The Cleveland Guardians are the champions of the American League Central.
With a win over the Texas Rangers and a Chicago White Sox loss against the Detroit Tigers, the race for the AL Central title came to an end.
The Guardians, who nobody expected to contend this year, finished on top.
So now, the Guardians can look to set their rotation for the postseason, which is what they appear to be doing.
According to team insider Zack Meisel, the Guardians have flipped Triston McKenzie and Shane Bieber, with Bieber getting the start on Tuesday and McKenzie on Wednesday.
If they were to remain on an every fifth day schedule, this would line Bieber and McKenzie up to start the first two games of the Wild Card series in that order.
The Guardians flipped Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie's spots in the rotation, so Bieber will pitch on Tuesday and McKenzie on Wednesday. And then if both remain on an every-fifth-day schedule, they'll line up for Game 1 (Bieber) and Game 2 (McKenzie) of the Wild Card series.
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) September 25, 2022
Guards Line Up Playoff Rotation
When you clinch before the end of the season, you have the luxury of being able to line up your rotation for the first playoff series.
These two guys are exactly who the Guardians would want to open the Wild Card Series.
Given the standings, if the postseason were to begin today, then the Seattle Mariners would be the No. 6 seed and third Wild Card, meaning they would be the ones that would match up against Cleveland on October 7 when the postseason begins.
The Guardians are locked into the No. 3 seed, which means they’ll play the Wild Card Series at Progressive Field.
The Guardians own a record of 86-67.
With it being unlikely that they’ll catch the New York Yankees for seed No. 2, the Guardians could look to rest some of their regulars and get them ready for the postseason.
They’ll open up a three-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays tomorrow.
NEXT: The Guardians Spent A Week Dominating Their Rivals
