Rangers play the Guardians in first of 3-game series
Cleveland Guardians (64-62, third in the AL Central) vs. Texas Rangers (63-66, third in the AL West)
Arlington, Texas; Friday, 8:05 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Guardians: Slade Cecconi (5-6, 4.50 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 76 strikeouts); Rangers: Nathan Eovaldi (11-3, 1.76 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 120 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Rangers -171, Guardians +143; over/under is 7 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Texas Rangers host the Cleveland Guardians on Friday to start a three-game series.
Texas has a 63-66 record overall and a 37-26 record in home games. The Rangers are 29-50 in games when they have allowed at least one home run.
Cleveland has a 64-62 record overall and a 33-31 record on the road. The Guardians have a 43-13 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.
Friday's game is the first time these teams square off this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Corey Seager leads the Rangers with 19 home runs while slugging .479. Ezequiel Duran is 11 for 28 with two doubles over the past 10 games.
Jose Ramirez has 23 doubles, two triples and 26 home runs for the Guardians. Steven Kwan is 10 for 41 with a double and a home run over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rangers: 3-7, .248 batting average, 5.97 ERA, outscored by 12 runs
Guardians: 3-7, .201 batting average, 4.60 ERA, outscored by 17 runs
INJURIES: Rangers: Evan Carter: day-to-day (wrist), Marcus Semien: day-to-day (foot), Cole Winn: 15-Day IL (nerve), Jake Burger: 10-Day IL (wrist), Jon Gray: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Sam Haggerty: 10-Day IL (oblique), Adolis Garcia: 10-Day IL (ankle), Chris Martin: 15-Day IL (calf), Tyler Mahle: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Cody Bradford: 60-Day IL (elbow), Josh Sborz: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
Guardians: Lane Thomas: 10-Day IL (foot), Will Brennan: 60-Day IL (forearm), Andrew Walters: 60-Day IL (lat), Ben Lively: 60-Day IL (forearm), John Means: 60-Day IL (elbow), Sam Hentges: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
MLB Wild Card Roundup: Ben Rice's Slam, Michael King's No-Hit Bid Highlight Game 1s
2026 MLB Wild Card Series Odds: What To Know About Each Matchup
MLB Playoffs: The Stars Who'll Define The 2026 Postseason
MLB Postseason Bracket, Schedule For Wild Card Round And World Series
ABS Challenge Decides MLB Playoff Game For First Time, And Phillies Stay Alive
After Carving Up Red Sox, Yankees Ace Cam Schlittler Eyes Becoming 'Legend'
Yankees' Aaron Judge Takes Swings in Double-A Park, Eyes Postseason Return
MLB Playoffs: 2026 Wild-Card Predictions, X-Factors And Why Each Team Can Win
Alec Bohm’s 10th-Inning Homer Saves Phillies’ Season In Thrilling Win Over Braves
