The Good And Bad From Guardians' Loss To Rangers

The Cleveland Guardians were in control during their series opener against the Texas Rangers on Friday night. They took an earlier lead against Nathan Eovaldi, one of the best pitchers in baseball, and Slade Cecconi, looking solid after a couple of rough outings.

The Guardians took a one-run lead into the ninth inning, but Cade Smith struggled in his second straight outing, allowing three hits and two runs on seven quick pitches, leading to a Rangers walk-off win, 4-3.

The Good: Slade Cecconi Recovers

Cecconi had a stellar start to his Guardians career earlier this season, but hit a roadblock during his previous two starts. Heading into Friday night, the right-hander had allowed 13 runs in the previous 7.2 innings.

However, Cecconi showed major resilience during his start in Texas. He put both of those rough outings behind him and gave the Guardians a quality start against a talented veteran lineup.

Aug 22, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi (44) throws to the plate during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Cecconi ended up pitching 6.0 innings, giving up four hits, allowing two earned runs (a pair of solo home runs), issuing no walks, and striking out three batters.

After the game, Stephen Vogt said Cecconi “was efficient, getting quick outs. I really liked the way Slade attacked tonight.”

In terms of what may have been mechanically different for Cleveland’s starter compared to the previous two outings, Vogt believes Cecconi “got his slider back.”

The Guardians lost, and that hurts, but Cecconi showed a lot of progression with how he responded from the last few weeks in this outing.

The Bad: Cade Smith Blows The Save

Cade Smith had been so good in the closer role after taking over in the role amid Emmanuel Clase’s absence. However, the last few outings have not gone his way.

Smith’s struggles in Arizona traveled with him to Texas, as he blew another save in the ninth inning.

The Rangers jumped Cade, as the first three batters all recorded hits, and the first two came around to score. It only took seven pitches for Texas to walk off the game.

Aug 22, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith (36) throws to the plate during the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Cleveland’s skipper thought, “It just looked like they jumped, Cade. It looked like he left the [splitter] up just a little bit to Langford; Good hustle, double by him. Then left two fastballs over the heart of the plate to two good fastball hitters.”

As good as Cade has been the last two seasons, he’s still relatively new to this role, and it’s rare that a closer is perfect every time they step on the mound.

Yes, this loss comes at an unfortunate time for the Guardians in terms of where they don't sit in the postseason race, but just because Smith has struggled in the last two games doesn’t mean he doesn’t have closer stuff.

The Good: Slade Cecconi Recovers

The Bad: Cade Smith Blows The Save

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