[ad_1]
Two first-place American League clubs will face off on Monday in Cleveland.
The Rangers, who lead the AL West by half a game, will take on the Guardians, who are tied with the White Sox for first in the AL Central. Their Monday series opener will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
Left-hander Parker Messick will start for Cleveland coming off the best game of his career, a 7 2/3-inning, 10-strikeout performance on Tuesday in Chicago. Messick has burst onto the scene since debuting for Cleveland last year and posting a 2.72 ERA with seven starts in his debut season. With a 2.67 ERA and 101 strikeouts in his first 16 starts of 2026, the 25-year-old lefty is both a legitimate Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award contender.
The Rangers, meanwhile, will have lefty Tyler Alexander start Monday’s contest at Progressive Field. After picking up saves for Texas on Saturday and Sunday, he is slated to become the first pitcher since saves became an official statistic in 1969 to record saves in consecutive team games and then start the next game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
With both offenses struggling this season, it could be a low-scoring contest in Cleveland. The Guardians enter the series with the third fewest runs, while the Rangers have scored the sixth fewest runs.
Injuries have certainly been a part of the struggles for both offenses — José Ramírez and Angel Martínez are both on the injured list for Cleveland, while Chase DeLauter was activated from the IL on Saturday. While the Rangers have experienced better health luck of late on the offensive side of things, Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford have both spent time on the injured list, with Langford going back on the IL on Sunday with a left hamstring strain.
[ad_2]
Source link
