The Cleveland Guardians are 67-47 and lead the AL Central with a 3.5-game cushion over the Minnesota Twins.
It used to be as large as nine games back on June 25, but Cleveland has been a tad inconsistent and the Twins have really picked up the pace in recent weeks.
The Guardians are 5-5 in their last 10 games, but carry a five-game losing streak going into Target Field on Friday afternoon to play a doubleheader.
The two squads will play two on Friday, one on Saturday, and one on Sunday for a pivotal four-game set that could shape their season.
It is, so far, the biggest series of the year for both the Guards and the Twins.
If Cleveland somehow sweeps, they could turn that 3.5-game lead into a 7.5-game one, severely jeopardizing Minnesota’s chances of winning the division.
However, if we go to the other end of the spectrum, Minnesota can potentially take over first place in the division with a sweep.
Anything in between is also possible, even likely.
The biggest benefactors of the intense battles these two organizations will endure this upcoming weekend are probably the Kansas City Royals.
They have had a better second half than both the Guardians and Twins and are still lurking, just four games out of the division lead.
The Guardians will need to bring their A-game to Minneapolis if they don’t want to risk losing what they have built to this point.
Fans’ mood for the upcoming weeks will be directly tied to the results of this huge four-game set.
NEXT: Guardians Highlight Reliever's AL Rookie Of The Year Case
