Guardians' RISP struggles hang hard-luck loss on Messick

CLEVELAND -- The dramatic nature of the Guardians’ comeback win over the Mariners on Sunday inspired some confidence that Cleveland could use the victory to build midseason momentum.

“Games like that can really show a young group and a new group … ‘Hey, we can still do this. We can still come from behind. We're never out of a game,’” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Monday. “It's just powerful for a group to go through something like that, to win a series and come through with a big come-from-behind win.”

Sunday’s win can still serve as a reference point for Cleveland, but there was no comeback to be had Monday. The Guardians lost, 6-3, to the Rangers in the opener of a three-game series at Progressive Field.

Here are three key elements to Monday’s setback.

1. Messick’s tough-luck loss
There was a point Monday when Parker Messick’s pitch count was at 22 (20 strikes, two balls). He has pitched with precision all season, and his stellar first half should have him in the mix for an invite to the MLB All-Star Game.

Messick’s final line Monday didn’t reflect it, but he was on the mark vs. Texas. He was charged with four runs on eight hits over 6 2/3 innings while striking out five batters. He threw 83 pitches (62 strikes).

“If I throw the ball like I did tonight 10 more times, I think I’d get a much different result,” Messick said. “I got bled to death with a bunch of singles. They're a good team, and they were able to find holes tonight. So props to them. … But the way I felt coming out of the gate and the way I threw the ball tonight, I would do that over and over and over again.”

Messick allowed five singles, two doubles and one triple. His average exit velocity against (78.4 mph) was his lowest this season. The extra-base hits cost him. Cameron Cauley hit a one-out triple in the seventh (80.4 mph exit velocity), aided by right fielder Kahlil Watson falling down trying to get the ball back to the infield.

Cauley scored on a single by Nicky Lopez, and Lopez scored on a double by Justin Foscue (88 mph exit velocity) down the third-base line. It deflected off Gabriel Arias’ glove as he slid attempting to field the ball.

Messick’s 2.85 ERA ranks fifth among qualified AL starters, and his 101 innings (over 17 starts) are tied for fourth. When he takes the ball next, he may be a newly-named All-Star. MLB will announce the Midsummer Classic’s full rosters on Saturday, when Messick is lined up to start.

2. The bunts
The Guardians are tied with the Cardinals and Giants for the fifth most sacrifice bunts (15) this season. It’s philosophically part of what they do to try to generate offense. Given that Cleveland entered Monday ranked 29th in the Majors in runs per game (3.94), every 90 feet can make a difference.

The tradeoff is a sacrifice bunt gives away an out. If you don’t execute, the cost increases, as we saw Monday. The Guardians called on left fielder David Fry to bunt with runners on first and second and nobody out in the fourth. He popped out to catcher Kyle Higashioka.

Steven Kwan followed by grounding into a 1-6-3 double play. One of Cleveland’s best chances at the plate went awry swiftly.

The Guardians finished 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Their struggles in those spots are not new. Perhaps that was reason to call for the bunt. It also could have been reason to let Fry swing away, to take a shot at a larger inning.

Kwan tried to bunt for a hit in the eighth inning, with the Guardians trailing, 6-3. He popped out to catcher Elias Díaz in foul territory.

“We got traffic,” Vogt said. “We just weren't able to get that big hit and keep the line moving.”

3. Arias goes yard
Arias belted a game-tying solo home run in the fifth. It went a Statcast-projected 429 feet, which is the Guardians’ second-longest long ball this season. Kyle Manzardo hit a solo blast 454 feet on April 10 against the Braves.

Arias went 4-for-22 with 13 strikeouts in his first five games after coming off the 60-day injured list on June 14. He was not in the starting lineup for three straight games after he went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts on June 22 against the White Sox. He worked on lowering his hand position in his days out of the lineup.

“I feel they were a little bit too high,” Arias said through interpreter Agustin Rivero. “Keeping them low allows me to be a little more on time and be ready when I wanted to be.”