Where They Stand
The Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins begin the most important series of the season for both teams on Monday in Cleveland. Last week, it appeared that the Twins might have the division locked up. But, in baseball, that can all change in a matter of a few games. Last week in Minnesota, Cleveland took two of three games.
On August 31, the Guardians added starting pitcher Lucas Giolito to their 28-man roster, claiming the right hander from the Los Angeles Angels. The Guardians stated after the move that this was to help the squad win the division and make the playoffs.
Down The Stretch
Both teams have been playing good ball the past couple of weeks, and are both 6-4 in each of their last ten games. This is the last series of the season between these division foes. Minnesota still holds a five-game lead over Cleveland. In order to catch the Twins in the division, Cleveland must win this series.
A series win for the Guardians would put tons of pressure on Minnesota to win games to maintain their divisional lead, while a series win for the Twins would make it almost impossible for Cleveland to win the division considering there are only 25 games left in the regular season.
One More for the Guardians
Every win in the rest of the regular season is crucial to Cleveland’s playoff chances. But even if they don’t win the division, they could still keep themselves in the wild card hunt and sneak into the playoffs. The wild card chances are slim at this point, however, with six other teams ahead of the Guardians. In terms of the divisional race, by winning one more game against the Twins, the Guardians clinch the season series against the Twins. This means if the Guardians and Twins end the regular season in a tie, Cleveland will win the tiebreaker and advance to the playoffs.
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Cleveland Guardians
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