Things we predicted in the preview: a José Ramírez homer, and the Guardians fighting hard to even up the series. Both things would come to pass as the Braves were shut out for the first time this season, 6-0.
The Guardians put together a more complete performance on all fronts. Braves pitching issued a season-high eight walks but would mostly keep them in the game until late. Unfortunately, the hot bats from yesterday were as absent as Michael Harris II.
Martín Pérez’s only real blemish was the Ramírez solo home run in the first – but that one would turn out to be all Cleveland needed. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second and would settle in nicely for the rest of his five innings of work, lowering his ERA to 3.14.
Parker Messick was as dominant as advertised, working all six of his pitches efficiently to keep the Braves off the board for 6.2 innings and limiting them to four hits and two walks. His changeup was responsible for all five of his strikeouts.
Payamps and Bummer would combine for a stressful sixth inning. Payamps was yanked after facing the minimum, recording one out. Bummer jogged in, walked Chase DeLauter to load the bases, induced a run-scoring groundout, re-loaded the bases with another walk, and then mercifully got a groundout to end the inning.
The bottom of the 1st, 3rd, and 5th would be the Braves’ best chances to score. Scattered walks and singles would get the Braves on first and second each inning, but nothing more. The one hit in the fifth would by Ronald Acuña Jr. for a (mildly stressful) triple, but like all men who reached base before him, he’d be stranded.
Messick got two outs in the bottom of the seventh before allowing a single to Jonah Heim. Walt Weiss countered the resulting pitching change with Dom Smith pinch hitting in Jorge Mateo’s spot. But no big Dom Smith moment here – just an immediate groundout that sent us to the eighth.
Things would get silly (derogatory) in the top of the ninth. Osvaldo Bido had been lights out since joining the Braves, but was grinding here as his pitch count rose. After two outs, he’d walk Steven Kwan. Kwan stole second and came all the way home to score after a double whammy of a Bido wild pitch and Heim, after finally finding it, overthrowing to third. Weiss was forced to dip into the bullpen once more, summoning Tyler Kinley. Kinley joined the walk party but would be tagged with an earned run before ending the inning.
The bottom of the ninth started out promising with a leadoff double by Olson and a walk by Riley. But it wasn’t to be – Dubón struck out after hitting a home run juuust foul, Yaz looked at what he thought was ball four, and Heim popped out after an ABS challenge had him quickly 0-2.
Not a fun one! It will all come down to tomorrow’s series finale, where Bibee and Sale will face off at 7:20 pm ET on NBC.
