Nothing separated these teams for four innings. Then the fifth arrived, and the Guardians turned a scoreless game into a laugher. Cleveland scored six runs total, four of them in that decisive fifth, and cruised to a 6-1 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 0 |
| CIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
Joey Cantillo set the tone on the mound. Over 4.0 innings, he allowed just four hits and no runs, striking out eight with only one walk. He didn't factor into the decision, but his effort kept Cincinnati off the board long enough for Cleveland's offense to take over. Kyle Manzardo drove in two runs on a 1-for-3 night that included a walk and a home run, while Gabriel Arias went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
The fifth inning unraveled quickly for Cincinnati. Bazzana singled to left to score Kwan and give Cleveland its first lead of the game. Manzardo walked to bring home Ramírez, then Arias walked to score DeLauter, and Bailey capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to right that plated Bazzana. Four runs, four different ways to score, and the game was effectively decided. Cleveland tacked on more in the seventh when Manzardo homered to right center on a 425-foot shot, and Kwan added a sacrifice fly to score Arias.
Brady Singer took the loss for Cincinnati, allowing 4 runs (0 earned) over 4.1 innings with six hits and four walks. The Reds managed only a glancing response, getting on the board in the sixth when Marte singled to center to score Myers. Noelvi Marte drove in that lone run, going 1-for-4, while Dane Myers reached base with a walk and a hit in his own 1-for-2 night. Cincinnati's bullpen covered 4.2 innings and allowed 2 runs, but the deficit was already too much to overcome.
The result dropped Cincinnati to 50-57, extending its skid to a one-game slide within a broader stretch of struggles this season. Cleveland improved to 56-54, sitting second in its division, with Erik Sabrowski picking up the win after a scoreless two-thirds of an inning in relief.