The injury-riddled Cleveland Guardians will turn to Parker Messick as they try to avoid a sweep against the host Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday in the finale of a three-game series.

Messick (6-3, 2.68 ERA) will face Shane Drohan (3-2, 3.59) in a matchup of left-handers. Each will be facing the opponent for the first time in his career.

Christian Yelich and Jackson Chourio homered to pace Milwaukee to a 9-4 victory on Wednesday, moving the NL Central-leading Brewers a season-high 19 games above .500.

Daniel Schneemann accounted for all of the Guardians’ runs with a fourth-inning grand slam that cut the deficit to 5-4. With starters Chase DeLauter, Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez all on the injured list, Cleveland managed just three hits.

DeLauter (ribcage), Ramirez (hand), and Martinez (foot) all were injured in Cleveland’s 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. DeLauter was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday, and outfielder Kahlil Watson was recalled from Triple-A Columbus.

“We took a big hit over the weekend,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said following the Wednesday game. “It’s been two games and it’s going to take this offense some time to get its cadence and get its rhythm.”

The three injured players are Cleveland’s top RBI producers. Martinez has a team-high 11 homers along with 33 RBIs. Ramirez has 10 homers and 33 RBIs, and DeLauter has seven homers and a team-leading 34 RBIs.

“We’ve got to keep working, got to keep going and we’re going to get better,” Vogt said.

Cleveland has dropped 10 of its past 15 games.

Messick has won just once in five starts since mid-May. He has lost both of his outings this month, allowing eight runs (seven earned) in 11 1/3 innings.

Messick yielded five runs (four earned) on five hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings in his latest start, an 8-4 home loss to the New York Yankees on June 10. He struck out four.

Drohan will make his fourth consecutive start after 10 straight relief appearances. He is 1-1 with a 5.28 ERA in three starts this month, having allowed nine runs on 17 hits in 15 1/3 innings.

Drohan took the loss in his most recent appearance, giving up four runs on eight hits in five-plus innings during a 9-8 home defeat against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. He fanned seven and walked one.

Highly touted Brewers rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt singled twice, drove in one run and stole a base on Wednesday after going 0-for-3 and committing an error in his major league debut on Tuesday.

“Yesterday, I was just kind of trying to figure out the schedule, trying to figure out where I was supposed to be, when I was supposed to be there and not be late. Trying to figure the ins and outs, kind of,” Pratt said following the Wednesday game. “Today, after having yesterday, knowing when to do stuff, not being rushed. And then I was more relaxed as I got the first one out of the way and then it was just like, ‘You had your day, now it’s time to play.'”

Chourio has been on a tear, socking six homers in his past seven games. He is hitting .370 (27-for-73) over his past 17 games with nine homers, four doubles and 23 RBIs.

–Field Level Media

It’s been a familiar refrain this season, but the Boston Red Sox have to find a way to produce more offense.

That will be among Boston’s goals Thursday afternoon, when the Red Sox wrap up a three-game series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto will be seeking a sweep after winning 6-1 on Tuesday and 3-0 on Wednesday.

Boston has left 13 runners on base in each of the first two games of the series while going a combined 1-for-24 with runners in scoring position. The Red Sox stranded at least one runner in each of the first eight innings of their shutout loss on Wednesday.

“Got a really good effort out of Jake (Bennett, the starting pitcher), and again we had our opportunities,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “In the first six innings (we) had a lot of guys in scoring position, so it was similar (to Tuesday).

“I just think (the players are) pressing, in general. They want it bad. You can feel the frustration. They know we’re getting the chances. They’re working hard at it, and we’re getting some spots and not getting a hit, but then we’ll have a stretch where it will come.”

Boston has failed to score more than three runs in 39 of its 71 games. Thanks to the current three-game losing streak, the Red Sox are a season-worst 13 games below .500.

The Red Sox enter the Thursday contest with a .695 OPS (25th in the majors) thanks to a .314 on-base percentage (21st) and a .381 slugging percentage (26th).

“We took some walks, we got some baserunners,” Tracy said. “Some of the opportunities that we created were the result of taking walks and getting a guy out there. We need to drive a ball with two outs, one out and find a gap. Usually you get one swing and it turns things, but just a struggle right now.

“We had some stretches in the latter part of May where it felt like we came through a lot, and right now we’re struggling. There’s a lot of baserunners out there in scoring position and you’re looking for a knock. So we’re gonna keep plugging away at it.”

