September 25, 2022 - Game 152
W - Aaron Civale (3-6)
L - Cole Ragans (0-3)
S- None
HR: CLE: Kwan (6)
Time of Game: 2:54
Game Recap
The Rangers and Guardians completed the three-game set at Globe Life Field on Sunday. Cleveland had an opportunity to clinch the American League Central by winning Sunday afternoon or if the Detroit Tigers defeated the Chicago White Sox in Chicago. "I hope we can delay it [and] hopefully they don't do it here," Tony Beasley said about the Guardians' clinching scenario Sunday. "I'm sure some if not all the players are aware of that, but I don't want that to be our motivation. We need to be motivated to start and win the game ourselves." Cole Ragans got the start, aiming around eighty pitches on the afternoon, against a tough customer against the Rangers in his career, Aaron Civale.
After two scoreless innings on both sides, the third inning broke out for the Cleveland Guardians. Steven Kwan singled home Tyler Freeman to put Cleveland up 1-0. Amed Rosario reached on a fielder's choice, and an error by Josh Jung scored both Kwan Myles Straw. Following that, Oscar González singled to right, scoring Rosario and capping off a four-run third inning for Cleveland. The Rangers picked up a run on an Adolis García sacrifice fly, scoring Marcus Semien. The Rangers entered the fourth without a hit until Semien's single. In the fifth, Josh Smith drove in Jung with a sacrifice fly, cutting the Guardians' lead to 4-2. "Nate has been talking about pitch selection a lot and kind of what he looks for and how he goes about his approach," Josh Jung told me when I asked about veteran influence. "That's been a big help over the past couple of days."
The defense fell a part in the sixth for the Rangers. After two Rangers errors, Gabriel Arias tripled to left center field to score González and Owen Miller to reclaim the four-run lead. Cleveland loaded the bases in the eighth, and Steven Kwan belted his first career grand slam just over the wall in right field. It was a career high five RBI for Kwan which put the nail in the coffin on Sunday. The Rangers fought back with two in their eighth on Nathaniel Lowe's RBI fielders' choice where two runs scored (second scored on an error). The Guardians ended up clinching early on the Chicago White Sox loss and completed a great day for Cleveland by retiring the Rangers in the ninth, popping the champagne postgame. "We didn't take care of the baseball, we didn't make decisions in certain plays, didn't show energy on plays," Tony Beasley said. "There were a lot of things that happened today that we didn't do very well. [Guardians] came out and played like a team that was trying to finish."
Cole Ragans got to the eighty-pitch mark (seventy-nine) in the afternoon. However, he didn't get help from his defense. In his five innings, Ragans allowed four runs (three earned runs), one walk, six hits, and three strikeouts. "I have to be better executing pitches with two strikes," Cole Ragans said. I got to two strikes, left a few pitches over the plate, and they made me pay. I have to get better at executing." John King was the victim of two team errors but allowed a triple in his first inning. On the day, King threw two innings, allowed two hits, two unearned runs, and struck out three. Cleveland punished Joe Barlow with two hits, a hit-by-pitch, a walk, and a grand slam in two-thirds of an inning. It was the fifth homer allowed by Barlow this season (allowed two last season). Dennis Santana finished the eighth and in the ninth he walked one batter, but didn't allow a hit or run.
Postgame Notes
In three career starts vs. Rangers, Aaron Civale has a 1.59 ERA (three runs in seventeen innings). Civale has allowed three hits in each of the three starts against Texas.
In the three games, the Cleveland Guardians hit ten extra-base hits. In addition, they stole seven bases in the series (three on Sunday).
John King has a 1.32 ERA in September (two earned runs in 18.2 innings)
Sunday was the first loss when the Rangers wore their throwback 1972. They were 3-0 entering the day.
Cole Ragans has walked one or fewer batters in three straight starts.
Seven of the twelve hits for Josh Jung to start his MLB career have been extra-base hits. In addition, Jung picked up his third MLB multi-hit game.
Mark Mathias has struck out in nine consecutive plate appearances.
Cleveland swept Texas for the first time since Opening Day 2017 (April 5th-7th)
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