The Cleveland Guardians are the hottest team in baseball with a remarkable 13-4 record in September entering Friday. They’re on the verge of totally turning the American League postseason picture upside down, particularly after a sweep of the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers.
The Guardians now sit just 3 1/2 games behind the Tigers in the division and trail the Boston Red Sox by 1 1/2 games for the final wild card spot.
Cleveland is only a season removed from a trip to the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees. The team traded longtime ace Shane Bieber at the trade deadline, though the spark in the second half is on full display.
With under 10 games remaining in the regular season, the Guardians have put real pressure on two teams that have seemed like playoff locks for the last few months. The Red Sox do have the tiebreaker over Cleveland for the final playoff spot, so Cleveland would need to pass, not tie, Boston to reach October.
In terms of the division, the Guardians could steal the division from the Tigers when the teams meet in Cleveland next week for another three-game series. Cleveland even has a path to hosting the wild card series if the ballclub pulls off the shocking leap of Detroit, especially if the Guardians open next week’s set within striking distance.
Ultimately, the Red Sox and Tigers can both avoid total catastrophe within their own powers if they take care of business and win their remaining three series this season. If not, the Guardians have a chance to amplify total chaos in the final week of the season.