Guardians salvage series in Minnesota, maintain division lead

The Cleveland Guardians found themselves in a bad place entering play on Saturday. Losers of seven straight, including a doubleheader to the Minnesota Twins on Friday, they could not afford to let this streak continue, and they knew it. Cleveland was able to pull it together and began to play at the level they have proven they are capable of for the final two games against the Twins.

Even though neither win was a runaway by any means, at the end of the day, coming out on top is what matters most here. The Guardians were clearly in some sort of funk and needed to find a way to get out of it. Winning the final two games in Minnesota should be exactly what they needed to get back on track. Splitting the series not only helps them out in that regard but in a few other areas as well.

Cleveland was able to maintain its lead in the American League Central and was able to increase its buffer zone back up to 3.5 games after Minnesota drew within 2, following what transpired on Friday. Increasing their margin for error at a time when they find themselves in need of exactly that is huge. The Guardians have struggled to find consistency since the All-Star Break, and giving them that little extra room while they get back track could play a major factor later in the season.

There is one more area that needs to be mentioned, as it could play a factor in how things fall at the end of the season. With the win on Sunday, the Guardians clinched the season series over the Twins, giving them the edge in any sort of tiebreaker scenario should one take place. Having this extra edge over Minnesota could prove to be highly beneficial if they find themselves in a situation where it comes into play.

Are the Guardians playing their best baseball at the moment? Far from it. But being able to keep the Twins a bit further away while securing the season series against them should help propel them to a more successful stretch in the immediate future.