The Cincinnati Reds held off the Cleveland Guardians 5-4 on Friday, May 16 in the first game of a three-game series.
The game featured Reds manager Terry Francona squaring off against his former club for the first time since returning to the dugout this season.
The Reds opened up a 5-0 lead in the first three innings and hung on from there. Cleveland was limited to five hits. Cincinnati totaled 11 hits.
The big hit for the Reds was a three-run home run in the second by Will Benson, a former Cleveland first-round pick. Austin Hay also hit a home run for the Reds, hitting a solo shot in the third for a 5-0 Reds lead.
Carlos Santana’s two-run single in the fourth cut Cleveland’s deficit to 5-2. A Bo Naylor solo home run in the fifth pulled the Guardians to within 5-3 before a Jose Ramirez solo home run in the eighth made it a 5-4 game.
The home run was Naylor’s sixth, while Ramirez has nine homers this season.
Ramirez has homered in three straight games, the ninth time he’s done that in his career. He has a 10-game hitting streak, too.
Guardians-Reds game start time was moved up
The start time of Friday’s game between the Cleveland Guardians and Reds was moved up 90 minutes in anticipation of the forecasted severe weather in the Cincinnati area.
The game at Great American Ball Park began at 5:10 p.m. ET.
Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee started against Cincinnati’s Brady Singer in a battle of right-handers. Bibee (3-4) pitched six innings, giving up all five runs (four earned) on 10 hits, with four strikeouts and one walk. Singer (5-2) went five innings, allowing three runs (all earned), three hits and three walks, while striking out four.
Guardians schedule | next game
The Guardians and Reds continue their series at 6:40 p.m. Saturday, May 17.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians score tonight vs. Reds | Cincinnati manager Terry Francona wins against old team
Reporting by Staff and wire reports / Akron Beacon Journal
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