Guardians sweep of Twins shows this team is for real

There has been plenty of discussion regarding the start the Cleveland Guardians have gotten off to in 2024. Some have discredited their success for a variety of reasons, whether it be the quality of the opponent or attempting to state it was simply luck. However, neither one of those two explanations can be used to describe Cleveland's weekend sweep of the Minnesota Twins. A series that clearly cements its status as one of the best teams in baseball. 

Close contests bookended the series, with a dominant and uncompetitive contest in between. Cleveland won in style in not one but two ways. A Jose Ramirez 8th-inning home run off Twins closer Jhoan Duran provided Cleveland with a 3-2 win in dramatic fashion while the team earned their first win in their City Connect uniform's debut. Their City Connect's are among the best in baseball, and starting off 1-0 in them was absolutely perfect. 

A laugher took place on Saturday, as the Guardians raced out to an 11-0 lead before Minnesota managed to score four runs in the 9th off Pedro Avila. While the runs given up late are far from ideal, they are not anything to really be worried about, as the game was basically over, and they were given up by a pitcher who is not long for this team.

Sunday's contest is why everyone should believe in this team's legitimacy. After a couple of mistakes in the top of the 9th, which allowed the Twins to tie the game at 2, they managed to show the resilience and competitiveness that few teams possess. With two men on base via walks, one being of the intentional variety, it was Will Brennan's time to shine. Brennan needed just one pitch to end the game, crushing a Duran curveball into the right field stands, avoiding going to extras, and securing a sweep of the Twins by way of a 5-2 win. Even at a time when it seemed like they were doing everything they could to hand this game to Minnesota, the Guardians were still able to show why they remain atop the AL Central. 

Winning close games is one thing, but to do it twice against a division rival's closer? That is special. These wins should help prove to any remaining doubters of this team that they are competitive and appear poised to make some noise once the regular season comes to an end.