Guardians remain in division lead during rough stretch

The Guardians remain in first place in the American League Central even though they’ve gone 2-4 in their last six games, including a 3-2 loss to the Texas Rangers on June 5.

Even though the Guardians are just 4-6 in their last 10 games, they stand at 36-29 and hold a 2-game lead over second-place Chicago (33-30) in the AL Central.
It hasn’t been all bad news. In this most recent stretch, the Guardians won two games in a row at Yankee Stadium on June 2 and 3 before losing the third game  of that series 2-1 on June 4.
Prior to those two wins in the Bronx, Cleveland dropped the final two games of a homestand vs. Boston thanks to some shaky fielding and a porous bullpen.
There have been some highlights.
• In the June 2 9-4 win over the Yankees, Jose Ramirez collected three doubles and drove in two runs and scored a run while Kye Manzardo hit his sixth home run of the season.
• In the June 3 5-4 win over New York, Ramirez continued to punish Yankees pitching, collecting three more hits, including his ninth home run of the year. Manzardo added a homer, his seventh of the campaign, and Rhys Hoskins also homered, his sixth of the year. Gavin Williams went 5 1/3 innings and allowed three earned runs while striking out six to improve his record to 9-3 on the season.
The losses included a 9-1 loss to Boston on May 30 in which the Guardians committed four errors. In a 9-4 loss to the Red Sox on May 31, the usually reliable bullpen was scorched for six runs in an ugly seventh-inning meltdown.
The loss in Texas was especially painful. Rookie sensation Travis Bazzana led off the game with a home run and would finish with three hits, including a double and triple. Rookie left-hander Parker Messick lost just his second game. He cruised through the first five innings, holding the Rangers scoreless. But things unravelled for him in the sixth inning. Messick served up a solo home run to Kyle Higashioka to start the frame and later a two-run homer to Corey Seager to put the Rangers on top 3-2.

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