Jake Fraley socked a solo homer in a three-hit game while Wade Miley earned his first victory in nearly two years as the visiting Cincinnati Reds beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-4 on Monday night.
Miley (1-0) worked five innings, allowing three runs on five hits in his second appearance since joining the team on Wednesday following his recovery from Tommy John surgery performed in May 2024. The 38-year-old struck out two and walked four.
Miley won for the first time since Sept. 21, 2023, when he and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals. The left-hander also made longtime Cleveland manager Terry Francona’s return with Cincinnati a successful one.
Emilio Pagan worked the ninth inning for his 16th save. The Reds won their fourth straight game overall and clinched the season series with in-state rival Cleveland, claiming custody of the Ohio Cup for the first time in 11 years. Cincinnati won all three at home against the Guardians last month.
TJ Friedl hit a solo homer in the third inning, then scored on a Christian Encarnacion-Strand sacrifice fly in the fifth that put Cincinnati ahead for good at 4-3. Gavin Lux (sixth-inning single), Will Benson (seventh-inning single) and Connor Joe (ninth-inning double) tacked on RBI hits for the Reds.
The Guardians scored three times in the bottom of the third on singles from Angel Martinez, Jose Ramirez and Carlos Santana to go up 3-2, but Fraley tied it in the fourth with his homer to right-center.
Fraley finished 3-for-4, raising his average to .218.
Guardians right-hander Luis L. Ortiz (3-7) last 4 2/3 innings and gave up four runs on nine hits. He struck out five and walked one while falling to 1-5 in nine starts since April 23.
Cleveland has dropped three of four on a six-game homestand that began with a weekend series against the Houston Astros. Ramirez extended his on-base streak to 35 games, and Bo Naylor hit a solo homer off Graham Ashcraft in the seventh inning.
–Field Level Media
