Guardians Stay On Pace in Playoff Race After Series Win Over Twins

Two different paths opened up for the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday evening after their disappointing loss to the Minnesota Twins.

The first was losing Sunday’s game and also dropping the series in the thick of the playoff hunt. The second possibility was winning on Sunday and heading into the biggest series of the season coming off a victory.

Thankfully for the Guardians, the ladder ended up coming to fruition as Cleveland took down Minnesota, 9-2, in Sunday afternoon’s rubber match.

The Guardians overpowered the Twins in just about every facet of the game during the series finale.

Steven Kwan set the tone in the first inning with a leadoff home run in the top of the first inning. Jo Adell added to that early lead with his own home run in the third inning, a 451-foot blast that reached the seats in the third deck.

Travis Bazzana also continued his hot stretch with an RBI single in the top of the fourth inning and a two-run home run in the sixth inning.

Cleveland’s lineup did something it hasn’t often done throughout the season, which is to give Tanner Bibee all the run support he needed for a stress-free afternoon on the mound, and the pitcher didn’t waste this opportunity.

Bibee put together one of his best outings of the year against the Twins. He tossed 6.2 innings, allowed only four hits, gave up two earned runs, and struck out seven batters.

As it stands after Sunday’s action, the Guardians stayed on pace in the Wild Card race with their win over the Twins, holding a 1.0-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays for the final spot in the postseason.

Cleveland also remains in striking distance of taking over the top spot in the division, which could change as soon as Monday evening.

Cleveland bringing momentum home with them to Progressive Field is a huge boost for this team, especially considering the series has one deck.

Next up for the Guardians is a three-game set against the American League Central-leading Chicago White Sox, who have just a 0.5-game lead over Cleveland.

It’s not being dramatic to say that this series could make or break either team’s season depending on the direction it goes.

“I mean, like we talked about all along, we can only control what we can do,” said manager Stephen Vogt postgame. “We know we have a big series starting tomorrow.”

Winning two games against the Twins is big for Cleveland’s overall record and also keeps them in a prime spot to potentially win the division.