The 69-68 Cleveland Guardians have 25 games left to play in the 2026 regular season calendar. They are fighting tooth and nail with at least half a dozen teams for a spot in the postseason.
They are three games behind the Chicago White Sox in the quest for the AL Central, so that’s still an option. The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox have a sizable cushion in the first two Wild Card spots. Still, the Guardians, owners of the third one, have to fend off the Baltimore Orioles, the Texas Rangers, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Minnesota Twins, and several others to protect their position.
Knowing the picture and understanding that they can’t afford to lose many games if they want to make it to October, just how many wins do they need to guarantee a spot in the playoffs? It’s a tricky question to answer, but former Guardians pitcher and current analyst Jensen Lewis weighed in.
“I think they got to win at least two-thirds of [their next 25 games]. The problem is, you’re running into these next three series where Toronto has played well, and you’re going to get their top two starting pitchers. Detroit is kind of in that last stand mode right now. They’ll start a series against the Minnesota Twins tonight that I think they can get off on the right side of. Then you got to go to Baltimore. Traditionally, a place that this club has really struggled, and now Baltimore is right back in the fight. Could not be catching opponents at a worse time with the way that they’re playing. And so if they can kind of keep their head above water, I’d say these next 10 days, then it lays out really well for them to try and sprint to the finish,” Lewis said.
While it’s true that tough series are definitely ahead for Cleveland, the calendar gives and it also takes it away. Every team has to face difficult opponents on their way to October, and the Guardians are no exception.
They are coming off a few ‘easy’ series, facing the San Francisco Giants, the Los Angeles Angels, the Colorado Rockies, and the Kansas City Royals. All of them are comfortably below .500.
Now, Cleveland will have to stand up against some direct rivals in the fight for the Wild Card. The Blue Jays are just a game and a half behind, and the Tigers can get into a position to fight until the very end if they sweep the Guardians.
Seeing the current standings, that series against the Orioles at Camden Yards from September 7-9 will be crucial. Baltimore is just half a game behind the Guardians in the standings and is playing some of its best ball of the season at the moment, and that makes them a highly dangerous foe.
To sum up, the Guardians definitely need to win more than they lose in the remaining 25 games in the schedule. That’s a given, and they might need 15-17 victories to seal their ticket.
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