The Cleveland Guardians are still alive in the American League playoff race, but a frustrating week made their path considerably more difficult.

Cleveland went 2-5 from Aug. 3 through Aug. 9, dropping three straight to the New York Mets before losing two of three against the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox. The Guardians finished Sunday at 58-61, 3.5 games behind Chicago in the division and 1.5 games behind the Texas Rangers for the final AL Wild Card spot.

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That makes Cleveland’s recent slide increasingly difficult to ignore.

The week actually began with one of the Guardians’ best pitching performances of the season. Gavin Williams struck out 10 and allowed only one hit over 5.2 scoreless innings in a 5-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 3. Chase DeLauter drove in three runs as Cleveland avoided a sweep and appeared ready to build some momentum.

Instead, the Mets arrived at Progressive Field and took complete control.

New York won the Aug. 4 opener 6-2 before handing Cleveland a crushing 6-5 extra-inning loss the following night. Rookie Angel Genao provided one of the biggest bright spots of the week by collecting four hits in his major-league debut, but Bo Bichette’s RBI single in the 10th ultimately gave New York the victory.

Things got even worse Thursday.

The Mets completed the sweep with a 13-6 win as newly acquired starter Foster Griffin allowed five runs over four innings in his Guardians debut. Former Cleveland star Francisco Lindor added a three-run homer, and the loss pushed the Guardians further down a rapidly tightening AL playoff board.

Cleveland finally answered Friday against Chicago.

Angel Martínez delivered the offensive performance the Guardians desperately needed, crushing a grand slam and driving in a career-high six runs in an 8-2 victory. It was the kind of win that briefly made it feel like Cleveland might be ready to turn the week around.

That momentum didn’t last.

The Guardians grabbed an early lead Saturday behind a two-run homer from Rhys Hoskins, while Williams once again gave Cleveland a quality outing. But the bullpen surrendered five runs in the sixth inning as Chicago rallied for a 6-3 victory. Genao added another encouraging moment with the first home run of his MLB career.

Sunday followed a similar script.

Cleveland jumped ahead 2-0 but couldn’t make the advantage stick. A rain delay forced Joey Cantillo out of the game, the bullpen struggled again, and Chicago scored four runs in the third inning on its way to a 5-3 victory.

That left the Guardians with five losses in seven games for the week and continued a larger stretch in which Cleveland has struggled to string together wins.

There were positives.

Williams looked like a potential difference-maker in the rotation, Genao made an immediate impact after reaching the majors and Martínez showed how dangerous he can be when Cleveland’s offense is clicking.

But the biggest issue is becoming consistent.

The Guardians remain close enough to matter in both the AL Central and Wild Card races, but the standings are becoming increasingly crowded. Texas currently owns the final Wild Card spot, while Detroit, Minnesota, Baltimore and Cleveland are all within striking distance.

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That means Cleveland’s margin for error is shrinking.

The Guardians haven’t played themselves out of October.

But after a 2-5 week, they’ve made the climb considerably steeper.