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Texas Rangers Suffer Lost Weekend at Cleveland Guardians

The Texas Rangers were swept by the lowly Cleveland Guardians after sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays.

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Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers

The roller-coaster ride the Texas Rangers have been on since the start of August has taken another downward turn.

Fresh off of arguably their biggest series of the season – considering the stakes – the Rangers laid an absolute egg over the weekend. The Cleveland Guardians completed a three-game sweep with Sunday’s 9-2 romp at Progressive Field.

Texas (82-67) arrived in Cleveland fresh off a four-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays and with a six-game winning streak intact. The Rangers had moved into second in both the American League West and Wild Card race with the surge.

Sep 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cody Bradford (61) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland roughed up Rangers spot starter Cody Bradford in Sunday's series finale.

But it’s been a wild ride since Texas won eight in row after the Aug. 1 trade deadline. There’s also been an eight-game losing skid and a 4-16 stretch.

Now, the Rangers return home looking to regain some momentum and solidify their playoff positioning with two weeks left in the regular season.

Guardians 9, Rangers 2

Notables from Sunday's Rangers-Guardians series finale in Cleveland.

Rookie Doesn't Have It

Starting in place of injured ace Max Scherzer in the rotation, rookie Cody Bradford ran out of steam in the fourth inning. Staked to a 1-0 lead, the left-hander couldn’t register an out as the Guardians (72-78) blew the game open.

By the time the barrage was done and manager Bruce Bochy pulled the plug, Bradford had allowed six runs on six hits, including a home run to Jose Ramirez to get Cleveland on the board.

It didn’t go much better for reliever Jonathan Hernández, who was tagged for three more runs in the nine-run frame.

Bats Silent … Again

The Rangers managed a total of just six runs in the three games after racking up 35 in the four-game Toronto sweep.

In the Cleveland finale, Josh Smith doubled in the second to score Leody Taveras. That was pretty much it until a meaningless run in the ninth.

Up Next

The Rangers return home to Globe Life Field to start a six-game homestand against the Boston Red Sox on Monday night at 7:05 p.m. Texas opens the three-game series with left-hander Jordan Montgomery (9-11, 3.47) scheduled to go opposite right-hander Kutter Crawford (6-7, 4.26).

You can follow Art Garcia on Twitter @ArtGarcia92.

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