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A year ago, the Texas Rangers were making their playoff push that ultimately led to a World Series triumph.

Now, the underachieving Rangers look to finish strong and damage the Cleveland Guardians’ slim lead in the American League Central.

After their first series victory in nearly a month, the visiting Rangers try to hand the Guardians a sixth loss in seven games Friday night.

Texas is 10 games under .500, closer to last place than first in the AL West and well off the AL wild-card pace, with September looming.

“This season has been embarrassing for us. This is not what we expected,” Rangers general manager Chris Young recently told 105.3 The Fan.

The Rangers have been better of late, however. They won three of four to conclude a 3-4 homestand and, after their 1-0 victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday, claimed their first winning series since July 22-25.

“We get paid a lot of money to play a game; the least we can do is go out there and put the effort and energy forward,” said Rangers starter Andrew Heaney, who struck out eight over five innings Wednesday.

“We need to win games. That’s the ultimate goal.”

Texas managed six hits Wednesday, with three coming in the ninth — highlighted by Wyatt Langford’s walk-off RBI single. The Rangers totaled 18 runs, batted .218 and struck out 62 times during that seven-game homestand, and scoring could remain difficult Friday against scheduled Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee (10-5, 3.33 ERA).

The Guardians’ right-hander is 3-1 with a 1.65 ERA in his past five starts. Bibee, who has been dealing with a shoulder issue of late, allowed two runs — one earned — and three hits, while striking out seven in five innings of Cleveland’s 2-1 loss at Milwaukee on Saturday.

“We’re still trying to be mindful of Tanner’s shoulder,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said.

Bibee dropped his ERA in three starts against the Rangers to 1.62 after he yielded three hits over 5 1/3 shutout innings of Cleveland’s 7-0 win at Texas on May 13.

The Guardians once looked to be running away with the Central, but they currently lead the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals by two games after Cleveland’s 6-0 loss to the New York Yankees on Thursday.

That defeat concluded a 1-5 trip that began in Milwaukee. During that road stretch, Cleveland was shut out twice and scored all but five of its 14 runs during its 9-5, 12-inning victory over the Yankees on Tuesday.

“We have to regroup and get back to being ourselves, go back to having good at-bats,” said Vogt, whose club was limited to one hit — Steven Kwan’s leadoff single — Thursday.

Scheduled Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi (8-7, 3.76) hasn’t faced Cleveland since 2022. He is 0-3 with a 6.60 ERA in August. The right-hander allowed one run over seven innings, then was charged with three before leaving the eighth without recording an out during the Rangers’ 7-0 loss to Minnesota on Saturday.

Cleveland’s Andres Gimenez is 3-for-7 vs. Eovaldi, while Jose Ramirez homered for one of his three hits in 17 at-bats against him. Ramirez went 2-for-21 on Cleveland’s recent trip. But, with a stolen base Thursday, he became the first player in franchise history to post two seasons with at least 30 homers and 30 steals.

Texas’ Nathaniel Lowe is 1-for-17 in his past five games, but 3-for-8 vs. Bibee. He’s also batting .382 with two homers in nine games at Cleveland.

–Field Level Media