Guardians Magic Number: Path to playoffs is simple after Tigers series

On Thursday, the Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Guardians 4-2 to secure the final game of the three game series between the two teams. 

Even if the loss stung a bit since it moved the teams back into a tie atop the division, it didn’t change the fact the Guardians are knocking on the postseason door. 

The Guardians’ Magic Number to make the postseason currently sits at two games, and their magic number to win the division sits at three games. 

Here’s what needs to happen for that number to go down to zero. 

The Guardians control their postseason destiny entering the final weekend of play

The easiest way for the Guardians to make the postseason is by winning. Even though they’re tied with the Tigers at the top of the American League Central, they control their own destiny thanks to them owning the tiebreaker over Detroit. So the Guardians would still win the division even if both teams sweep their series this weekend. 

Meanwhile, the Guardians just need a combination of two wins and/or Astros losses to clinch a postseason berth. 

If the Guardians win one game this weekend, they're likely in. If they win two, they're for sure in.

The Astros are taking on the Angels in a three-game series, while the Tigers are playing the Red Sox in a three-game series at Fenway Park. The Angels don’t have anything to play for at this point in the season, whereas the Red Sox still need to win one more game to earn a postseason berth. 

If the Guardians clinch the American League Central then they’ll likely host the Astros or Tigers in the Wild Card Round. 

The Guardians are taking on the Rangers in a three-game series at Progressive Field. At one point it looked like this series would end up deciding one of the final Wild Card spots, but the Rangers went into free fall while the Guardians went on a historic run toward a division title. 

They’ve gotten some great performances from every pitcher in their starting rotation and their offense has been carried by a variety of unheralded players, which can be a recipe of success in the postseason. 

Neither the Guardians or Rangers have announced their pitching plans for the weekend outside of Slade Cecconi going against Jake Leiter on Friday. 

Even if the Guardians’ Magic Number isn’t as good as it would have been had they picked up a win in the series finale on Friday, they handled their business against the Tigers by taking the series and the tiebreaker. 

But, at the end of the day, the Guardians are entering the final weekend of the season with their ability to control their own postseason destiny.