CLEVELAND (Interstat) — Angel Martínez homered and drove in two runs as the Cleveland Guardians defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 on Saturday at Progressive Field before 33,331 fans in 2 hours, 48 minutes. Martínez went 2 for 4 with his eighth homer of the season, a two-run shot in the seventh inning that broke a 4-4 tie. Brayan Rocchio added a two-run single in the second inning, and the Guardians strung together four runs across the sixth, seventh and eighth frames. Cleveland outhit Cincinnati 10-5. The Reds scored once in the third and three times in the fifth, highlighted by Spencer Steer’s two-run double. Chris Paddack struck out three over five innings for Cincinnati. Erik Sabrowski (2-1) earned the win with one-third of an inning. Cade Smith worked a perfect ninth for his 14th save. Sam Moll (1-3) took the loss. Cleveland improved to 25-22; Cincinnati fell to 24-22.

CLEVELAND (Interstat) — The Cleveland Guardians rallied from a two-run deficit with a five-run burst over the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 on Saturday at Progressive Field, splitting the first two games of the three-game series. Angel Martínez homered and drove in three runs for the Guardians, who improved to 25-22. Cincinnati fell to 24-22. The Reds had taken a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning, but Cleveland tied the game in the sixth and seized control in the seventh when Martínez launched a two-run home run. The blast came off reliever Luis Mey, who had entered the game to start the bottom of the seventh. Kyle Manzardo led off the inning with a single to center field that was deflected by shortstop Elly De La Cruz. After Travis Bazzana struck out swinging and Steven Kwan was called out on strikes, Martínez drove a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right-center field for his eighth home run of the season, scoring Manzardo and giving Cleveland a 6-4 lead. Martínez finished 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs. He also doubled in the sixth inning and scored a run. The Guardians added an insurance run in the eighth. With one out, José Ramírez singled off Connor Phillips. Chase DeLauter walked, and after Kyle Manzardo struck out, Travis Bazzana reached on a fielding error by Phillips. Ramírez scored from second on the play, making it 7-4. Cade Smith pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 14th save, striking out two batters before inducing a lineout to left field from Nathaniel Lowe. Erik Sabrowski (2-1) earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief. He allowed one hit and struck out three. Sam Moll (1-3) took the loss after allowing two runs on two hits and two walks in just one-third of an inning. Cincinnati took the lead in the fifth with a three-run outburst that erased a 2-0 deficit. Blake Dunn led off with a bunt single, then advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Jose Trevino. After Ke’Bryan Hayes walked, Dane Myers was called out on strikes. Elly De La Cruz walked to load the bases, and Sal Stewart walked to force in Dunn, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Spencer Steer then doubled to center field, scoring Hayes and De La Cruz. Stewart was thrown out at the plate on the play, with center fielder Daniel Schneemann relaying to shortstop Brayan Rocchio, who fired to catcher Austin Hedges for the tag. Steer’s double gave the Reds a 4-2 lead. The Reds had tied the game in the third on a solo home run by Myers. With one out, Myers hit a fly ball to right field that cleared the wall for his third homer of the season. De La Cruz followed with a sharp single to center, but was left stranded when Stewart was called out on strikes. Cleveland struck first in the second inning. Steven Kwan singled, and with two outs, Angel Martínez was hit by a pitch. Hedges walked to load the bases, and Rocchio lined a single to left, scoring Kwan and Martínez for a 2-0 lead. The Guardians tied the game 4-4 in the sixth. Kwan led off with a walk off reliever Pierce Johnson. Martínez doubled to left, sending Kwan to third. After Hedges struck out, Rocchio walked to load the bases. Rhys Hoskins, pinch-hitting for Daniel Schneemann, hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Kwan. Moll then intentionally walked Ramírez to reload the bases, but DeLauter grounded out to second base, ending the inning. Cincinnati starter Chris Paddack allowed two runs on three hits and two walks over four innings, striking out five. Cleveland starter Joey Cantillo gave up four runs on four hits and four walks in four innings, striking out three. The Reds managed only five hits in the game, including two from Dunn and one each from Myers, De La Cruz and Steer. De La Cruz also walked twice. Ke’Bryan Hayes went 0-for-2 with a walk, and Matt McLain was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Cleveland collected 10 hits, including two from Rocchio, two from Manzardo, and two from Martínez. Ramírez had two singles. The Guardians stranded nine runners, but their bullpen was dominant after the fifth inning, allowing just two hits over five scoreless frames. Sabrowski, Smith, and Nick Sandlin combined to strike out seven Reds. Cleveland’s defense also made a key play in the fifth when Schneemann threw out Stewart at the plate to prevent further damage. The game was played before an announced crowd of 33,331 at Progressive Field. Time of game was 2 hours, 48 minutes. The series concludes Sunday afternoon. The Reds then travel to Philadelphia for three games, while the Guardians head to Detroit for a four-game set. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Cleveland 5, Cincinnati 3. The ELO system gave Cleveland a 57.40 percent probability to win. Cleveland was a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total of 11 runs went under the over-under line of 8.

CLEVELAND (Interstat) — The Cleveland Guardians host the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, May 16, at 6:10 p.m. at Progressive Field. The Guardians (24-21) enter with a one-game lead over the Reds (23-21) in the early-season standings. Cleveland has won three straight, including a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. The Reds are coming off a 15-1 rout of the Washington Nationals on Thursday, snapping a four-game losing streak. Cincinnati is expected to start either left-hander Chris Paddack (0-5, 5.40 ERA) or right-hander Gavin Williams (5-3, 3.12 ERA). Paddack has struggled to a 0-5 record this season, while Williams has been a bright spot. Cleveland will counter with left-hander Parker Messick, who is 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA over his last four starts. Messick allowed two earned runs over 6 2/3 innings in his last outing against the Angels, striking out seven. He has 27 strikeouts against seven walks over his last 23 innings. The forecast calls for 67 degrees with clouds at first pitch. PLAYERS TO WATCH Reds: Designated hitter JJ Bleday has been Cincinnati’s hottest hitter. In Thursday’s rout, Bleday went 3-for-5 with two home runs and six RBIs. Over his last 10 games, he is batting .333 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. Guardians: Messick will be the key. The rookie lefty has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his five starts this season, striking out 32 over 27 innings. He has held opponents to a .215 batting average. HEAD-TO-HEAD The Reds won the series opener 6-1 on Friday. Bleday homered and drove in three in that game. PROJECTION Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-3 Guardians win. Cleveland is a 57.4 percent favorite per the ELO system. The Guardians are -1.5 on the run line. The over/under is 8. UP NEXT The teams meet again Sunday in Cleveland. The Reds then travel to Philadelphia for a three-game series. The Guardians travel to Detroit for four games starting Monday.