
Guardians enter matchup against the Tigers on losing streak
Cleveland; Friday, 7:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Tigers: Reese Olson (0-0); Guardians: Slade Cecconi (3-3, 3.64 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 42 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tigers -114, Guardians -105; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Cleveland Guardians aim to break their seven-game skid when they take on the Detroit Tigers.
Cleveland has a 20-20 record at home and a 40-45 record overall. The Guardians are 27-14 in games when they record eight or more hits.
Detroit is 24-20 in road games and 54-34 overall. The Tigers have the third-ranked team batting average in the AL at .257.
Friday's game is the fifth time these teams square off this season. The Guardians hold a 3-1 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Carlos Santana has seven doubles, 10 home runs and 38 RBIs for the Guardians. Lane Thomas is 7 for 34 with a double and three home runs over the last 10 games.
Spencer Torkelson has 19 doubles, 19 home runs and 55 RBIs for the Tigers. Riley Greene is 14 for 40 with three doubles and four home runs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Guardians: 2-8, .188 batting average, 4.84 ERA, outscored by 26 runs
Tigers: 6-4, .297 batting average, 3.99 ERA, outscored opponents by 23 runs
INJURIES: Guardians: Gabriel Arias: 10-Day IL (ankle), Will Brennan: 60-Day IL (forearm), Andrew Walters: 60-Day IL (lat), Ben Lively: 60-Day IL (forearm), Paul Sewald: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Shane Bieber: 60-Day IL (elbow), Trevor Stephan: 60-Day IL (elbow), John Means: 60-Day IL (elbow), Sam Hentges: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
Tigers: Sawyer Gipson-Long: 15-Day IL (neck), Kerry Carpenter: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Jackson Jobe: 60-Day IL (flexor), Jason Foley: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Alex Cobb: 60-Day IL (hip), Reese Olson: 15-Day IL (finger), Ty Madden: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jose Urquidy: 60-Day IL (elbow), Alex Lange: 60-Day IL (lat)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Cubs' Matthew Boyd faces his old team as Guardians visit
(Photo credit: David Banks-Imagn Images) In 2024, Matthew Boyd revived his career as a member of the Cleveland Guardians. He's managed to build on that comeback this season with the Chicago Cubs. Amid a stretch of five quality starts in six outings, the left-hander tries to extend the offensive struggles of his former team when the Cubs open a three-game set with the visiting Guardians on Tuesday night. Recovering from Tommy John surgery, Boyd (7-3, 2.65 ERA) signed a one-year deal with Cleveland nearly one year ago. He proved vital down the stretch for the Guardians, going 2-2 with a 2.72 ERA during eight regular-season starts and had an 0.77 ERA over three in the playoffs. With Chicago, the 34-year-old Boyd essentially picked up where he left off, and has been brilliant in his last six starts (3-1, 1.49 ERA). He yielded three hits without a walk over six scoreless innings during Wednesday's 8-0 win at St. Louis. 'Regardless of the day, I know what I expect of myself,' said Boyd, who boasts a team-leading 11 quality starts. 'Regardless of what happened the day before, regardless of what tomorrow potentially may bring, what I do doesn't change. What I expect of myself when the ball is in my hand doesn't change.' While the Cubs have dropped seven of the last 11 following Sunday's 2-0 loss at Houston, and hold a slim two-game lead in the National League Central, Boyd's buddies in Cleveland are currently in much worse shape. The Guardians were 29-22 on May 24, but have averaged 3.0 runs while going 11-20 since. During their current four-game losing streak, Cleveland has been outscored 27-6 and shut out three times. Cleveland managed just three hits and made two errors during Sunday's 7-0 home loss to St. Louis. However, manager Stephen Vogt remains the optimist -- at least publicly. 'We've got 13 games in a row coming up after this off day (Monday),' Vogt said. 'We have an opportunity to get it rolling, and that's the way I look at it. 'This is a really talented team. I believe in each and every one of these guys, and I know we're going to break out of it.' Cleveland star Steven Kwan is 2-for-21 in the last five games, but 9-for-17 in the last four on the road. Meanwhile, fellow star Jose Ramiez is 2-for-19 in his last five overall. Including the 2016 World Series, Ramirez is just a .188 hitter in 13 career games at Wrigley Field. Scheduled Guardians starter Gavin Williams (5-3, 3.68 ERA) will make his first appearance against the Cubs. The right-hander was charged with four runs (three earned) while yielding five hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings versus Toronto on Wednesday. Williams opposes a Cubs offense that is second in the majors with 453 runs scored, though Chicago has been held to two or fewer 11 times during its current 15-14 stretch. Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has blossomed into a star this season with 21 homers and 62 RBIs, but he's 3-for-24 in the last six contests. However, outfield mate Kyle Tucker is batting .291 and has hit four of his 17 home runs in the last nine games. --Field Level Media


Canada Standard
an hour ago
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Max Scherzer returns as Blue Jays bid for series win vs. Guardians
