Cleveland Guardians Updated Playoff Picture After Winning Six Straight Games

The Cleveland Guardians have continued to climb back into the playoff race with just about a month left in the regular season, and don’t seem like they’ll slow down anytime soon.

It was just one week ago that the Guardians were in fourth place in the AL Central division and were lost in the cluster of other AL teams fighting for a playoff spot. Fast forward to today, Cleveland has catapulted up to second place and are only 2.5 games back from the first place Chicago White Sox.

Nothing makes Guardians fans happier than seeing late season winning streaks that ultimately help the team get back into playoff contention, which was the case last season after their 15.5 game comeback to win the division.

If the Guardians can continue to rattle off wins in games that they are expected to win, then they should have no problem making it back to playing baseball in October at Progressive Field.

Here are the updated playoff standings involving the Guardians, and which series they must take advantage of by winning over the next month of the regular season.

Updated playoff picture includes Guardians for the first time in weeks

Kwan has been electric for the Guardians as of late, and they'll bet on his bat to get them into the playoffs. — Aug 25, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Steven Kwan (38) slides into home plate to score in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There are a few things that the Guardians need to continue to do if they want to solidify themselves as a playoff team, but for now, they haven’t given many reasons to not believe they can be just that.

After scratching and clawing their way back into the playoff picture, Cleveland currently has the fifth seed in the AL and are second in their division behind the White Sox. This recent and current stretch of games on their schedule was discussed as critical to make the playoffs, and they have taken full advantage of their easier schedule.

The Guardians are riding a six-game win streak heading into their third game in Anaheim against the bottom feeding Angels, which is their first win streak of five or more games since June.

A second consecutive series sweep would be a perfect way to head into their home stretch of games to close out August into September. Cleveland still has five more series against inner division opponents through the end of the season, and if they want to win the Central, they’ll need to win as many of those games as possible.

One team that’s been hanging around the Guardians in the league standings is the Minnesota Twins, who Cleveland will meet in a few weeks on the road. The two AL Texas teams in the Astros and Rangers are also hanging in the playoff race for a final wildcard spot.

At this point, every game is important for Cleveland especially with them only a game over .500, but with a continued easy schedule the rest of the season, they have the chance to keep climbing up the AL standings.

Cleveland will host the streaking Kansas City Royals this weekend at home before hosting the Toronto Blue Jays. These next two series will be crucial to separate themselves from the pack of wild card contenders, so they’ll have to play sound baseball moving forward to get the job done.

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