The Cleveland Guardians did not need a barrage of hits to beat the Reds on Wednesday. They simply needed their biggest at-bats to count, and this time they did.
Cleveland broke through with four runs in the fifth inning to back a dominant bullpen effort in a 6-1 victory over the Reds at Great American Ball Park, a result that secured the season series. Travis Bazzana delivered the breakthrough hit with a bases-loaded single, and Kyle Manzardo punctuated the win with a seventh-inning home run.
The team’s official account did not hold back in celebrating the result.
“Put the champagne on ice,” the Guardians posted.
Put the champagne on ice! The Ohio Cup is ours!#GuardsBall | #GuardiWins pic.twitter.com/Q8CIx4qsj1
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 30, 2026
Joey Cantillo gave Cleveland exactly the type of bounce back start it needed after a rough recent stretch, striking out eight across four scoreless innings despite an elevated pitch count that pushed him out of the game earlier than usual. His toughest moment came in the fourth, when Steven Kwan tracked down a deep drive to the warning track to preserve a pair of stranded runners before Cantillo escaped the threat with back-to-back strikeouts. From there, Colin Holderman, Franco Aleman, Erik Sabrowski, Matt Festa, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith combined to allow just one run over the final five innings, extending a stretch in which Cleveland’s bullpen has surrendered only a single earned run across the entire series.
Ramirez continued his career-long success against Cincinnati, collecting two more hits to push his batting average to .302 with 14 home runs and 47 RBIs in 57 games against the Reds. He even added a signature moment of hustle in the sixth, sprinting to third with a headfirst dive after a routine single turned into an extra-base opportunity when a throw skipped away from the infield.
Cleveland will now enjoy a day off before opening a three-game weekend series at home against the Diamondbacks, with Tanner Bibee set to take the mound Friday night.
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