Guardians avoid sweep, reclaim top spot in AL Central

Wednesday afternoon's affair on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario was about as must-win for the Cleveland Guardians as it gets. Staring a four-game sweep at the hands of the Kansas City Royals, the Guardians knew they could not let this get away from them. It was obvious that it was going to be a tough task against Kansas City, and Cleveland needed to prove they were up to the challenge.

It was looking quite grim late in the game, as the Guardians trailed the Royals by a score of 5-2 entering the bottom of the 7th. But there is a reason why they play 9 innings, and what Cleveland was able to do proved exactly why.

Bo Naylor got things started in the bottom of the 7th with a solo homer to cut the deficit to two. Steven Kwan and Andres Gimenez would single in back-to-back at-bats, putting the tying run on first. With one out, Josh Naylor would drive in Kwan with an RBI single. Will Brennan and Jhonkensy Noel would each collect a two-out RBI as the Guardians tied the game and took a 6-5 lead.

Another run would be tacked on in the 8th as Gimenez would drive in Lane Thomas, who was pinch-running for Bo Naylor, to give Cleveland a two-run cushion. This set up a relatively easy 9th inning for Emmanuel Clase, who secured the much-needed victory on 16 pitches to record his 39th save of the season.

Despite appearing down and out in the contest, Cleveland was able to channel some of their early season magic and rally for a win. Not only is it an encouraging development considering how much they have struggled as of late, but it also allowed the Guardians to retake the top spot in the American League Central. With a record of 76-58, Cleveland now leads Kansas City by one game in the division after seeing their once robust buffer zone in the AL Central completely disappear.

This is not to say it is celebration time yet, because it isn't, but seeing the Guardians overcome the obstacle that has been the Royals at a time they needed it most is very encouraging. Wednesday's victory could be the springboard they need to get back to playing the high level of baseball they have shown to be capable of earlier this season and may be what propels this team into the postseason.