by Coming off a pair of much-needed, one-run wins, the Cleveland Guardians will welcome the Texas Rangers for a three-game series. The city of Cleveland is currently experiencing a record heat wave, with temperatures ranging from 82 to 94 degrees throughout the week.
With a first pitch time of 1:10 p.m. for the series finale on Wednesday, the Guards and Rangers will play with a real-feel temperature of 102 degrees.
The burst of heat may just be the right remedy for a Cleveland team that’s experiencing a tiny burst of heat in its lineup. After a huge cold stretch at the plate, the Guardians finally broke through offensively last series against the Seattle Mariners, scoring five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to win 6-5 on Sunday.
Rookie outfielder Kahlil Watson has been a huge driving force behind this resurgence at the plate, as the Virginia native has hit for eight RBI’s since getting called up nearly two weeks ago. Watson is also riding a six-game hitting streak.
Alongside him, the rookie from down under, Travis Bazzana, has been the team’s lifeline following injuries to Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez. Hitting for a slash line of .256 / .350 / .436, with an OPS+ of 120, the Australian is looking to become Cleveland’s first rookie All-Star since Sandy Alomar Jr. in 1990.
Rounding out this cast of rookies, hell-bent on saving Cleveland’s season, is the recently called-up Coople Ingle. Ingle is traditionally behind the plate, but played out in left field on Sunday, and although he’s only appeared in two games, his two-run knock on Saturday lifted the Guardians to victory.
Another rookie, Chase DeLauter, returned from the injured list on Sunday and immediately impacted Cleveland’s offense. Bringing in two runs and scoring one of his own on a hard play at the plate, DeLauter risked re-injuring himself for a chance at winning.
As for the Rangers, despite holding a .500 record at 42-42, they will head into Progressive Field holding the American League West Division lead. The Rangers came all the way back from 38-42 this past weekend after they swept the Toronto Blue Jays in a four-game series.
Injuries have plagued their rotation, as Jack Leiter and Jordan Montgomery have been unavailable for the Rangers as of late. What gives Texas cause to anticipate this series against a fellow first-place team in the Guardians is that Jacob DeGrom will be on the mound for Tuesday’s game.
DeGrom has had a very strong month of June, giving up just 10 runs in five starts. In his last start against the Guardians, the Hall-of-Fame-bound veteran struck out six and gave up just three hits in six innings of shutout baseball.
Sandwiched before and after him will be a bullpen game and MacKenzie Gore, the latter of which has not had as kind a month of June. The former top prospect has given up 30 hits and 14 earned runs, leaving with an ERA of 4.25 in his last five starts.
For Cleveland, the bulk of the rotation will be pitching this series. Southpaw Parker Messick will open the action on Monday, followed by Tanner Bibee and Joey Cantillo.
A 7:00 p.m. sharp first-pitch time is scheduled for the opener, and the game is available for streaming on ESPN.
