1 – Naylor!
Josh Naylor with the clinching hit of the night with a double down the right field line scoring Steven Kwan to put the Guardians up for good. 1 – Brilliant Bibee!
Tanner Bibee set the tone for the game from Cleveland’s perspective, pitching seven innings of shutout baseball while only giving up two hits.
3 – Escape Job
Scott Barlow somehow escaped in the 10th inning with the bases loaded and nobody out with a groundout, a fielder’s choice, a strikeout, and a groundout.
In the 11th inning, Osh Naylor and Ramon Laureano each drove in runs, propelling the Cleveland Guardians to a 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves in a showdown between the top two teams in the majors.
Scott Barlow (1-2) navigated through a tense situation in the 10th inning, escaping a bases-loaded predicament with just one out by retiring Chadwick Tromp and Jarred Kelenic, securing the win. Nick Sandlin sealed the deal with a flawless 11th inning, earning his first save of the season.
Naylor contributed a 2-for-4 performance with an RBI, while Steven Kwan went 3-for-5 at the plate.
Making his inaugural start against Atlanta, Tanner Bibee dazzled for the Guardians, tossing seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and no walks, limiting the Braves to just two hits. Bibee’s stellar outing marked his 27th start of five or more innings with three or fewer runs allowed in his first 31 career starts, a feat matched only by Matt Harvey in MLB history.
On the losing side, Dylan Lee (0-1) absorbed the loss for the Braves. Meanwhile, Braves pitcher Charlie Morton delivered seven shutout innings, conceding only four hits and a walk while striking out seven, showcasing a dominant performance. Morton’s strong showing added to the string of quality starts for Atlanta’s rotation, which has surrendered just two runs in 36 2/3 innings over the last five games.
The Guardians, boasting the best record in the American League at 19-8, clinched their seventh win in the last nine games.
Cleveland reliever Hunter Gaddis surrendered his first two runs of the season in the eighth inning after the Guardians had secured a 2-0 lead.
Travis d’Arnaud’s double down the left field foul line brought home Marcell Ozuna, followed by Jarred Kelenic’s bloop single that scored Michael Harris II, although pinch runner Luke Williams was tagged out at the plate by Tyler Freeman.
In the eighth inning, the Guardians manufactured two runs without hitting the ball out of the infield. Two infield hits and a bunt loaded the bases for José Ramírez, whose groundout to second base allowed Bo Naylor to score. The Guardians executed a double steal, with Ramírez narrowly beating the throw at second base to extend Cleveland’s lead to 2-0.
In the sixth inning, the Guardians nearly broke the scoreless deadlock. With two outs and Ramírez on first, Naylor’s double down the right field line was swiftly fielded by Ronald Acuña Jr., who fired it to first baseman Matt Olson, catching Ramírez at the plate.
UP NEXT
The three-game series wraps up with Braves RHP Bryce Elder (1-0, 0.00) making his second start of the season against Guardians RHP Ben Lively (0-1, 2.38) on Sunday.
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