It’s safe to say, at this point, that the AL Central has been much, much better than anticipated considering how teams performed in recent seasons.
The Cleveland Guardians lead the division with a 39-20 record, and the revamped Kansas City Royals are four games behind at 36-25.
The Minnesota Twins are surging again and have a 33-26 record, six games behind Cleveland, and even the Detroit Tigers (30-30) have been competitive.
Only the 15-45 Chicago White Sox are non-contenders.
The Guardians know that they have to keep winning to fend off the advances from the Royals and Twins.
More than a third of the regular season is already in the books, and the Guards have shown they are legit.
Still, they need to keep winning, particularly this week: they are playing the Royals.
“About 36% of the regular season has been played. #Guardians open a big series tonight at Progressive Field against the second place Kansas City Royals,” sports anchor Nick Camino tweeted.
About 36% of the regular season has been played. #Guardians open a big series tonight at Progressive Field against the second place Kansas City Royals. pic.twitter.com/sSUur9dq8E
— Nick Camino (@NickCaminoWKYC) June 4, 2024
These are the games Cleveland has to win to keep building a good cushion and improve their chances of winning the division.
A sweep would put Cleveland in an enviable position as we head to the summer months.
On the other hand, losing the series against the tough Royals would make the division very interesting, to say the least.
Triston McKenzie and his 3.77 ERA will take the ball at home on Tuesday, but the Guardians offense will have its hands full with Seth Lugo (1.72 ERA, 9-1 record).
Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee will complete the Guards’ rotation for the important series against Kansas City.
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