Cleveland Guardians vs Texas Rangers Picks and Predictions August 24th 2024

At 7:10 PM ET, the Rangers and Guardians will square off in an AL matchup. This one is being played at Progressive Field in Cleveland, and the Guardians are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -114. The money line odds for a Rangers win are at -105, and they are +150 on the run line. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.

Texas will be looking to keep their two-game winning streak alive, as they are 60-69 and in 3rd place in the AL West. The Guardians are 73-55 and have lost three straight, but they are still in 1st place in the AL Central. Jon Gray will start for the Rangers, while Ben Lively goes for the Guardians. BSGL will be televising this one.

Texas vs. Cleveland Key Information

Texas is sending Jon Gray to the mound today vs. the Guardians, and he comes into the game with a record of 5-4 and an ERA of 3.75. Gray has made 17 starts this year and has a WHIP of 1.26. Looking at his overall numbers, Gray has turned in seven quality starts and is averaging 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Gray pitched out of the bullpen, going two innings and giving up one earned run. Before that, he had not allowed more than one earned run in four straight outings.

Corey Seager has been Texas’s top hitter this season, leading the team with 28 home runs and a batting average of .273. He has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 7/27 in his last seven games with two homers and seven RBIs. Marcus Semien is also a big power threat in the lineup, as he has 18 homers and 61 RBIs, but his batting average is just .242.

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Overall, the Rangers are 20th in scoring at 4.2 runs per game. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.4 runs per contest. As a team, the Rangers are batting just .238 and have an OPS of .684, both of which are below the league average.

Through 22 starts, Ben Lively has a record of 10-8 and an ERA of 3.67. Lively’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.21. He has made eight quality starts this year and is averaging 7.35 strikeouts per nine innings. Lively has been much better at home, coming in with a record of 6-2 and an ERA of 3.63. Out of his 21 homers allowed, 12 have come on the road. In his last outing, Lively took the loss, giving up two earned runs in six innings of work. He has lost two straight starts.

Heading into today’s game, José Ramírez and Josh Naylor have been the Guardians’ top power threats this season, as they are 1st and 2nd on the team in home runs and are also near the top of the league in RBIs. Ramírez has gone deep 32 times this season, which is 7th in the MLB, and has driven in 101 runs, which is the 2nd most in the league. Naylor has 27 homers and is 7th in the league with 89 RBIs. Over his last eight games, Jhonkensy Noel has two homers and is batting .250.

As a team, the Guardians are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. They have been a better offensive team at home, where they are averaging 4.8 runs per game. Overall, their team batting average is just .236, and they are near the bottom of the league in on-base percentage and slugging.

For a money-line pick in this Rangers vs. Guardians matchup, we are leaning toward the Guardians to come out on top at home. And despite our projections pointing to this being the 4th lowest-scoring game of today’s slate, we are leaning toward taking the over. The Guardians are 7th in our projected hits and have the 2nd fewest team strikeouts. Ben Lively is 4th in our projections in innings pitched but doesn’t figure to have big strikeout numbers. On the other side, Jon Gray is 16th in our projections in starting pitcher strikeouts.

Guardians Face Critical Test Against Rangers Amid AL Central Struggles

The Cleveland Guardians find themselves in a precarious position as they host the Texas Rangers in the second game of a crucial three-game series. After a strong start to the season, the Guardians have seen their once-comfortable lead in the American League Central dwindle, and they are now clinging to a slim one-game advantage over the Kansas City Royals. With the Minnesota Twins just two games back, Cleveland’s grip on the division is slipping, and they face the real possibility of losing their hold on the top spot.

The Guardians’ recent form has been concerning, to say the least. Since holding a nine-game lead on June 25, Cleveland has gone 22-29, including a stretch of six losses in their last seven games. The team’s offensive struggles have been at the heart of their decline, as they have been held to three runs or fewer in six of those seven contests. Friday’s 5-3 loss to Texas was emblematic of their recent woes, as they struck out 10 times and stranded seven runners, failing to capitalize on scoring opportunities.

Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt remains hopeful that his team can turn things around, urging them to stay the course:

“We’ve got to stay the course. We just have to continue to be ourselves. It’s gonna break. We just have to continue to push through.”

Offensive Slump Puts Pressure on Guardians’ All-Stars

The Guardians’ hostile inconveniences have been exacerbated by the battles of their star players. All-Stars Josh Naylor, Jose Ramirez, and Steven Kwan have been super cold at the plate as of late, which has simply added to the team’s hardships. Naylor is hitless in his last 18 at-bats, Ramirez has only one hit in his last 20, and Kwan is 2-for-29 over the last seven games. This rut from their key hitters has made it hard for the Guardians to generate any hostile energy.

Adding to the challenge, Ramirez and Kwan have particularly unfortunate track records against Saturday’s planned Rangers starter, Jon Gray. They are a consolidated 2-for-20 against Gray, who will make his initial start since July 23 after getting back from the harmed list with a crotch strain. While Gray has had accomplishment against the majority of the Guardians’ setup, Naylor has had some accomplishment against him, going 5-for-15 with a grand slam.

Gray was effective in his previous outing against Cleveland on May 15, where he pitched 6 1/3 solid innings, allowing just four hits and two walks in a 4-0 Rangers victory. The Guardians will need to find a way to solve Gray if they hope to snap their losing streak and maintain their division lead.

Rangers Look to Build on Recent Success

While the Guardians are struggling, the Rangers appear to be finding their stride at the right time. Despite a disappointing season that will see them miss the postseason after winning the World Series in 2023, Texas has won four of its last five games following a rough stretch in which they won just five times in 21 games. Friday’s win was a step in the right direction for the Rangers, who are looking to finish the season strong.

Nathaniel Lowe, who had three hits in Friday’s game, has been a thorn in Cleveland’s side throughout his career. He boasts a .384 batting average with six home runs and 13 RBIs in 23 career games against the Guardians. Lowe, along with Adolis Garcia and Corey Seager, who also homered on Friday, will be key players for the Rangers as they look to keep the pressure on Cleveland.

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Lowe, Garcia, and Seager all went deep against Cleveland’s scheduled starter, Ben Lively, in a previous matchup on May 14, a game the Guardians ultimately won 7-4. Lively, who is 10-8 with a 3.68 ERA, will look to build on a solid outing from Sunday, where he allowed just two runs over six innings in a tough-luck 2-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. However, Lively has been vulnerable to the long ball recently, giving up seven runs on four homers in his previous two starts.

Critical Game for the Guardians

Saturday’s game is critical for the Guardians as they attempt to stop the draining and regain some energy in the AL Central race. With their division lead hanging by a thread, a success is essential to stave off the flooding Royals and keep the Twins at bay. The Guardians will require areas of strength for a from Energetic and a genuinely necessary breakout from their striving offense to refocus.

For the Rangers, another success wouldn’t just tie down a series triumph yet additionally keep on gathering positive speed as they play out the remainder of the season. With Gray on the hill and Lowe leading the charge repulsively, Texas will be certain about their chances of handing Cleveland another defeat.

As the Guardians and Rangers prepare to face off, the stakes couldn’t be higher for Cleveland, who should figure out how to turn around their fortunes and maintain their hang on the AL Central.