5 predictions for the Cleveland Guardians in the second half of the season

Baltimore Orioles v Cleveland Guardians
Baltimore Orioles v Cleveland Guardians | Nic Antaya/GettyImages
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The post-All-Star Break portion of the schedule is set to begin, and the Cleveland Guardians are looking to continue their successful first half of the season. There are plenty of ways that the next 67 games could go, and the following five statements are attempts to predict how things will play out for the Guardians.

1. Guardians re-establish their comfortable division lead early

With a record of 58-37, the Cleveland Guardians are currently leading the American League Central division. At one point, Cleveland's divisional lead was nearly double-digits, but that has since been trimmed to 4.5 as they reached the All-Star Break, and they will look to re-establish their previously large margin for error.

While it must be acknowledged that the Guardians do face some tough opponents out of the gate (San Diego, Philadelphia, and Baltimore are three of their next five series), Cleveland has proven they are more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the best teams in baseball this season. The Guardians should be able to be competitive against these opponents, and that will help build their lead in the AL Central back up to where it was previously.

It is not going to be easy, but a team that was clearly exhausted going into the break has now had to time rest and regroup while they get ready for the final couple of months of the regular season. Do not be surprised if the Guardians hit the ground running in the second half and quickly put to rest any doubts about the sustainability of their success.

Schedule