Cincinnati didn't fold. Cam Stewart's third-inning homer trimmed it to 4-1, and Cecconi's well-documented hard-contact issues caught up with him when the Reds strung together four runs in the fourth to flip the score to 5-4. That kind of response from a last-place team says something about the fight still in that clubhouse, even amid a lost season and a trade deadline approaching.
Cleveland answered right back. The Guardians scratched across a run in the fifth to tie it, then Chase DeLauter came around to score the go-ahead run in the eighth on a Brent Rocchio sacrifice bunt. Holderman got the win out of the bullpen, Moll took the loss, and Smith slammed the door for the save, capping a game the Guardians desperately needed after being outscored 15-4 during their skid.
Burns is still the far better arm on paper and it wasn't really his fault — his defense and offense didn't back him early, and one bad frame against a hot lineup doesn't erase a 2.34 ERA. But this loss stings for a Reds team that's already fighting from behind in the standings and now has to piece together innings around a rotation and lineup missing five regulars.
For Cleveland, the win matters beyond the standings math. Manzardo's slam was the kind of moment a slumping lineup needed to remember it can still do damage, and grinding out the tying and go-ahead runs late against a top-flight starter is exactly the type of game a team points to when trying to turn a season around.