Cleveland Guardians sweep Detroit Tigers, improve chances at MLB Playoffs

The Cleveland Guardians just refuse to quit.

After defeating the Detroit Tigers 3-1 and completing their series sweep, the Guardians find themselves on the doorstep of the MLB Playoffs once again.

According to FanGraphs, the Guardians have a 24 percent chance of making the playoffs according to FanGraphs. Before this series, they had less than a 10 percent chance.

Cleveland’s starting pitching has been lights out for several weeks. During Thursday’s sweep, Tanner Bibee bounced back from an earned run in the second inning to pitch six full innings with eight strikeouts. Between Bibee returning to form and Gavin Williams’ extended excellence over the last few weeks, the Guardians' rotation could be set up nicely for October baseball.

While Cleveland’s offense has underwhelmed all season, they just find ways to win. Jhonkensy Noel tied the game in the fourth inning with a towering solo blast. Last year’s fan favorite was demoted to the minors after a brutal start to the season, but was able to showcase that power for his fourth home run of the season when Cleveland needed it the most.

In sports, it’s often said that in the biggest moment, the biggest stars need to rise to the occasion. There was no bigger stage all season long for Jose Ramirez, who faced reliever Troy Melton during the top of the seventh inning. Ramirez turned around a 368-foot home run to give the Guardians a 3-1 lead and they never looked back.

The sweep of Detroit puts the Guardians firmly in the mix for the American League Central. They’re 3.5 games behind Detroit, who will not be forced to host the Atlanta Braves without their ace, Tarik Skubal, who started the series finale for the Tigers on Thursday afternoon.

While the Braves are 13 games under .500, they’ve been playing better baseball as of late, winning six of their last 10 matchups.

That will bring Detroit back to Cleveland for a rematch against one of the hottest teams in baseball. The Guardians have won 12 of their last 13 games. They will travel to Minnesota and face the Twins. This series will be imperative in Cleveland’s conquest for the final American League Wild Card slot as well as the division, as long as they can continue to win baseball games and the Tigers lose a few to the Braves.

While the Guardians are undoubtedly riding a high as the hottest team in baseball, they need to keep winning ballgames. The final Wild Card spot is well within reach. And if they can get a little bit of luck and take care of business against the Tigers next week, the division could be Cleveland’s for the taking. 

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