Guardians Host A’s for Critical Three-Game Series This Weekend

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Guardians are set to face off against the Oakland Athletics in a crucial three-game series beginning Friday at 7:10 p.m. at Progressive Field.

This matchup is important for both teams as they look to capitalize on recent performances. The Guardians enter the series after winning six of their last seven games, improving their season record to 46-49. Meanwhile, the A’s have also seen some success, winning three of their last four games, which brings their record to 41-57.

The starting pitchers for Friday’s game are RHP Slade Cecconi (4-4, 3.44 ERA) for the Guardians and LHP JP Sears (7-7, 4.79 ERA) for the Athletics. The series will continue with Saturday’s game featuring LHP Logan Allen (6-7, 4.00) against RHP Luis Severino (2-11, 5.16), and conclude on Sunday with RHP Gavin Williams (5-4, 3.70) matching up against LHP Jeffrey Springs (8-6, 3.93).

This season, the Guardians lead the season series against the A’s 2-1. Notably, Cecconi recently threw seven scoreless innings against the A’s, contributing to a 3-0 victory on June 22.

The Athletics boast significant power with All-Star Brent Rooker, who has hit 20 home runs this season, alongside teammates Tyler Soderstrom and rookie Nick Kurtz, who have contributed 18 and 17 home runs, respectively.

Injury updates indicate several key players are sidelined for both teams. The A’s have pitchers Grant Holman, Ken Waldichuk, Gunnar Heglund, Brady Basso, Jose Leclerc, and Luis Medina on the injured list. Similarly, the Guardians are missing RHP Paul Sewald, OF Lane Thomas, INF Gabriel Arias, and several others due to injuries.

As the series progresses, the Guardians will look to maintain their momentum and improve their standings in the American League wild-card race, while the Athletics hope to continue building after a rocky start to the season. The excitement of this weekend series is palpable, and both teams are eager to leave their mark as the second half of the season kicks off.