Matthew Boyd, Guardians handle Rangers in rubber game

Matthew Boyd allowed one run over six strong innings and Jhonkensy Noel and David Fry homered as the Cleveland Guardians beat the visiting Texas Rangers 4-2 on Sunday.

In his third start since debuting with Cleveland after elbow surgery, the 33-year-old Boyd (1-0) lowered his ERA to 2.70, yielding just a fifth-inning run, three hits and a walk while striking out four. The win was Boyd's first since June 21, 2023, with the Detroit Tigers.

Emmanuel Clase struck out the side in the ninth for his 38th save as the American League Central-leading Guardians won the final two of the three-game set.

Noel went deep in the second for the 12th time in 41 career games this season. Fry added insurance with his 13th homer into the left field seats in the bottom of the eighth after Corey Seager's 199th career home run got the Rangers within 3-2 in the top of the frame.

Texas' Cody Bradford (4-2) allowed two early runs (one earned), then settled down, giving up three total hits and two walks over six innings.

Bradford put his team in an early hole. Steven Kwan opened Cleveland's first with a walk and went to third when Bradford threw wildly to second on Lane

Thomas' short bouncer to the side of the mound. The Cleveland All-Star came home on Jose Ramirez's sacrifice fly to left-center.

Noel, who went deep in Saturday's 13-5 win, continued his power surge an inning later, when he cleared the 19-foot-high left-center-field wall for a 2-0 Guardians' edge.

Texas finally got on the board in the fifth. Josh Jung singled and eventually scored on Jonah Heim's double off the glove of the pursuing Thomas in right-center field.

Self-induced trouble harmed the Rangers in the Guardians' seventh. Noel reached on a dropped third strike via Jose Leclerc's wild pitch, eventually made it third and scored when the right-hander's pickoff attempt at first base hit Cleveland baserunner Will Brennan and got away from Texas' Nathaniel Lowe for a 3-1 Guardians lead.

--Field Level Media