The Guardians began their final home series before the All-Star break with a 4-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants Friday night.
The Guardians (54-31) entered the weekend with a six-game lead over the Minnesota Twins (49-38). Cleveland again had a bit of trouble with the last-place Chicago White Sox but did cruise to a win on July 4th , led by Steven Kwan's three-hit game that included his eighth home run of the season.
The Giants entered this series at 43-45, though they had started to pick up steam as they battle for a wild card spot in the National League.
The game began after a 25-minute rain delay.
Here's how Friday's game unfolded.
Quickly, the Guardians' hopes were dashed.
Doval struck out Jose Ramirez, and Josh Naylor then grounded into a game-ending 4-6-3 doubleplay.
Angel Martinez drew a four-pitch walk, and the Guardians have a possible rally brewing in the ninth.
Jose Ramirez, as the potential winning run, is up with nobody out and two runners on base.
Steven Kwan has led off the ninth inning with an infield-single, which has brought the potential tying run to the plate against Giants closer Camilo Doval.
Angel Martinez is up, with Jose Ramirez lurking on deck.
Bo Naylor was up with two outs and two runners in scoring position in the eighth, but he again rolled over a ground ball for the final out of the inning.
The Guardians and Giants will head to the ninth with Cleveland trailing 4-2.
With Fry on third, third baseman Matt Chapman fielded a ground ball. Fry took off for home plate but had no chance of making it there, and he was eventually tagged out in a rundown.
Bo Naylor then struck out to end the inning.
With Josh Naylor on base, David Fry doubled off the left-field wall to put two runners in scoring position with nobody out.
Andres Gimenez followed with a sacrifice fly to right field that made it a 4-2 score and moved Fry up to third base.
A few weeks ago, Stephen Vogt walked to the mound and surprised Bibee by challenging him to get one more out instead of taking him out of the game. This time, though, Bibee's day is actually done after 99 pitches.
Bibee recovered from his shaky first inning a bit, striking out five consecutive hitters at one point, but this wasn't his best outing of the season.
Lefty Tim Herrin will be entering the game.
The Guardians are on the board, as Josh Naylor crushed a solo home run to dead center field that reached the trees and traveled an estimated 426 feet.
That was Naylor's 21st home run of the season, which sets a single-season career high. Naylor has been a major piece of the Guardians' power surge this season .
The Guardians trail 4-1.
Tanner Bibee ended an inning limping a bit after a play in the field, though it appears as though he might remain in the game. It looked to be an ankle issue, and it'll be something for the Guardians to watch the rest of the night.
The Guardians threatened in the second inning but couldn't break through, as Gabriel Arias struck out and Bo Naylor grounded out with two runners on base to end the inning.
The game was delayed for 25 minutes. It took Tanner Bibee about 25 seconds to run into trouble once the game did start.
The Giants quickly loaded the bases, and with a one-run lead, Michael Conforto broke open the rally with a two-run double to right field to give San Francisco a quick 3-0 advantage.
Guardians, Giants underway at Progressive Field after 25-minute delay
After a short delay, the Guardians and Giants are now playing.
The Guardians and Giants game Friday night at Progressive Field will begin in a delay due to inclement weather.
First pitch has been tentatively set for 7:35 p.m.
Below is some pregame information.
Prior to Friday's game, the Guardians completed a trade to boost their pitching depth by acquiring right-handed pitcher Spencer Howard from the Giants in exchange for cash considerations.
Howard will join the Guardians in the next few days. Right-handed pitcher Wes Parsons was designated for assignment.
Howard, 27, owns a career 6.93 ERA with 130 strikeouts in 139 innings across five seasons in the major leagues, which includes stints with the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers and the Giants this year. This season, he has a 5.63 ERA in 24 innings.
Howard was originally a second-round pick by the Phillies in the draft.
2024 MLB Trade Deadline preview with Guardians targets, needs
The trade deadline is under a month away. The Guardians find themselves in an enviable position, as they're in first place in the division and have the No. 1 pick in the draft. In terms of the trade market, we broke down their top needs and targets .
Breaking down the top 7 candidates for Guardians to select with No. 1 overall pick in MLB Draft
The Guardians have the No. 1 overall selection in next week's MLB Draft after they won the league's lottery system. Here's a look at the top seven candidates who could be taken with that pick .
Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan named 2024 American League All-Stars
During ESPN's live show Wednesday night, third baseman Jose Ramirez and outfielder Steven Kwan were named starters for the American League in the 2024 All-Star Game .
Guardians option Triston McKenzie to Triple-A Columbus
As starting pitcher Triston McKenzie deals with command issues, the Guardians sent him down to Triple-A as Gavin Williams returned from the injured list earlier this week.
How can I watch, listen or stream the Cleveland Guardians game today?
The game will be televised locally by Bally Sports Great Lakes and out-of-network on MLB Network. It will broadcast on the radio by WTAM (1100-AM) and WMMS (100.7-FM).
Next game on Guardians schedule
After this three-game series with the Giants at Progressive Field, the Guardians then travel to Detroit and Tampa for a seven-game road trip that will lead into the All-Star break.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians vs. San Francisco Giants recap: Giants hold on to win series opener
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