CLEVELAND — The Guardians are in the Major League Baseball playoff hunt with about six weeks left in the regular season.
The Guardians (63-58) entered Aug. 16 in contention for an American League wild-card playoff spot while simultaneously staying in the mix for the AL Central Division championship.
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Cleveland started the day 1½ games out of the third and final AL wild-card spot occupied by the New York Yankees (65-57) and 7½ games behind the Detroit Tigers (72-52) for the AL Central lead.
The Guardians have won nine of 10 series and are an AL-best 23-10 since July 7, when Cleveland snapped a 10-game losing streak.
The Guardians dropped their series opener 2-0 to the Atlanta Braves Aug. 15 at Progressive Field.
The Guardians and the Braves started at 7:10 p.m. Follow along for live updates:
Nick Allen, Marcell Ozuna, Nacho Alvarez Jr. give Braves 3-0 lead over Guardians in second inning
Nick Allen doubles on a sharp line drive to left field, and Marcell Ozuna and Nacho Alvarez Jr. each score to give the Braves a 3-0 lead with two outs in the second inning. Rough start for Slade Cecconi.
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Drake Baldwin, Nacho Alvarez Jr. give Braves 1-0 lead over Guardians in second inning
Nacho Alvarez Jr. singles on a sharp line drive to left field and Drake Baldwin scores to give the Braves a 1-0 lead with two outs in the secod inning. Alvarez hit a double to right field to lead off the inning and Marcell Ozuna reached base after being hit by a Slade Cecconi pitch ahead of the hut by Alvarez.
Bravers starter Joey Wentz works around single to retire Guardians
Braves starting pitcher Joey Wentz worked around a single by Steven Kwan to retire the Guardians in the first inning. Angel Martinez hit into a 5-4-3 (Nacho Alvarez Jr. to Ozzie Albies to Matt Olson) double-play and Jose Ramirez popped out to Olson.
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Guardians starter Slade Cecconi retires Braves in order in first inning
Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi retired the Braves in order in the first inning. He struck out Matt Olson looking for the second out of the inning.
Below is some pregame information:
Jul 28, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi (44) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Cleveland Guardians game today | Pitching matchup
Right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi is set to start for the Guardians and the Braves will counter with left-hander Joey Wentz.
Cecconi is 5-5 with a 4.11 ERA this season, and Wentz is 3-3 with a 5.03 ERA.
Aug 14, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) singles in the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Cleveland Guardians players | Today’s lineup vs Atlanta Braves
CLEVELAND, OHIO – AUGUST 15: Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves hits a single during the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on August 15, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
Atlanta Braves players | Today’s lineup vs Cleveland Guardians
Aug 1, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Carlos Santana (41) celebrates after scoring during the second inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
MLB Standings: American League Central Division
The American League Central Division standings entering Aug. 16:
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Guardians 63-58 (7½ games behind)
Minnesota Twins 57-65 (14)
Excusive Cleveland Guardians play-by-play radio announcer Tom Hamilton bobblehead.
Guardians celebrate Hall of Fame play-by-play announcer Tom Hamilton
Prior to tonight’s game, the Guardians celebrated Hall of Fame play-by-play announcer Tom Hamilton on the field. Hamilton was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame earlier this summer as the Ford C. Frick Award Winner and has also been enshrined in the Guardians Distinguished Hall of Fame in Heritage Park.
Aug 14, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) scores beside Miami Marlins catcher Liam Hicks (34) in the seventh inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Cleveland Guardians surge up AL Central standings
The Guardians recent hot streak has put them back in position to make the playoffs after having a 40-48 record at the end of the day on July 6 and trailing the Tigers by 15½ games. Detroit was 57-34 on July 6. Minnesota was 43-47, Kansas City was 43-48 and the Chicago White Sox were 30-60.
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The Guardians started its recent success on the road ahead of the All-Star Game with a 6-1 record from July 7-13, compiling a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros and winning three out of four games against the Chicago White Sox.
Cleveland then won series against the Athletics, Orioles, Rockies, Twins, Mets, White Sox and Marlins. The Guards swept a three-game series Aug. 4-6 against the New York Mets in Queens.
Where can I watch the Cleveland Guardians game tonight?
The game on Aug. 16 can be viewed locally on Cleveland Guardians TV (Spectrum Channel 1306), AT&T U-verse (Channel 1736), COX (Channel 80), DIRECTV Satellite and Streaming (Channel 662) and FuboTV. It can be streamed via MLB’s direct-to-consumer streaming subscription (CLEGuardians.TV). It can be viewed out of market on MLB Network and is available on the radio via WTAM 1100, WMMS 100.7 and WARF 1350.
Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges (27) and relief pitcher Cade Smith celebrate a win over the Miami Marlins on Aug. 14, 2025, in Cleveland.
Cleveland Guardians schedule | Upcoming games vs Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers
The Guardians are scheduled to have a six-game road trip against the Arizona Diamondbacks (Aug. 18-20) and then the Texas Rangers (Aug. 22-24).
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Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians game score, lineup vs Braves live updates, highlights