The Cleveland Guardians dropped their series opener against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field 3-2 after enjoying a 2-0 lead for five and a half innings. It’s their second consecutive loss, but their 36-29 record is still the best in the AL Central.
Guardians’ red-hot rookie Travis Bazzana did everything in his power to will his team to victory, hitting a single, a triple, and a home run, but he got little help from his fellow lineup mates.
Had a chance.#GuardsBall | #VoteGuards pic.twitter.com/QIQirDZaHs
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) June 6, 2026
Parker Messick was cruising through the first five frames when he hit a wall in the bottom of the sixth. He ended up getting the loss, allowing three runs in 5.2 innings. He walked one and fanned four, but the two homers he surrendered sealed his fate.
Cleveland was the first team to score in the game, as Bazzana belted a leadoff homer. He took a Kumar Rocker fastball and sent it deep into the night for a 385-foot homer.
Let's settle into today's g… Oh, okay.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/cpjZNRvPch
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) June 6, 2026
At the top of the fourth, the Guardians mounted a threat with two outs, as Steven Kwan doubled and then scored on Austin Hedges’ RBI single.
Messick was dealing until the bottom of the sixth. There, Kyle Higashioka greeted him with a solo home run. The southpaw then retired Michael Helman with a pop-out, but allowed a double to Wyatt Langford and a two-run shot to Corey Seager that flipped the score in the Rangers’ favor, 3-2.
The star lefty was allowed to face three hitters after the homer, letting two of them reach base before manager Stephen Vogt finally lifted him in favor of Matt Festa. The right-hander got the last out of the inning, but the damage was done.
The Guardians wouldn’t score again. They let some chances slip through their fingers, though, most notably in the fifth inning, before the Rangers’ rally, when Bazzana opened the frame with a triple but Jose Ramirez, Chase DeLauter, and Kyle Manzardo all failed to bring him home.
Additionally, they put two runners on base in the ninth inning, but Brayan Rocchio struck out to end the game.
Bazzana went 3-for-4 and fell a double shy of the cycle, and Kwan and Hedges both racked up two hits. The Guardians as a whole, however, drew just two walks and struck out 11 times.
The series will continue in Texas on Saturday, with Cleveland sending Tanner Bibee to the mound and the Rangers countering with Jack Leiter.
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