Home series with Angels coming at the right time for the Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians had a chance to win their eighth series of the season on Thursday, but things did not go their way as the Houston Astros handed them a decisive 8-2 loss after splitting the first two games. While the end result is obviously disappointing, a new opportunity has landed right at their feet, as they will be facing an injury-riddled Los Angeles Angels squad that will be without most, if not all, of their best players.

Los Angeles comes into this series without the services of Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, leaving Taylor Ward as their best offensive player in the lineup. The Angels have dropped eight of their last 10 games and are clearly heading toward another lost season. Everyone is familiar with the concept of a get-right game. Well, this is a get-right series. 

The third game in Houston was far from ideal, and now is the time for the Guardians to get everything back on track. Los Angeles' current trajectory, combined with Cleveland looking to bounce back from just their third series loss of the season, makes it appear that a successful weekend could very well be in the cards for the American League-leading Guardians. 

The acceptable bare minimum result for this series with the Angels is to take two out of three, with sights being set on a sweep. Cleveland is head and shoulders better than Los Angeles right now. Even at full health, the Guardians should be more than capable of taking care of this Angels team. Taking into account their current injury status and the fact that there is one team in this matchup with legitimate postseason hopes (Cleveland), the Guardians are in position to get back on the right track, win their eighth series of the season, and create a little separation between themselves and the rest of the American League Central.