Cleveland Guardians at Cincinnati Reds Game 2

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
CLE	4	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	6	9	0
CIN	0	0	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	5	11	1

Gavin Williams gets the ball for Cleveland looking to build on a strong season, while Caleb Ferguson tries to give the Reds length out of an unconventional role in the nightcap of this doubleheader. First pitch is 7:10 PM ET.

Bush’s PicksPicks madeJul 28, 4:22 PM CT

-140CLE✓CIN

+117CLECIN

-129OverUnder

Best BetGuardians✓

Postgame

Hit — Cleveland's grand slam and late go-ahead run got them the outright win despite the cold streak.

Pregame

Cleveland was priced as the moneyline favorite here despite arriving on a brutal skid, and the number reflected a rotation and lineup that still grades out ahead of a Reds team missing multiple regulars. The Guardians needed a late rally to close it out, but a win is a win for a club fighting for a wild-card spot. Cincinnati's injury-thinned lineup made them live underdogs, not a team you'd lean on to steal one outright.

Guardians

• +Gavin Williams having a strong season, big K totals
• +Deeper, healthier roster than Cincinnati right now
• +Still fighting for a wild-card spot, motivated
• −Arrived having lost 3 straight to Tampa Bay
• −Offense was completely stalled entering doubleheader
• −Shawn Armstrong just back from IL, untested

Reds

• +Won 2 of last 5, capable of hanging tough
• +Playing loose with nothing to lose in NL Central
• +Home crowd, familiar park for a scrappy lineup
• −Missing McLain, Steer, Santillan and more to injury
• −Ferguson is a reliever pressed into a starter's role
• −Out of playoff contention, less urgency overall

Ferguson wasn't drafted or developed to start games — he spent most of his career as a lefty bullpen arm before an oblique strain wiped out his spring and pushed him into a late debut this year. Cincinnati has leaned on him in an opener-type role ever since, and with Nick Lodolo still nursing a chronic blister issue and Brandon Williamson months from a return, the rotation is running thin. Williams, by contrast, has been one of the better stories in Cleveland's rotation all year, racking up three double-digit strikeout starts.

Gavin Williams

(10-5)·3.78 ERA

Jul 23 vs Twins

ND

7.0IP

0ER

11K

0BB

97P

Caleb Ferguson

(1-0)·3.86 ERA

None of that matters if the lineups don't show up, and that's been the real story for both clubs. Cleveland arrived having dropped 3 straight to Tampa Bay by a combined score of 3-15, scuffling at the plate in a way that made this doubleheader feel like a must-win spot. The Reds, meanwhile, are picking up snake-eyes on the health front — no McLain, no Steer, no Santillan — and it's showing in a lineup that's had to piece things together on the fly.

Cleveland Guardians

(55-53)

Jul 28W@ Reds6-5

Jul 27P@ Reds0-0

Jul 26L@ Rays0-1

Jul 25L@ Rays0-3

Jul 24L@ Rays3-11

Cincinnati Reds

(49-56)

Jul 28Lvs Guardians5-6

Jul 27Pvs Guardians0-0

Jul 26W@ Cardinals5-3

Jul 25L@ Cardinals0-7

Jul 25W@ Cardinals4-2

Game 2 turned into exactly the type of back-and-forth you'd expect from two teams playing shorthanded baseball. Kyle Manzardo's grand slam blew the game open early for Cleveland, and after Cincinnati clawed back with a 4-run third to retake the lead, Chase DeLauter's go-ahead run on a sacrifice bunt in the 8th proved to be the difference. The Reds' bullpen and defense didn't do them any favors late — an error opened the door, and Cleveland walked through it.

Cleveland Guardians

(1)

• 15-Day-ILShawn Armstrong RP — The Guardians reinstated Armstrong (groin) from the 15-day injured list Monday.

Cincinnati Reds

(7)

• 10-Day-ILMatt McLain 2B — Reds manager Terry Francona said Monday that McLain (calf) will stay with Triple-A Louisville on a rehab assignment to begin the week, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
• 10-Day-ILSpencer Steer 1B — Steer will wear a splint for the next two weeks after being diagnosed with a partial tear of the tendon sheath in his right wrist, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
• 10-Day-ILBlake Dunn CF — Dunn (elbow) suffered a setback prior to being sent on a rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.
• 15-Day-ILNick Lodolo SP — Lodolo (finger) threw a bullpen session Sunday, MLB.com reports.
• 15-Day-ILTony Santillan RP — Santillan (oblique) threw out to 75 feet Friday and experienced no discomfort, MLB.com reports.
• 60-Day-ILBrandon Williamson SP — Williamson (shoulder) is scheduled to face hitters Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
• 60-Day-ILGraham Ashcraft RP — Ashcraft (elbow) is on a throwing program, which will have him throw from 105 feet beginning July 20 at the Reds' training facility in Arizona, MLB.com reports.

For a Guardians club still clinging to wild-card hopes a couple games back, escaping a doubleheader split with a win instead of a sweep loss is exactly the kind of scrappy result they needed after the Tampa Bay disaster. The Reds, already out of realistic contention in the NL Central, are mostly playing out the string and evaluating pieces — Ferguson's outing here is as much about figuring out what he can be long-term as it is about winning one game in July.