CLEVELAND -- The threat of becoming the “second-place Guardians” -- a phase that quite literally would not have a ring to it -- seemed to be looming large as recently as Friday night.

The funk of a rough road trip had spilled into the homestand opener against the Rangers while the red-hot Royals were suddenly just a game back in the American League Central, and all that foreboding and pessimism that comes standard with the Cleveland sports psyche was beginning to invade.

Well, extinguish the anguish for at least another day, Guardians fans. Because with Sunday’s 4-2, series-clinching win over Texas -- highlighted by yet another blast off the bat of Jhonkensy Noel and Matthew Boyd’s first win with his new squad -- the Guardians had managed to brush their shoulders off yet again, all while the Twins imploded in the ninth inning against the Cardinals and the Royals got pummeled by the Phillies.

What that means is that the Guards’ AL Central advantage over both Kansas City and Minnesota is back at three games as the Royals come to town for four games in three days, beginning with Monday’s day-night doubleheader at Progressive Field.

“From the outside looking in, you're like, ‘Oh, big series or whatever,’” said designated hitter David Fry, who provided some important breathing room in Sunday’s tilt with an eighth-inning solo shot. “But we treat it as 162. We’re just going to do what we do every single day to try to win a series.”

The Guardians, who have been in first place since April 14, keep finding ways to salvage or win a series just when the season appears as though it could go off the rails. It looked bad when staff ace Tanner Bibee got beat by the reeling Rangers on Friday and the Royals were breathing down the Guardians’ necks. But Saturday’s breakout for the bats was good for the soul, and then on Sunday it was back to 2024 “Guards Ball” -- i.e. doing just enough to hand a lead to the best bullpen in baseball.

Sunday’s biggest swing came from a now-typical source in Noel, who led off the bottom of the second by taking Rangers starter Cody Bradford deep over the 19-foot wall in center to give the Guardians a 2-0 lead.

The rookie Noel has been one of the answers for this Cleveland club that, so far, has not run out of them. Since his June 26 arrival, he’s been a small-sample, part-time Aaron Judge.

Really.

2024 At-bats/Home Run
(min. 100 at-bats)

1. Judge, 9.00
2. Noel, 9.33

“I know the type of hitter that I am,” Noel said through interpreter Agustin Rivero. “I’m a power hitter, obviously. It’s a compliment to be compared [to Judge] that way, but for me the mindset is always trying to put the ball in play.”

Boyd, who signed as a free agent midseason during his recovery from Tommy John surgery, did not allow the Rangers to put the ball in play much in his six efficient innings, allowing just a run on three hits with a walk, claiming his first MLB victory in 431 days.

“It definitely kind of skipped my mind that that was a win,” Boyd said. “My dad texted me afterward, ‘Hey, make sure you get a ball.’ So I kind of grabbed one for him. But it's special.”

It was 2-1 in the seventh when Noel hustled to first on a dropped third strike and wound up scoring on a José Leclerc errant pickoff attempt to manufacture important insurance. And after Corey Seager swatted a solo shot off Hunter Gaddis to make it 3-2, more insurance came when Fry connected on a Matt Festa four-seamer for a solo homer. One-time Rangers prospect Emmanuel Clase closed it out for his AL-leading 38th save.

“Every series is a big series, every win is a big win, and it's how we do it,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “We were playing fine baseball when we were going through the [rough] stretch, we just weren't scoring enough runs to win. So we're going to keep our cadence, and that's focused on every single day.”

Maybe the day will come in the next five weeks when the Guardians really do run out of answers for the persistent questions the season presents. But it didn’t happen this weekend. The resilient Guards survived another series, with a big one looming.