Joey Cantillo (4-2, 3.92) draws the toughest possible Sunday assignment opposite Jacob deGrom (4-4, 3.48), with first pitch at 1:35 PM CT in Arlington. deGrom is coming off arguably his cleanest outing of the year — 5 shutout innings, 8 K, 1 walk against the Cardinals on June 1 for his 100th career win. Cantillo, meanwhile, got rocked for 4 earned in 4 innings against the Yankees in his last time out, even though Cleveland bailed him out 9-4.
The vibes are tilted toward the visitors after Saturday's 6-0 shellacking. Tanner Bibee finally broke a franchise-record 13-start winless streak by twirling 8 innings of 3-hit ball, and Jose Ramirez and Brayan Rocchio both went deep. Texas, meanwhile, watched Jack Leiter cough up 5 runs in 4.2 innings and never threatened. That's not the look you want heading into a deGrom start where one or two runs of support might be enough.
Cleveland sits at 37-29 and has now won 2 of 3 on this road trip plus took 2 of 3 from the Yankees in the Bronx before this. Texas at 31-33 is still trying to figure itself out — the bullpen is a M.A.S.H. unit, Danny Jansen is on the IL behind the plate, and they're without Josh Smith at second. The injury card below tells the whole story of why Bruce Bochy is mixing and matching every night.
- Day-To-DayCarlos Hernandez RP — Hernandez (shoulder) began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Friday.
- 15-Day-ILErik Sabrowski RP — Sabrowski (elbow) underwent an MRI on Tuesday which confirmed inflammation but no structural damage, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILGabriel Arias SS — no
- Day-To-DayLuis Curvelo RP — The Rangers recalled Curvelo from Triple-A Round Rock on Monday.
- Day-To-DaySebastian Walcott SS — Rangers GM Ross Fenstermaker said Tuesday that Walcott could be ready for game action in August, "if all things according to plan" in his rehab from the internal brace procedure he underwent on his right elbow, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 10-Day-ILJosh Smith 2B — Smith (glute/wrist/illness) began a rehab assignment at Double-A Frisco on Saturday.
- 10-Day-ILDanny Jansen C — Jansen is not in the Rangers' starting lineup against the Guardians on Friday.
- 15-Day-ILCole Winn RP — Winn (arm) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.
- 15-Day-ILChris Martin RP — The Rangers placed Martin on the 15-day injured list Monday with a right shoulder impingement.
- 60-Day-ILJordan Montgomery SP — Montgomery (elbow) threw a 20-pitch live batting practice session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRobert Garcia RP — The Rangers transferred Garcia (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
Pinnacle has the Rangers at -136 on the moneyline with the total parked at 7.5, which feels about right with deGrom on the bump and Cantillo's command being shaky over his last few. The over is juiced toward the under at -115, a quiet nod to deGrom's strikeout stuff and Cleveland's recent feast-or-famine offense — they've scored 0, 6, 2, 5 and 9 over their last 5.
The angle to watch: can Cantillo navigate a Rangers lineup that just got no-hit-adjacent for an afternoon? If he can give Cleveland 5 of the bend-don't-break variety, the Guards' pen has been good enough to hand it off. If not, deGrom in a sleepy 1:35 PM CT start with a one-run lead is a closeout situation no Cleveland fan wants to see.