Brayan Rocchio brought home Chase DeLauter with a safety squeeze in the eighth inning as the visiting Cleveland Guardians beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 Tuesday in Game 1 of a split doubleheader.
The Guardians snapped a season-high five-game losing streak. The game was a makeup after Monday’s scheduled game was postponed due to rain.
Game 2 starts at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Guardians will start right-hander Gavin Williams (10-5, 3.78 ERA), while the Reds plan to have a bullpen game.
DeLauter started the winning rally with a one-out single in the eighth and went to third on a Travis Bazzana single. Rocchio followed with a perfect bunt to the first-base side.
Colin Holderman (6-2) picked up the win with a scoreless seventh inning. Sam Moll (1-7) took the loss for the Reds.
Cade Smith recorded his major league-leading 30th save with a scoreless ninth inning.
Reds starter Chase Burns gave up five hits and five runs, only one earned, in five innings. The right-hander walked two and struck out four on 89 pitches.
Burns has pitched at least five innings in all of his starts this season.
Cleveland starter Slade Cecconi gave up four runs on seven hits in four-plus innings. The southpaw walked one and struck out two on 84 pitches.
The Guardians jumped all over Burns in the first inning.
Jose Ramirez singled with one out and DeLauter reached on an error. Bazzana loaded the bases with a walk.
Kyle Manzardo was apparently hit by a pitch that would have made it 1-0. The Reds challenged, however, and the call was overturned.
Manzardo made them pay by smashing a grand slam to right for a 4-0 Cleveland lead.
Sal Stewart put the Reds on the board with a home run in the third and Cincinnati completely took the lead with four runs in the fourth.
Nathaniel Lowe and Tyler Stephenson started the scoring with back-to-back doubles to make it 4-2.
Edwin Arroyo singled Stephenson in for a run.
Elly De La Cruz kept the inning going by reaching on an infield single.
Stewart then hit a soft single to left that scored Arroyo. De Le Cruz was running on the pitch and scored all the way from first for a 5-4 Reds lead.
Ramirez tied almost all by himself in the fifth when he singled then stole second and third and scored on a DeLauter sacrifice fly.
