CLEVELAND – Lane Thomas hit a two-run home run and struck out three, Josh Naylor had two RBIs and the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians secured a bye in the first round of the postseason with a 6-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.
Tanner Bibee (12-8) allowed one run on four hits in seven innings, winning at home for the first time since July 19. The right-hander struck out seven players in what could be his last outing until Game 1 of the ALDS.
Cleveland has earned a five-day break between the end of the regular season and the start of the Division Series on October 5 at Progressive Field.
“These days off will give us a lot of rest, especially for a young team,” Bibee said. “Now we’ll be home here for about two weeks at a time. It’ll be nice.”
Thomas and Kyle Manzardo each homered off Carson Spires (5-7) in a three-run first game, helping the Guardians improve their AL-best home record to 49-28. They have the AL’s second-best overall record, 1 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees.
Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said he would treat the next four games the same as the first 158, but admitted, “Maybe we’ll give the guys a day off.”
“We’ve said from the beginning that we believe we can compete with anyone – and these guys have proven it,” said the first-year captain. “It’s incredible, so great for them. We couldn’t be happier for this opportunity.”
The Reds debuted under interim manager Freddie Benavides, who was promoted Sunday after the firing of David Bell. Benavides’ only coaching experience was four years in the minor leagues with Cincinnati, most recently in 2007 with Single-A Billings.
With this defeat, it was clear that Cincinnati finished with a negative record for the eighth time in ten seasons.
Spencer Steer had an RBI single in the fourth inning to bring home Tyler Stephenson, the Reds’ final hit. Leadoff hitter Jonathan India was hit in the helmet by a pitch in the fifth inning but stayed in the game for two more innings.
Hunter Gaddis and AL saves leader Emmanuel Clase struck out all six batters they faced, completing the four-hitter for the Guardians.
“Bibee kept us off balance and basically kept balls off the run,” Benavides said. “The two guys at the end are pretty good too. They have a solid, solid squad on that side.”
Spiers allowed three runs in four innings. Ian Gibaut followed in his first major league appearance since September 30, 2023, pitching one inning and allowing one run.
TRAINING ROOM
Reds: RHP Julian Aguiar (right elbow sprain), who was scheduled to start Wednesday, was placed on the injured list after being injured during a throwing drill. Aguiar did not travel to Cleveland to undergo an MRI.
Guardians: OF Steven Kwan (middle back inflammation) struck out in the batting cage and Vogt said he will be activated during the homestand. The All-Star left fielder was cleared from the injured list on Tuesday.
Next
Reds RHP Jakob Junis (4-0, 2.61 ERA) will face Guardians LHP Joey Cantillo (2-3, 4.63 ERA) in the finale of the two-game series. Junis, who was signed at the trade deadline, was ruled out of the start of the opener for personal reasons.
——
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
