Joc Pederson, Rangers eager to overpower Guardians again

Joc Pederson's power has propelled the Texas Rangers to their longest regular-season road winning streak in nine years. Their six-game surge will be on the line Wednesday as they wrap up a three-game series against the host Cleveland Guardians.

Rangers left-hander MacKenzie Gore (5-6, 4.05 ERA) faces Guardians lefty Joey Cantillo (6-3, 3.87) in an afternoon contest that will be played under an extreme heat warning with temperatures in the 90s in Northeast Ohio.

Pederson has five home runs in his past six games, the second time he's achieved that feat this season. American League West-leading Texas has won six in a row overall, outscoring the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland by a combined 31-20 margin.

"It's been incredible," Rangers third baseman Josh Jung said of his teammate. "He had what, two homers in Miami? It felt like he had a homer every day in Toronto, and now he hit the big homer here."

The latest long ball from Pederson occurred Tuesday, when he connected in the third inning against Tanner Bibee for a two-run shot that traveled 403 feet. The blast tied the score in what became a 4-2 Rangers victory.

Since being installed as Texas' leadoff hitter in mid-May, Pederson is batting .252 with 11 homers and 21 RBIs in 41 games. With Brandon Nimmo sidelined due to a left shoulder sprain, Pederson will remain atop the lineup for the foreseeable future.

"There's no words for it," Jung said. "Joc is just providing every night and getting us back in the ballgame or giving us the lead."

The Rangers also are without Wyatt Langford (left hamstring strain), and they lost Corey Seager (back tightness) before his initial at-bat on Tuesday.

"We have been hit with a lot of adversity on this trip," Texas manager Skip Schumaker said. "And my goodness, the guys are coming through every day."

Gore has pitched against the Guardians only once, as a rookie with the San Diego Padres. He gave up one run in 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision at Cleveland on May 4, 2022.

Gore is coming off a road win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, when he threw seven innings of three-run ball.

Cantillo has been outstanding in his past three starts, going 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 19 innings. His last loss came at Texas on June 7, when he was rocked for seven runs on nine hits in five innings.

In two career games against the Rangers, Cantillo is 0-1 with a 7.59 ERA and has allowed four homers in 10 2/3 innings.

Cleveland has dropped nine of 14 games since All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez broke his left hamate bone on June 13, but the surgical stitches have been removed from his wrist.

The Guardians already have lost a home series to Texas for the first time since June 2016, thanks in part to rookie left fielder Cooper Ingle's colossal mental mistake in the seventh inning on Tuesday.

A recently converted catcher, Ingle threw the ball into the stands with two outs -- incorrectly thinking there were three -- and was assessed a two-base error that scored Ezequiel Duran with the go-ahead run.

"Obviously, I feel terrible," said Ingle, who was playing outfield for the second time in the majors. "It's a pretty embarrassing feeling. Tough situation. I went over and apologized to Bibee. If that doesn't happen, he might be able to go deeper in the game."

Catchers Austin Hedges, Patrick Bailey and David Fry spent some time with Ingle in the clubhouse before he spoke with the media. Their message was the same as the one delivered by manager Stephen Vogt immediately after the miscue.

"Rookie, non-rookie, Hall of Famer, it happens to everyone," Vogt said. "We're going to help him through it. I'm not going to be mad at him. I'm not going to hold it against him. We know how good of a player Coop is."

--Field Level Media