Rangers Lose Fifth Straight, Fall to Guardians

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

May 14, 2024

Guardians 7, Rangers 4

ARLINGTON, Tex. (May 14) — The Texas Rangers‘ struggles continued on Tuesday evening, as they lost to the Cleveland Guardians, 7–4. There were glimpses throughout the night of the team that they can be, but it didn’t go their way in this one. The Guardians, meanwhile, used a six-run inning fueled by a three-run home run by Josh Naylor to win the three-game set. The Rangers will try to avoid the sweep on Wednesday night with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm Central at Globe Life Field. It will be a battle of righties as Carlos Carrasco (2–3, 5.36 ERA) will get the starting nod for the Guardians and Jon Gray (1–1, 2.36 ERA) will take the mound for the Rangers.

Six-Run Inning for Guardians

The Guardians got into the run column in the top of the second off Rangers starter Jack Leiter. Kyle Manzardo was hit by a pitch to start the inning. It was the second hit-by-pitch for Leiter in as many innings after he plunked Tyler Freeman to open the top of the first. Estevan Florial followed Manzardo’s at-bat with a walk. On deck was Bo Naylor, who doubled to center to score Manzardo and Florial. Two batters later, Freeman reached again, this time on a free pass from Leiter. Moments later, Andres Gimenez plated Naylor with a single to center, giving the Guardians a 3–0 lead. The single also advanced Freeman to second. After a flyout to right by Jose Ramirez, Freeman stole third. Up next was Josh Naylor, who hit his 12th home run of the season to right to make it 6–0 Guardians.

Rangers Fight Back

The Rangers answered back in the bottom of the second. A leadoff blast to left by Adolis Garcia off Guardians starter Ben Lively got the home nine on the board. This was a much-needed home run for both Garcia and the Rangers as it halted a stretch of 18 scoreless innings by their punchless offense. The Rangers added another run in the bottom of the third thanks to a solo shot to right by Corey Seager. It seemed appropriate for Seager to go yard in this game, as he was the focus of the Rangers’ promotional giveaway at Globe Life Field in the form of a replica of his 2023 World Series Championship ring.

The Rangers cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fifth with a solo dinger to right by Nathaniel Lowe. They inched closer in the bottom of the eighth off Guardians reliever Scott Barlow. After Lowe struck out to lead off the frame, Garcia doubled to left. Josh Smith promptly drove in Garcia with a single to center to make it 6–4. The Guardians extended their lead in the top of the ninth off Rangers reliever Kirby Yates. He started the inning by giving a free pass to Brayan Rocchio. Freeman moved Rocchio to third with a double to left before Gimenez brought him home with a sacrifice fly to center.

What Went Right for the Guardians

For the second night in a row, the Guardians put seven runs on the board. Once again, they found ways to get runners on and get them in. The home run by Naylor was also key in this victory for the Guardians.

What Went Wrong for the Guardians

There was one particular uphill battle in front of the Guardians on Tuesday. That was the fact that Garcia, Seager, and Lowe are beginning to wake up. All three of them had home runs. It caused this writer to cover his ears on several occasions to find comfort against the crowd of 33,885.

Leiter Workload

Leiter suffered his first career loss. His record now sits at 0–1. He surrendered six runs, all earned, over 1 2/3 innings. His line was 1 2/3 IP, 3 H, 6 R-ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 2 HB, 64 pitches/38 strikes. Tuesday marked the shortest outing by a Rangers starting pitcher this season. The last Rangers rotation member to record five or fewer outs in a game was Nathan Eovaldi on September 5, 2023 against the Houston Astros. Leiter has posted a 16.39 ERA over the first three starts of his major league career. The Rangers are 2–1 in those games. Tuesday signified the former No. 2 overall pick’s (2021 Draft) first-ever appearance at Globe Life Field, as each of his first two outings came on the road.

Lively’s Night

Guardians starter Ben Lively made his sixth start of the season and earned his second win. He allowed three earned runs, all coming via solo home runs, over five innings. Lively gave up five hits, walked three, and struck out five. After being staked to a 6–0 lead, he allowed the solo home runs to García, Seager, and Lowe, accounting for all the damage against him. He fanned Marcus Semien in the fourth to escape a bases-loaded jam. Three of the five hits he allowed came against left-handed batters; this despite entering play with a .114 opp. BA against lefties (5-for-44) on the year, including a 1-for-17 clip over his previous two starts. He is now 2–2 with an ERA of 3.06. After tossing a scoreless ninth, Emmanuel Clase earned his 12th save of the season.

Postgame Comments

In his postgame press conference, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy elaborated on the struggles of Jack Leiter. “I think more than anything, he’s not getting the ball where he wants,” Bochy said. “You saw him hit some batters, and I’m sure he’d like to have those at-bats back. Control is usually the issue. It’s an important part of the game. I was pulling for him so hard. There were a lot of foul balls that drove up his pitch count, and that really hurt him. That’s something we’re going to have to work on.”