The Cincinnati Reds had a chance to keep building momentum on Tuesday, and instead they let the opener of a split doubleheader slip away, falling 6-5 to the Cleveland Guardians at Great American Ball Park.
Cincinnati dug itself into a 4-0 hole after the first inning, then clawed all the way back and grabbed a 5-4 lead by the end of the fourth. A win would have pushed the Reds to 7-3 since the MLB All-Star break, but Cleveland answered, and Cincinnati never recovered.
Sal Stewart was right in the middle of the comeback. He finished 2 for 3 with a walk, a solo home run and a two-run single that put the Reds ahead in the bottom of the fourth inning.
That lead didn’t last long. The Guardians tied the game at five in their next at-bat, then took control in the eighth against reliever Sam Moll. Brayan Rocchio laid down a sacrifice bunt up the first base line, and Chase DeLauter came home with the go-ahead run for a 6-5 Cleveland edge.
The Reds fell to 49-56 with six days left before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Tuesday’s matchup was a makeup game after the teams’ scheduled July 27 meeting was washed out by rain. The clubs were set to play again later July 28 at Great American Ball Park in the game originally scheduled for that date at 7:10 p.m.
Chase Burns didn’t factor into the decision, and his record stayed at 12-1. Four of the five runs charged to him were unearned, but the five hits he allowed still made it a rough outing. It was the most hits Burns had given up since Pittsburgh tagged him for nine on June 27.
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