Rangers 3, Guardians 2 — Friday, June 5 | Globe Life Field, Arlington
It was a tough one in Arlington. The Cleveland Guardians dropped the series opener to the Texas Rangers 3-2 on Friday night, falling to 36-29 on the season. Cleveland held a two-run lead heading into the sixth, but a pair of Rangers home runs flipped the script in brutal fashion.
Key Stats
- Final Score: Rangers 3, Guardians 2
- Parker Messick (L, 6-2): 5⅔ IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 K, 1 BB — took the hard-luck loss
- Travis Bazzana: 3-for-4, HR, triple — an absolute monster at the plate
- Steven Kwan: 2 hits, 1 run scored
- Austin Hedges: RBI bloop single that put CLE up 2-0 in the 4th
- Corey Seager (TEX): Go-ahead 2-run HR in the 6th — his first game back from the IL
- Kyle Higashioka (TEX): Solo HR also in the 6th
- Jacob Latz (S, 9): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 K to close it out for Texas
- Guardians record: 36-29, 1st in AL Central
Narrative
Cleveland looked comfortable with a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth, with Parker Messick dealing efficiently through five-plus frames. Then Corey Seager — back in the Texas lineup for the first time in over three weeks — crushed a go-ahead two-run shot to end a career-worst 0-for-29 slump, and just like that, the lead was gone.
The bright spot? Travis Bazzana was electric, going 3-for-4 with a leadoff home run and a triple. This kid is the real deal, Cleveland. The Guardians still sit atop the AL Central, but dropping a winnable game to a Rangers team that has now won six of seven stings — especially when your starter was good enough to win.
The G’s get another shot Saturday night at Globe Life Field with Tanner Bibee on the hill against Jack Leiter. First pitch at 7:35 PM ET on MLB.TV/FOX. Time to bounce back.
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