CLEVELAND — The Guardians entered their series opener Sept. 26 against the Texas Rangers on the doorstep of the MLB playoffs. After losing to the Rangers 7-3 at Progressive Field , the Guardians still need to earn the right to open the door.

With the defeat, the Guardians (86-74) failed to do their part to inch closer toward clinching a playoff berth. Yet, the Guardians also control their own destiny in the American League Central Division and wild-card races.

With two regular-season games left Sept. 27-28 against the Rangers (81-79), the Guardians are neck and neck in the division standings with the Detroit Tigers , who lost 4-3 at the Boston Red Sox on Sept. 26.

Cleveland holds the tiebreaker against Detroit, so if the two teams were to finish the regular season with

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