(Photo credit: Rick Cinclair/Telegram & Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) The long wait is over for Toronto Blue Jays fans. After spending three months on the injured list with right thumb inflammation, Max Scherzer will return to action Wednesday night against the Guardians in Cleveland. Scherzer (0-0, 6.00 ERA) has made only one appearance since signing as a free agent with Toronto in the offseason, going three innings and allowing two runs and three hits against Baltimore on March 29. The Guardians will send fellow right-hander Gavin Williams (5-3, 3.58 ERA) to the mound against the 40-year-old future Hall of Famer, who declined to speak with the media in Cleveland. 'Max is ready to go, and I'm really, really excited to have him back,' Toronto manager John Schneider said. 'The thumb is a thing, a real thing, but getting to 75 pitches in his last start was a good thing.' Scherzer made two rehab starts with Triple-A Buffalo, compiling a 2.08 ERA over 8 2/3 innings and 131 pitches. He struck out 12, walked two and held opponents to a .167 batting average. 'We'll just have to monitor it as we go, but he knows his stuff is where it should be,' Schneider said, indicating that Scherzer is unlikely to surpass 80 pitches in his return. Scherzer was limited to nine appearances with Texas last season, going 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA. The 18-year veteran is 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA in his career, including a 9-5 record and 4.05 ERA in 21 appearances (all starts) against Cleveland. 'That's a huge, huge addition for us,' Schneider said. 'That's Max Scherzer. I'll take that any day of the week.' Williams will be a formidable foe as he looks to wrap up the best month of his three big-league seasons. Nicknamed the Big Rig, the 6-foot-6, 250-pounder has a 1.99 ERA over four starts in June, with a 1-0 record. In two career appearances against the Blue Jays, both no-decisions, Williams has struck out 21 over 11 innings and owns a 1.64 ERA. Toronto on Tuesday won the opener of a three-game series 10-6, fueled by a George Springer grand slam and two RBIs apiece from Jonatan Clase and Alejandro Kirk. The Blue Jays totaled 14 hits off five Cleveland pitchers. 'They've got a lot of good guys, a lot of guys that can hit for power, and they put a lot of pressure on you,' said Guardians left-hander Logan Allen, who permitted three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings and took the loss. 'I feel like I've done decent against them, but all in all, it's a tough lineup.' Both bullpens were poor, with Toronto giving up five runs in the final three innings and Cleveland allowing six after the sixth. Lane Thomas hit a three-run homer for the second straight home game and Carlos Santana and Kyle Manzardo had solo blasts for the Guardians, who played their previous nine games on the West Coast. 'That was my first 11-day, East-to-West Coast trip, and it was a beast,' Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. 'We came out sluggish tonight. I don't want to make excuses, but we just didn't look like ourselves.' --Field Level Media


Canada Standard
an hour ago
- Canada Standard
Riley Greene, Tigers take aim at struggling Guardians
(Photo credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images) The holiday weekend in Cleveland features a rematch of the 2024 American League Division Series between the Guardians and Detroit Tigers. Tigers right-hander Reese Olson (4-3, 2.96 ERA) will be activated from the injured list to start against Guardians righty Slade Cecconi (3-3, 3.64) in the opener of the three-game series on Friday. AL Central-leading Detroit split a doubleheader Wednesday at the Washington Nationals, winning the first game 11-2 behind two home runs and six RBIs from All-Star outfielder Riley Greene before losing the nightcap 9-4. Greene is a worthy All-Star Game starter, ranking second in the AL with 69 RBIs and third in the majors with seven multi-homer games. He had homered in three consecutive contests until a 0-for-4 performance in the second game in Washington. 'That's kind of what he does. He's one of the better hitters in the league,' Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams said of Greene. 'The home run ball he hit today [off Williams] was executed down and away, and the bat stayed through the zone for a long time.' Detroit, which owns the best record in the AL, will make its first visit to the Cleveland ballpark since it was eliminated from the 2024 postseason with a Game 5 loss in the ALDS. The Tigers led that series 2-1 and were on the verge of winning it at home before huge homers by David Fry and Lane Thomas rescued the Guardians. Olson went on the IL May 18, one day after experiencing right ring finger inflammation in a start at the Toronto Blue Jays. He is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two career outings against the Guardians, both starts. The Tigers had Olson fly into Cleveland on Thursday, giving him extra time to prepare for his return in front of an advance sellout crowd. 'Reese is really good,' Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. 'He's one of the more underrated guys that we've lost. He doesn't get a lot of attention, but we love it when he pitches.' The Guardians are in a freefall, losing a season-high seven consecutive games after losing 1-0 in 10 innings at the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. The defending AL Central champions have dropped 12 1/2 games behind Detroit. Cecconi is coming off his first rocky start since the end of May, giving up three runs in 4 2/3 innings of a no-decision in a 9-6 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on June 28. He pitched six innings and allowed one run in winning his only career game against Detroit on May 23. 'Whatever the situation, Slade battles and fights,' Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. 'Slade takes really good care of himself. He has great routines, is always prepared.' Cleveland has been shut out four times in its losing streak and took a figurative kick to the gut before wrapping up its series at the Cubs when starting pitcher Luis Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary, paid leave by MLB due to an undisclosed investigation. 'We don't really have a sense on timing, except it would be through at least the end of the All-Star break,' Guardians president Chris Antonetti said of the pitcher's absence. 'It's a challenge and not something we were expecting. He was trending in the right direction and had made strides from the start of the year.' --Field Level Media