Field Level Media - Professional sports content solutions | FLM

The struggling Cleveland Guardians are clinging to their slim lead in the American League Central.

They also might be catching the Texas Rangers at the wrong time.

After losing the opener of the three-game set on Friday in Cleveland, the Guardians will look to avoid a fourth straight loss Saturday night.

After play ended on June 25, Cleveland held a nine-game lead in the division. Since then, however, the Guardians are 22-29.

Following Friday’s 5-3 loss to Texas, Cleveland has lost six of seven, has been held to three runs or less in all but one of those contests, and now owns just a one-game edge over the surging Kansas City Royals in the Central, and only a two-game lead over the third-place Minnesota Twins.

“We’ve got to stay the course,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “We just have to continue to be ourselves. It’s gonna break. We just have to continue to push through.”

Cleveland is batting .160 with only nine extra-base hits and 55 strikeouts during this 1-6 rut. On Friday, the Guardians struck out 10 times and stranded seven runners.

It also hasn’t helped that Cleveland’s All-Stars are struggling mightily of late. Josh Naylor is 0-for-18 in the last five games, Jose Ramirez is 1-for-20 over a six-game stretch, and Steven Kwan is 2-for-29 in the last seven.

Potentially making matters worse, Ramirez and Kwan are a combined 2-for-20 vs. Saturday’s scheduled Rangers starter, Jon Gray (5-4, 3.75 ERA). However, Naylor is 5-for-15 with a home run against Gray, who is slated to make his first start since July 23.

The right-hander returned from his nearly monthlong stint on the injured list with a groin strain to allow a run in two innings of relief Tuesday in his team’s 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh.

One of Gray’s better starts of the season came during a 4-0 home win over Cleveland on May 15, when he allowed four hits and two walks over 6 1/3 solid innings.

Nathaniel Lowe had three hits Friday for the Rangers, who are set to miss the postseason after winning the World Series in 2023. However, they’ve won four of five after winning just five times during their previous 21 games.

“You’ve got to be able to go there and play comfortable,” said Texas’ Nathan Eovaldi, who allowed three runs in six innings for the win Friday.

“Go out there and win.”

Lowe is batting .384 with six home runs and 13 RBIs in 23 career games against Cleveland. He, Adolis Garcia and Corey Seager hit solo homers against Saturday’s scheduled Guardians starter, Ben Lively (10-8, 3.68 ERA), during a 7-4 Cleveland victory on May 14.

Lively, who lasted five innings in that contest, will look to build on a decent outing from Sunday, when he allowed two runs, two walks and five hits in six innings. However, Lively was victimized by the Guardians’ offensive woes in a 2-0 loss at Milwaukee.

The right-hander yielded seven runs — all coming on four homers — in 8 2/3 innings of his previous two starts.

“I thought he was outstanding (Sunday). Great bounce-back,” Vogt said of Lively. “He made a really good adjustment.”

–Field Level Media