The Cleveland Guardians are almost the perfect embodiment of a .500 baseball team, which means their season can be seen as both half-full and half-empty. They have squandered an early opportunity to pull away from the rest of the AL Central, but they also have been propped up into first place by the poor play of their division rivals.
The Guardians got back over .500 with their two recent victories against the Kansas City Royals, who had made a strong move up the standings with a five-game winning streak. However, as of Friday, the Royals are under. 500, as are the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins.
Cleveland is the only team in the division with a winning record, which is why analyst Bruce Drennan is urging fans to keep their faith, despite a recent cold spell that included the Guardians’ first extended losing streaks of the season.
“We’ve lost seven out of 10, but everybody else in the division is below .500. Kansas City’s actually the hottest team. Minnesota, who was really on a hot streak, has come crashing down to earth. Don’t lose faith,” Drennan said.
The AL Central is the most mid division in all of sports, year in and year out. #GuardsBall
The Guards somehow lead the division at 20-19.
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— Bruce Drennan Show (@Bruce_Drennan) May 8, 2026
The Guardians have not been more than three games over .500 at any point this season, and that 7-out-of-10 slide put them under it for the first time this season. Yet, they are atop the division and should remain a contender for the rest of the campaign.
Cleveland has failed to click on all cylinders throughout the year, and has won three games in a row just once, from April 29 to May 2. Many of the Guardians’ top hitters are underperforming, including All-Stars Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan, and three out of their five starting pitchers have been disappointing as well.
They have remained afloat thanks to the performance of rookie Chase DeLauter, and the surprise production from Daniel Schneemann, Brayan Rocchio and Austin Hedges at the plate. In addition, starting pitchers Gavin Williams and Parker Messick have been two of the best in the American League, while closer Cade Smith has been able to find his footing after a rough beginning.
The Guardians can’t count on the rest of the division being terrible all season long, so they will have to improve on their own if they want to ensure their third straight AL Central crown.
NEXT: Guardians Catcher Dilemma Has Team Facing A Big Decision
