King snubs Cleveland; Guards fall to Tampa Bay

 It was a bad day to be a Cleveland sports fan. During the morning hours of July 24, 2026, LeBron James announced he would eschew Cleveland and play his NBA basketball with the Philadelphia 76ers. Then that night the Guardians went out and lost their third straight game, walloped by Tampa Bay, 11-3.

The good news was Chicago lost to Houston, 9-5. Cleveland remained 1 1/2 games behind the White Sox in the race for first in the American League Central.

Cleveland fell in the first of a weekend series. Tampa Bay blew the game open with a four-run eighth inning.
Angel Martinez returned to the lineup after missing more than a month with a broken foot. He, Chase DeLauter and Jose Ramirez all suffered injuries in the June 13 win over Detroit.  Now all three are back.
Austin Hedges hit a two-run home run for Cleveland in the ninth inning. It was the highlight for a Cleveland offense that went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
Joey Cantillo started and took the loss. In 3 2/3 innings, he allowed eight hits and five earned runs.
“Tough night. These nights happen. We’ll flush it and be ready to go,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said of the loss.
In addition to Martinez being activated, the Guardians also moved lefty reliever Tim Herrin back to the active roster. Surprisingly, Daniel Schneemann was sent down to the minor leagues.
Tanner Bibee and his 4-9 record take the mound against Nick Martinez (9-2) at 6:10 p.m. at Tropicana Field.

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