Toronto’s Andres Gimenez had two hits, three stolen bases and two runs on Wednesday. He had a solo home run and a double while scoring twice on Tuesday. Gimenez entered the series batting .179 (12-for-67) with one homer and one steal over his previous 22 games.

“I’ve been working a lot in the (batting) cage and obviously it feels great when you’re helping the team win,” Gimenez said. “(Stealing bases) feels great. That’s something that I do. That’s how I play. If I’m healthy and my legs are feeling good, obviously it’s part of my game.”

The Thursday pitching matchup features Boston’s Sonny Gray (8-1, 3.03 ERA) and Toronto’s Trey Yesavage (3-3, 3.78) in a battle of right-handers.

In his past eight starts, Gray is 6-0 with a 2.36 ERA, and he won each of his past three outings. Most recently, he threw six innings of one-run ball to beat the Texas Rangers 10-1 on Friday.

Gray is 4-4 with a 2.91 ERA in 15 career appearances (14 starts) against the Blue Jays.

Yesavage wasn’t effective but earned a win his last time out, permitting five runs and walking six in five-plus innings during an 8-5 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday.

He faced Boston for the first time in his career on April 28, and he fired 5 1/3 shutout innings en route to a 3-0 victory in Toronto.

The Blue Jays had lost four of their past six games before arriving in Boston this week.

–Field Level Media

With the Baltimore Orioles leading by three runs in the top of the ninth inning Wednesday at Seattle, closer Ryan Helsley began warming up.

Activated from the injured list a day earlier after being out since late April with right elbow inflammation, Helsley was eager to build on his strong start to the season. He was 7-for-7 in save opportunities with a 2.53 ERA before the injury.

When teammate Jackson Holliday homered with two outs in the ninth, Helsley no longer had a chance to get a save.

Maybe that caused Helsley to lose a bit of focus, as he allowed back-to-back homers to the first two batters he faced — Dominic Canzone and Cole Young. But Helsley bounced back to retire the next three in order, closing with a pair of strikeouts.

The three-game series wraps up Thursday afternoon in Seattle.

“I’m pain-free, and (the rehabilitation assignment) was about making sure I could bounce back and feel kind of like my normal self,” said Helsley, who signed a two-year, $28 million deal with the Orioles in the offseason.

“It’ll probably take a couple of outings to feel like that here in the big leagues. You can’t replicate that, but overall I feel really good and I’m just excited to be back up on the team.”

Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz stressed the importance of Helsley rejoining the bullpen.

“Getting Helsley back right now, it trickles everyone down,” Albernaz said. “Even though the bullpen did an outstanding job navigating these two months, it feels good having Helsley back. His rehab outings were very bullish on what he can bring to the back end of the ‘pen, and also now it kind of sets the rest of the guys up into certain pockets of hitters, and also innings as well, so it’ll be a nice little trick in that effect for us.”

Gunnar Henderson also went deep and Kyle Bradish allowed one run on five hits over 7 2/3 innings, with a career-high 12 strikeouts, as the Orioles snapped a three-game skid.

The ailing Mariners, without first baseman Josh Naylor (wrist) and outfielder Luke Raley (back) for the second straight game, got another scare when center fielder Julio Rodriguez left after six innings with what manager Dan Wilson called a “little bit of a spasm in his hamstring.”

Rodriguez apparently tweaked the hamstring when making a leaping catch of a ball hit by Adley Rutschman to start the sixth.

“We thought it best to get him out with what we’ve got going on right now in terms of injuries,” Wilson said. “We thought it was smart to get him out of there and give it a little bit of a rest.”

The Mariners activated catcher Cal Raleigh (oblique) and third baseman J.P. Crawford (hand) from the injured list Tuesday, while losing left fielder Randy Arozarena (hamstring).

“Injuries are just part of the season,” Wilson said. “It happens to every team. It seems to have happened kind of simultaneously here with us, with a lot of different guys, but that’s just the way the game goes.”

The series finale will feature a pair of right-handers in the Orioles’ Shane Baz (4-6, 4.06 ERA) and the Mariners’ Bryan Woo (5-5, 4.28).

Baz hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his past five starts, going 3-1. He beat visiting San Diego 7-3 on Friday as he gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits over five innings. Baz is 1-0 in one career start against Seattle, pitching six scoreless innings last September.

Woo has dropped two straight decisions and three of four. He suffered a 7-5 loss last Thursday in Baltimore as he gave up seven runs on seven hits over five innings. He’s 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in two career starts against the Orioles, including a seven-run outing on June 11.

–Field Level Media