The Cleveland Guardians win their first series victory in weeks after defeating the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.
It was clear coming into the week that if the Cleveland Guardians want to get back into the postseason hunt in the American League, they'd need to take advantage of their upcoming schedule.
The Guardians started this stretch of games with a fairly convincing series victory over the San Francisco Giants, clinching the three-game set with a 5-2 win on Thursday afternoon.
This series win snaps a streak of five consecutive series losses for Cleveland, the longest streak of its kind on the season. The Guardians' last series victory came back on July 29 against the Cincinnati Reds, and their last home series win came on July 26 against the Seattle Mariners.
"It felt good to win a series," manager Stephen Vogt said after the game. "Obviously, it's been a little while, so it just felt good to complete that game... I thought we executed well and really well-played game today."
Aug 18, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) walks back to the dugout after a pitching change during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn ImagesWhat really stood out in Cleveland's victories over San Francisco was how the Guardians put together multiple complete games in their two wins.
Jo Adell led the way on Tuesday night with a six-RBI game while the pitching staff only allowed seven base runners throughout the night.
During Thursday's victory, Gavin Williams set the tone early and ended up with another double strikeout performance. The lineup also scored three runs early and added to their lead, which has been an issue for this team at times this season.
Cleveland ended up hitting .286 (8-for-28) during the series with runners in scoring position, and .400 (4-for-10) in the finale. There's still room for improvement, but the team seems to be headed in the right direction.
Another encouraging sign is that Cleveland pulled off this series win without its best hitter, Chase DeLauter, playing in any of the three games.
The rookie is still dealing with hamstring tightness and was not available in games one or two, but was available off the bench on Thursday, even though he wasn't needed.
Now, the Guardians' next challenge is to carry this momentum into their next series against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
As encouraging as the Giants' series win was, the Guardians still have a long way to go to be a playoff team in 2026.
