CLEVELAND -- Where were you for the dive-off? The glove-off? The season-saving showcase of defensive wizardry that leaves you with your jaw on your lap... -off?

Slade Cecconi was in the Cleveland Guardians' clubhouse, having wrapped up his post-start arm-care routine "when Brayan Rocchio made one of the best plays I've ever seen in my life."

With two outs in the top of the ninth of a game the Guardians had to have, and with a consequential baseball zipping toward center field, Rocchio plunged chest-first into the outfield grass. When he corralled the baseball, his body was pointed toward the left-field bleachers. He needed to throw to first to seal the Guardians' win. Otherwise, the Chicago White Sox would tie the game.

Shortstop Gabriel Arias had chased after the chopper up the middle, so there was no chance to retire the runner heading to second. First base was Rocchio's only option. Andrew Benintendi was barreling down the line. From his stomach, his body pointed toward the right-field corner this time because he tumbled into a backwards somersault as he released his throw, Rocchio watched C.J. Kayfus squeeze the game's final out.

Before he fulfilled his postgame media obligations, manager Stephen Vogt had to catch a replay.

"That's one of the best defensive plays I've seen," Vogt said, "especially given the magnitude of the situation."

Bo Naylor had the best view of anyone, from his perch behind the plate.

"I saw the ball, it was headed toward the hole in between him and Arias," Naylor said, "and (I saw) Superman come out of nowhere to make the play."

Rocchio, a shortstop by trade, said it's the best play he's made as a second baseman.

"You can't practice that play," he said. "That's instincts."

"I was just in awe of the whole thing," Naylor added, "and how it was transpiring in front of my eyes."

Cleveland's defense has been the subplot to this late-season charge. The Guardians, playing with little margin for error, have leaned on their gloves and their arms to stack wins. Steven Kwan made a leaping catch at the wall on Sunday. Arias made a diving snag on the first batter of the game, a play Cecconi said allowed him to exhale and settle into his start. In recent weeks, Cleveland's glovework has been spectacular at times and steady throughout, and that's helped the pitchers churn out zero after zero.

For the Guardians to claim a playoff spot, their September surge needs to burn on for another two weeks. The three teams jockeying for the American League West crown could have a lot to say about Cleveland's fate, especially since the three sit ahead of the Guardians in the standings and they all play each other this week. Maybe they'll exchange right jabs and allow the Guardians to inch closer.

The Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers have rattled off a bunch of wins lately, too, so the Guardians haven't gained much ground, despite winning nine of 10. The Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox have stumbled, on the other hand, so there are a lot of directions this could go. If the Guardians can sweep the Tigers in Detroit this week, perhaps there's another conversation to be had about the AL Central.

Cleveland's playoff odds keep creeping up, but they still sit at just 12.4 percent on FanGraphs, as of Sunday evening. That's about double what they were a few days ago.

If the Guardians keep winning, those chances will continue to increase. And if their pitchers keep pitching like this, they'll keep winning.

While winning nine of 10, the Guardians have surrendered a whopping 15 runs. Remember their 10-game skid, the losing streak that seemed to sink the season, the one during which Luis Ortiz vanished because of a gambling investigation, the one during which the Guardians couldn't muster anything at the plate?

They scored 15 runs in those 10 games. So, as pitiful as they looked for a week and a half, that's how the Guardians have made their opponents look for the last week and a half. No Cleveland starter has allowed more than two runs in a game since Sept. 4, and the back end of the bullpen -- Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, Erik Sabrowski and Matt Festa -- has been ironclad.

The Guardians have leaned on a six-man rotation, and all six are flourishing. It'll get a bit complicated this week, with a double header looming Saturday in Minnesota. John Means stretched out to 82 pitches Sunday, though it wasn't the prettiest effort, as he allowed six runs in 3 2/3 innings against Triple-A St. Paul. He's probably ready to return from a pitch count standpoint, but the Guardians have refused to reveal their pitching plans for the week. They could opt to deploy their current group of six, with Tuesday's starter -- tentatively listed as Joey Cantillo -- pitching on regular rest on Sunday.

It's not a bad problem to have, considering the staff's recent run. Cecconi followed up his no-hitter flirtation with 5 2/3 solid innings against the White Sox on Sunday. Cantillo went eight scoreless frames on Tuesday. Tanner Bibee submitted his best outing of the year, with a two-hit shutout on Friday, the club's first complete-game shutout in six years.

"I went seven no-hit (innings)," Cecconi said about his start last Monday, "and threw the third-best game of the week."

Pitching coach Carl Willis gushed about the group's development on Sunday morning. He relayed how he texted Cantillo at 1 a.m. Wednesday because he was still beaming about the left-hander's outing, hours after it ended.

Gavin Williams struggled early before emerging as the team's top starter this year. Bibee has endured his first frustrating season, but has planted the seeds for a strong finish. Cantillo has weathered a role change and a few trips to the minors. Cecconi and Logan Allen have pushed through rough patches. Parker Messick joined the fray in August and has dazzled in his first four starts, while earning praise from Willis for treating his between-start bullpen sessions with as much care and precision as any pitcher he's ever watched.

Now, with some help from the defenders behind them, Cleveland's pitchers have paved the way for a last-gasp run at a playoff spot.

"This is their dream," Willis said, ... "and to see these guys go out and have moments like that and prove to themselves that they can do it at this level, at that level, it's the most gratifying part of the job."