If the Cleveland Guardians had a lineup made up of nine Travis Bazzanas, they’d likely go 162-0.
And while that might be a slight exaggeration, Friday night’s affair was nothing short of disappointing for everyone on Cleveland’s roster outside of him.
Traveling to Arlington, Texas, to take on the Rangers, the Guardians entered with a bit of momentum under their belts following a road series win over the New York Yankees. Unfortunately, while Bazzana started the game off with a bang, smacking a solo home run just three pitches into the game, from there, nothing really picked up.
Let’s settle into today’s g… Oh, okay.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/cpjZNRvPch
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) June 6, 2026
In the fourth, Steven Kwan doubled before Austin Hedges brought him home on an RBI single, making the game 2-0. That would be the last time the Guardians scored as they went on to lose, 3-2.
They did spark a mini rally in the ninth, putting two on base, but the Rangers were able to close things out.
Starting pitcher Parker Messick looked sharp through five innings, allowing just one hit before running into trouble in the sixth. Like several Cleveland starters this season, he struggled the third time through the opposing lineup.
To begin the inning, he surrendered a solo home run to Kyle Higashioka on a 3-2 count, trimming Cleveland’s lead to one run.
At the time, it appeared to be little more than a minor setback rather than a turning point, especially considering how dominant Messick had been up until that point in the game.
Jun 5, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Parker Messick (77) throws during the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images
However, the Rangers quickly built on that momentum.
After recording the first out of the inning on the very next batter, Messick allowed a double to Wyatt Langford before Corey Seager launched a two-run homer. In the span of four batters, Texas erased the deficit and seized a 3-2 lead. Seager’s shot snapped an 0-for-29 streak for himself.
While the Guardians had opportunities to respond and help erase the damage from Messick’s rough sixth inning, the offense was unable to generate any momentum. As a squad, the Guardians recorded just two hits, not including Bazzana’s three and Hedges’ two.
Concerningly, this isn’t a new issue.
On Thursday, in the series finale against the Yankees, the Guardians only posted one run and two hits, displaying that somewhat inconsistent offense.
Travis Bazzana is Top 5 among all 2B (min. 130 PA) in:
OBP: .364
OPS: .815
wRC+: 130
Bazzana has immediately made a big impact in Cleveland’s lineup 🔥 pic.twitter.com/f3nEQOA73S
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) June 6, 2026
The shining spot for Cleveland, though, in the series opener against the Rangers was Bazzana, who, outside of his solo homer in the first, also tacked on a triple and single. He finished the game just a double short of a cycle, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
He is now up to 36 hits, nine doubles, one triple and four home runs through his first 34 games in the big leagues.
If he can even remotely keep this up moving forward, not only will he end up in the hunt for an All-Star appearance, but he may be the Guardians’ X-Factor as they look to make a legitimate postseason push.
Hoping to avoid another losing spell from starting, the Guardians will return to Globe Life Field on Saturday, June 6, for a 7:35 p.m. EST first pitch.
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