MLB Playoff Picture 2024: Guardians Clinch Postseason; Updated Bracket, Standings

One of the surprise stories of the 2024 MLB season will be playing in October after the Cleveland Guardians clinched a postseason berth.

The Guardians secured their spot in the playoffs Thursday with a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins in extra innings.

Cleveland won the game and clinched a playoff spot in walk-off fashion in front of the home fans, as an Andres Giménez RBI single scored Jose Ramírez.

As the MLB playoff picture continues to come into focus, here are the updated matchups in both leagues based on the current standings.

Projected American League Playoff Matchups

• First-round bye: No. 1 New York Yankees, No. 2 Cleveland Guardians
• Wild Card Series: No. 3 Houston Astros vs. No. 6 Minnesota Twins/Detroit Tigers, No. 4 Baltimore Orioles vs. No. 5 Kansas City Royals
  

Projected National League Playoff Matchups

• First-round bye: No. 1 Philadelphia Phillies, No. 2 Los Angeles Dodgers 
• Wild Card Series: No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers vs. No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks, No. 4 San Diego Padres vs. No. 5 New York Mets
  

Current Standings

AL East

1. New York Yankees (89-63)
2. Baltimore Orioles (85-68, 4.5 GB)
3. Boston Red Sox (76-76, 13 GB)
4. Tampa Bay Rays (74-78, 15 GB)
5. Toronto Blue Jays (72-80, 17 GB)

AL Central

1. Cleveland Guardians (89-65)
2. Kansas City Royals (82-71, 6.5 GB)
3. Minnesota Twins (80-73, 8.5 GB)
4. Detroit Tigers (80-73, 8.5 GB)
5. Chicago White Sox (36-117, 52.5 GB)

AL West

1. Houston Astros (82-70)
2. Seattle Mariners (77-75, 5 GB)
3. Texas Rangers (73-79, 9 GB)
4. Oakland Athletics (67-86, 15.5 GB)
5. Los Angeles Angels (62-90, 20 GB)

AL Wild Card

1. Baltimore Orioles (84-68, +4.5 Games)
2. Kansas City Royals (82-71, +1.5 Games)
3. Minnesota Twins (80-73)
4. Detroit Tigers (80-73)
5. Seattle Mariners (77-75, 3 GB)
6. Boston Red Sox (76-76, 4 GB)
7. Tampa Bay Rays (74-78, 6 GB)

NL East

1. Philadelphia Phillies (91-61)
2. New York Mets (84-68, 7 GB)
3. Atlanta Braves (83-70, 8.5 GB)
4. Washington Nationals (68-84, 23 GB)
5. Miami Marlins (56-96, 35 GB)

NL Central

1. Milwaukee Brewers (88-64)** 
2. St. Louis Cardinals (77-75, 11 GB)
3. Chicago Cubs  (77-75, 11 GB)
4. Cincinnati Reds, (74-80, 15 GB)
5. Pittsburgh Pirates (71-81, 17 GB)

NL West

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (90-62)
2. San Diego Padres (87-66, 3.5 GB)
3. Arizona Diamondbacks (84-68, 6 GB)
4. San Francisco Giants (74-79, 16.5 GB)
5. Colorado Rockies (59-94, 31.5 GB)

NL Wild Card

1. San Diego Padres (87-66, +2.5 Games)
2. New York Mets (84-68)
3. Arizona Diamondbacks (84-68)
4. Atlanta Braves (83-70, 1.5 GB)
5. St. Louis Cardinals (77-75, 7 GB)
6. Chicago Cubs (77-75, 7 GB)
7. San Francisco Giants (74-79, 10.5 GB)

*Denotes clinched playoff spot

**Denotes clinched division

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The Guardians entered this season with low expectations coming off a 76-86 record in 2023. Only three teams spent less money than they did in free agency. Their lineup was abysmal last year with the fourth-fewest runs scored and fewest homers in MLB.

In fact, Cleveland's 124 home runs were 27 fewer than any other team hit in 2023. The gap between the Guardians in last place and Washington Nationals at No. 29 was more than the gap between the Nationals and the San Francisco Giants at No. 19 (174).

Despite not adding any outside help to the lineup, the Guardians found ways to add power to their lineup. They rank 13th in MLB with 175 homers so far. José Ramírez has put up his second career 30-30 season. Josh Naylor is the first Guardians player besides Ramírez to hit at least 30 homers in a season since Franmil Reyes in 2021.

Ramírez and Naylor were two of five All-Star selections for the Guardians this season. Emmanuel Clase, Steven Kwan and David Fry were the others.

The past decade of Cleveland baseball has been largely defined by starting pitching, but that's not been the case this season. Shane Bieber only made two starts before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen have made a combined total of two MLB starts since July 7 because they were sent to Triple-A due to their struggles.

Matthew Boyd, who signed a one-year deal in June while recovering from Tommy John, has been terrific with a 2.52 ERA in seven starts since making his season debut. Alex Cobb was acquired from the San Francisco Giants prior to the trade deadline to provide some stability.

Even with those two additions, the Guardians' rotation ranks 24th in ERA (4.48) and 23rd in innings pitched (769.2). They have been carried by a bullpen that leads MLB with a 2.67 ERA.

Clase has generated some support for the AL Cy Young award. He owns a 0.64 ERA and an MLB-high 46 saves in 70 appearances.

If the Guardians can get just good-enough pitching from their starters, the depth of their bullpen could be enough to carry them to a deep postseason run. The franchise currently owns the longest title drought in MLB having not won a World Series since 1948.