Cleveland Guardians taking care of business against AL’s lowliest teams

The young Cleveland Guardians are playing some of their best baseball of the season, helping them beat up on the worst teams in the AL.

As of right now, the Cleveland Guardians are officially in the American League playoff race, thanks in large part to their ability to take care of business against some of the worst teams in the league.

After Friday night’s 3-2 victory over the Oakland A’s, the Guardians have now won nine of their last 11 games, which is a stretch that’s included games against the Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, and now the Athletics.

Cleveland is winning by playing all-around solid baseball, but the Guardians have also had a flair for the dramatic, notching two late-inning, come-from-behind victories against the A’s the last two nights. The Guardians sit at 28-26 and have vaulted themselves into contention – even for the division – by doing exactly what one needs to do against the teams that are struggling the most.

It’s a plan that is sometimes easier said than done, and for the youngest team in baseball, this stretch has been a barometer of sorts to measure where the Guardians currently sit in their development timeline. Thanks to continued solid pitching and an offense that is once again heating up, Cleveland appears to be growing up fast.

That being said, after this weekend, the Guardians head out of town for a nine-game road trip that includes series in Colorado, Los Angeles agains the Dodgers, and Minnesota. The month then ends at home against the surging Red Sox and a robust five-game series against the Twins. In other words, more difficult tests await.

Still, eight games with the Twins this month while the Guardians are playing their best baseball of the season is an enticing proposition.