It’s been a season full of surprises for the Cleveland Guardians.
After a quiet offseason, the Guardians were expected to be stuck in the middle of the pack in the American League Central division.
Instead, they have proven to be the best team in the division so far this season.
They’ve been on quite a run since the trade deadline, having taken first place from the Minnesota Twins and built up a three-game lead over them.
They are also up four games on the Chicago White Sox, who won the division in 2021.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today commented on the Guardians’ recent run of success and how before long, they could run away with the division.
Cleveland threatening to pull away from the pack in the AL Central, now 3 games ahead of the #Twins in the loss column and 5 ahead of the #Whitesox in the loss column after the Guardians’ 3-1 victory over the #Padres. The Twins and White Sox both lost earlier today.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 24, 2022
Guardians On A Roll
This year has been full of surprises in Cleveland, with players making their way onto the roster and doing some damage, with the most notable example being Steven Kwan.
But because of that and contributions from their stars like Jose Ramirez, Andres Gimenez, Josh Naylor, and Shane Bieber, the Guardians have staked their claim in the AL Central.
Their bullpen has performed very well in the month of August and might be the strength of the team as we move closer to September, where the races will be decided.
They’ve been able to beat some good teams along the way, showing that their success is no fluke and that this truly is a good ballclub.
Cleveland missed the postseason last year, finishing 80-82.
But they appear ready to put that in the past and take a shot at winning the division for the fourth time in the last seven years.
We’ll see what they can do down the stretch and in the postseason should they get there.
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