MLB

Cincinnati Reds at Cleveland Guardians

· Major League Baseball
Cincinnati Reds
76-82, 37-40 Away
Final
1 - 6
Cleveland Guardians
91-67, 49-28 Home

AL Central champion Guardians clinch first-round bye in postseason with 6-1 victory over Reds

Tanner Bibee (12-8) allowed one run on four hits over seven innings to win for the first time at home since July 19. The right-hander struck out seven in what could be his final outing until Game 1 of the ALDS.

Cleveland earned a five-day break between the end of the regular season and the start of the division series on Oct. 5 at Progressive Field.

“Getting these days off is going to give us a lot of rejuvenation, especially for a young team,” Bibee said. “Now, we’re going to be here at home for like two weeks in a row. It’s going to be nice.”

Thomas and Kyle Manzardo both went deep against Carson Spiers (5-7) in a three-run first as the Guardians improved their AL-best home record to 49-28. They have the second-best overall mark in the AL, 1 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees.

Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said he will treat the next four games the same way as the first 158, but admitted, “We might give guys a day off.”

The Reds made their debut under interim manager Freddie Benavides, who was promoted Sunday after David Bell was fired. Benavides’ only managerial experience was four years in the minors for Cincinnati, most recently in 2007 at Single-A Billings.

With the loss, Cincinnati was assured of finishing with a losing record for the eighth time in 10 seasons.

Spencer Steer had an RBI single in the fourth, plating Tyler Stephenson, for the Reds’ final hit. Leadoff hitter Jonathan India was struck on the helmet by a pitch in the fifth, but remained in the game for two more innings.

Hunter Gaddis and AL saves leader Emmanuel Clase retired all six batters they faced to complete the four-hitter for the Guardians.

“Bibee kept us off-balance and he kept balls off the barrel, basically,” Benavides said. “Those two guys at the end are pretty good, too. It’s a solid, solid staff they have on that side.”

Spiers gave up three runs in four innings. Ian Gibaut followed in his first major league appearance since Sept. 30, 2023, working one inning and allowing one run.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: RHP Julian Aguiar (right elbow sprain), who was scheduled to start Wednesday, was placed on the injured list after being hurt during a throwing session. Aguiar did not travel to Cleveland in order to undergo an MRI.

Guardians: OF Steven Kwan (mid-back inflammation) took swings in the batting cage and Vogt said he will be activated during the homestand. The All-Star left fielder was eligible to come off the IL on Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Reds RHP Jakob Junis (4-0, 2.61 ERA) takes on Guardians LHP Joey Cantillo (2-3, 4.63 ERA) in the two-game series finale. Trade deadline acquisition Junis was scratched from starting the opener for personal reasons.

How can I watch Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Guardians?
  • TV Channel: Reds at Guardians 2022 MLB Baseball, is broadcasted on MLB.TV.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Guardians: 58.6%
Reds: 41.4%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

9th Inning Friedl flied out to left.
9th Inning Steer lined out to center.
9th Inning Stephenson struck out swinging.
9th Inning Clase relieved Gaddis
8th Inning Rocchio struck out looking.
8th Inning Bo Naylor struck out swinging.

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/mlb/500/cin.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCIN https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/mlb/500/cle.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCLE
1 Games Played 1
1 Team Games Played 1
1 Hit By Pitch 0
11 Ground Balls 9
8 Strikeouts 7
1 Runs Batted In 6
0 Sacrifice Hit 0
4 Hits 10
0 Stolen Bases 0
2 Walks 3
0 Catcher Interference 0
1 Runs 6
2 Ground Into Double Play 0
0 Sacrifice Flies 1
29 At Bats 32
0 Home Runs 2
0 Grand Slam Home Runs 0
10 Runners Left On Base 10
0 Triples 0
0 Game Winning RBIs 1
0 Intentional Walks 0
2 Doubles 3
10 Fly Balls 17
0 Caught Stealing 1
111 Pitches 154
0 Games Started 0
0 Pinch At Bats 1
0 Pinch Hits 0
0.0 Player Rating 0.0
1 Is Qualified 1
0 Is Qualified In Steals 1
6 Total Bases 19
32 Plate Appearances 36
0.0 Projected Home Runs 324.0
2 Extra Base Hits 5
0.3 Runs Created 6.5
.138 Batting Average .313
.000 Pinch Hit Average .000
.207 Slugging Percentage .594
.138 Secondary Average .344
.219 On Base Percentage .361
.426 OBP Pct + SLG Pct .955
1.1 Ground To Fly Ball Ratio 0.5
0.3 Runs Created Per 27 Outs 7.3
12.0 Batter Rating 46.0
0.0 At Bats Per Home Run 16.0
0.00 Stolen Base Percentage 0.00
3.47 Pitches Per Plate Appearance 4.28
.069 Isolated Power .281
0.25 Walk To Strikeout Ratio 0.43
.063 Walks Per Plate Appearance .083
.000 Secondary Average Minus Batting Average .031
2.0 Runs Produced 12.0
1.0 Runs Ratio 1.0
0.3 Patience Ratio 0.6
0.2 Balls In Play Average 0.3
63.5 MLB Rating 93.5
0.0 Offensive Wins Above Replacement 0.0
0.0 Wins Above Replacement 0.0

Game Information

Progressive Field

Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 19,752 | Capacity:

2024 National League Central Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Milwaukee 93 69 .574 - L1
St. Louis 83 79 .512 10 W1
Chicago 83 79 .512 10 L1
Cincinnati 77 85 .475 16 W1
Pittsburgh 76 86 .469 17 L1

2024 American League Central Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Cleveland 92 69 .571 - L2
Kansas City 86 76 .531 6.5 W1
Detroit 86 76 .531 6.5 L2
Minnesota 82 80 .506 10.5 L4
Chicago 41 121 .253 51.5 W2
Full Standings