Guardians Break Rangers Wide Open in Second Inning, Never Look Back in Series Finale

Sometimes, all it takes is one big explosion to knock a team on it's behind.

On Wednesday, July 1, the Cleveland Guardians were able to take down the Texas Rangers 9-4 to secure a series finale win at Progressive Field. Following back-to-back losses to begin the series, the Guardians' offense came to play, posting all five runs in the second inning to give them an early edge.

From there, a combination of good defense and solid pitching guided the team to it's 45th win of the campaign.

Starting pitcher Joey Cantillo would get through five innings, appearing in the sixth inning for just one batter, before exiting. He finished with three hits and four walks allowed, tacking two earned runs on the board while also striking out four batters.

Final line for Cantillo:

3 Hits Allowed
1 Run Allowed
1 Earned Run Allowed
5 Walks Allowed (Career High)
4 Strikeouts

93 Pitches. #GuardsBall https://t.co/LFcPjCJgCm
— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) July 1, 2026

"Obviously, Hog [Austin Hedges] is our leader. He's having a great year, offensively, defensively," manager Stephen Vogt said. "Joey was good. He kind of started to get a little erratic, but Hog brought him back, centered, battled through and gave us five plus. That was huge..."

Fortunately, while he did allow a few runs, that second inning was enough to buffer the scoreboard for the Guardians.

"When we put up runs like that, we know we are going to win a lot of games," Daniel Schneemann, who played a role in the Guardians' surge that frame, said. "I am sure our pitchers appreciate it when we put some runs up like that on the board, but yeah, that is what we are trying to do as an offense. It gives us a lot of confidence."

To begin the second, Brayan Rocchio singled to get on the bags, blowing a ball into left field. Following Rocchio, Gabriel Arias, who has had some ups and downs at the plate since his return from injury just a few weeks ago, singled to right field, advancing Rocchio to third.

With runners at the corners and no outs, Kahlil Watson would strike out, but Austin Hedges would come up to the plate next. He dropped a sacrifice bunt down right in front of home plate, grinding out a sprint to first to be safe while Rocchio dove into home and scored the opening run.

Schneemann would then walk, before a wild pitch during David Fry's at-bat scored Arias.

Fry would work his way into a six-pitch count, before seeing a 96.5 mph fastball towards the opposite side of the strike zone, sending it into right field and over the wall. His three-run home run, which brought Hedges and Schneemann home, gave the Guardians a whopping five-run advantage.

Cleveland Guardians, David Fr — Jun 18, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder David Fry (6) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The dominant inning for the Guardians would eventually end after Chase DeLauter grounded out and Rhys Hoskins struck out.

Through the next six innings, Austin Hedges would belt a two-run homer, Steven Kwan would triple, Kahlil Watson would double and four others would record knocks. They added two runs in the seventh following Kwan's triple to give a bit of a cushion to the scoreline, and then Hedges' two would be tacked on in the eighth.

Steven Kwan triples and the #Guardians have a runner at third with no outs to begin the bottom of the seventh. DeLauter to the plate.#GuardsBall
— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) July 1, 2026

Fortunately, while the pitching staff did waver a bit in the middle to late innings, including a home run given up by Erik Sabrowski, there wasn't enough movement to throw the Guardians in the bin.

Cleveland Guardians, Tim Herri — Jun 24, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Tim Herrin (29) delivers a pitch against the Chicago White Sox during the eighth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Getting a win ahead of a critical American League Central series is big, especially with recent ups and downs plaguing the team.

The Guardians, shutting the door on the Rangers series, will return to the diamond on Thursday, July 2, against the Chicago White Sox at 6:40 p.m. EST. Keeping with the recent trend, they'll be right back at Progressive Field for the four-game series.

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