Guardians Are Suddenly Within Striking Distance Of 1st Place

The Cleveland Guardians found themselves in the very advantageous position of picking up ground in the standings without even playing a game. Still chasing the first-place Chicago White Sox in the AL Central, the Guardians need all the breaks they can get.

The Guardians had an off day on Monday. Meanwhile, the White Sox were visiting the Houston Astros, who are in a race of their own in the AL West.

Cleveland got some good news with Chicago’s 6-3 loss, and the Guardians moved within striking distance of first place at 3.0 games behind.

“Final in Houston. The Guardians are just 3 games out of first place with 25 to play. Buckle up,” Nick Camino posted.

Final in Houston.

The #Guardians are just 3 games out of first place with 25 to play.

Buckle up! pic.twitter.com/2ltmIxlaml

— Nick Camino (@NickCaminoWKYC) September 1, 2026

The Guardians have played their way back into the division race with nine wins in their past 12 games. That includes an 11-1 victory against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday that avoided a three-game sweep.

However, the White Sox have stubbornly held on to their lead, posting a four-game winning streak and six wins out of eight before losing their last two in a row. Chicago has a 72-65 record after losing more than 100 games in each of the previous two seasons, including 121 in 2024.

So, whether the White Sox can hold on in their first pennant race since winning the division in 2021 remains to be seen. The Guardians have no such concerns, having rallied from 11 games behind last September to overtake the Detroit Tigers and win the Central for a second straight year.

This season, the Guardians played poorly coming out of the All-Star break and had fallen to fourth place in the division and as many as 6.0 games behind. Cleveland also fell out of the third AL Wild Card spot, a position it now holds with a half-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles.

That could set the stage for a very important three-game series at Baltimore that begins on Monday. The Guardians also have a three-game series against the White Sox at Progressive Field from Sept. 14-16.

So, the Guardians have everything right in front of them as they enter the final month of the season, starting with a home series against the Toronto Blue Jays.