The Cleveland Guardians are asserting their dominance in the AL Central, recently outpitching the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game series where their starters allowed only three runs in 18 ⅔ innings. Gavin Williams and Patrick Messick highlighted the series with impressive shutout performances, propelling the Guardians to seventh in USA TODAY Sports’ power rankings. With a rotation ERA of 3.46 and a solid bullpen led by closer Cade Smith, Cleveland has won 11 of their last 13 games, establishing a 4.5-game lead over the White Sox.
