CLEVELAND — The Guardians have played well enough to remain firmly in the race for the final wild card spot in the American League playoff picture. But to a degree, they're spinning their tires and running out of time to close the gap.

The Guardians took three of four games in a crucial series with the Kansas City Royals , who have also been clinging to any glimmer of hope to make the postseason. Slade Cecconi and Joey Cantillo delivered outstanding pitching performances, and C.J. Kayfus delivered the biggest home run for the Guardians this season to date.

In the process, the Guardians improved to 75-71 as of the conclusion of the series and moved ahead of the Royals.

But entering Sept. 12, the Guardians remained 3.5 games back of the final playoff spot, now held by the Hous

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