — the following week.

State of play: The piercing industrial rock of "For the Beaten" is representative of "The Algorithm's" overall aesthetic of hard-hitting guitars and athematic choruses, before a more melodic second half kicks in.

💭 Troy's thought bubble: This is Filter's best album since its first two releases in the 1990s.

• The angst is still there, but you can feel Patrick channeling it into more complex song structures and lyrical themes about humanity and technology that are relatable.

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