HOUSTON — The Houston Astros endured a loss Wednesday night — and then the game started.

After seeing center fielder Jake Meyers be helped off the field with a right leg injury minutes before first pitch, the Astros were beaten 4-2 by the Cleveland Guardians, who finished a three-game sweep against Houston at Daikin Park.

The Astros were swept for the first time since their second series of the season, when the Giants won three straight in Houston. They began this series with the American League’s second-best record. The Guardians had lost 10 games in a row.

Cleveland authored a reversal, its struggling offense scoring 17 runs over this series’ first two games and its starter silencing the Astros for most of its finale. Slade Cecconi held Houston scoreless into the eighth inning Wednesday, with its offense stirring too late to stave off a third straight loss.

“You turn the page and put it behind us,” manager Joe Espada said. “Get ready for the (next series against the) Rangers.”

For the Astros, who awoke with a seven-game lead in the AL West, the outcome could take a backseat to concern about Meyers, who has been a key contributor as their everyday center fielder amid a breakout offensive season. Houston said in-game Meyers had exited with “right calf tightness.”

Angel Martínez and José Ramírez struck back-to-back home runs against Astros starter Brandon Walter in the first. Walter allowed no other damage over six innings yet exited in a 2-0 deficit. Cleveland doubled it against reliever Bennett Sousa in the seventh. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases before Johnathan Rodríguez bounced a two-run single through the left side.

Cecconi carried a shutout bid into the eighth inning. He scattered four hits over his first seven frames and struck out nine batters. No runner reached third base against him until the eighth. Taylor Trammell drew a leadoff walk. Mauricio Dubón, the ninth hitter in Houston’s lineup, sent a double to the left-center field gap to score Trammell and chase Cecconi from the game.

Jakob Junis retired Isaac Paredes and pinch-hitter Shay Whitcomb before Jose Altuve lined a double that scored Dubón and brought the potential tying run to the plate. Junis struck out Cam Smith to extinguish the threat and preserve the Guardians’ two-run lead. Paul Sewald secured the final three outs for them, handing Houston three straight losses for the first time since May 4-6.

Meyers’ injury

After missing two games with what the Astros termed right calf tightness, Meyers was in the starting lineup Wednesday. He was jogging to center field for the start of the game when he hopped several times and began limping.

A team trainer and Espada went to center to check on Meyers, who knelt as they talked and was helped off the field with his arm around the trainer’s shoulder. They walked out of the right-field corner instead of back to the Astros’ dugout.

Meyers said postgame that his calf “tightened up running out to my position” and he expected to have more information Thursday, an off day for Houston. Espada said the Astros were having tests done on Meyers.

Meyers did not start Saturday against the Dodgers but entered that game late as a pinch-hitter. He started Sunday, then left that game in the fifth inning. Espada said Meyers’ calf had “tightened on him” Sunday. He did not play Monday or Tuesday.

Meyers entered Wednesday second among Astros position players in WAR, per Baseball Reference. His .308 batting average ranked fifth among qualified major-league hitters and his .774 OPS was the fourth-highest among Astros hitters after Peña, Paredes and Smith.

Dubón, who was going to start Wednesday’s game at shortstop, moved to center field to replace Meyers. Zack Short entered the game at shortstop and replaced Meyers in the second lineup spot.

Two blasts, then silence

Walter’s outing met an inauspicious start. Martínez, the game’s second batter, blasted a 2-1 cutter from the left-hander 374 feet to left field. Ramírez yanked a 2-1 changeup into the Crawford Boxes. Both pitches arrived at the bottom of the zone. Both exited for back-to-back home runs. Walter has allowed eight home runs in seven starts for Houston this season.

“Those homers were just really good swings on decent pitches,” Walter said. “Especially José’s, I mean that was a changeup in a spot where I’m trying to throw it, it’s just a really good hitter making a good swing.

“Just try not to let that change my approach and just stay on my plan and keep throwing strikes and keep mixing the best I can. And I was able to get on a roll there. But yeah, sometimes you’ve just got to tip your cap in this league.”

He authored a sharp pivot. Walter faced 17 more batters and retired them all. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter. The Guardians whiffed on 16 of 44 swings against him. A lineup with eight right-handed hitters took 15 swings against his changeup and whiffed nine times on it. Thirteen balls put in play against him averaged an 85 mph exit velocity.

Walter worked quickly. He threw 60 of 95 pitches for strikes. Just four of his final 17 hitters struck a ball that reached an outfielder. He emerged with a quality start, his fourth in seven major-league starts this season. His ERA in them is 3.98.

“He was really good,” Espada said. “Our bullpen did a nice job. And again we found ourselves battling back, a swing away from getting back in that ballgame.”

Early chances

A night after going 2-for-21 with runners in scoring position in a 10-inning loss, the Astros squandered a couple of early baserunners against Cecconi. Paredes singled to open their first inning. Short struck out. Cecconi included a double-play grounder from Altuve.

In the second, Victor Caratini and Yainer Diaz singled with one out. Cecconi struck out Cooper Hummel and Trammell to strand them. He allowed one other runner into scoring position the next four innings.

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