The game was effectively decided in the first inning. Joey Cantillo took the mound and gave Cleveland a performance worth protecting, while the Guardians' offense did the early work that made it matter.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 0 |
| MIA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
Cantillo was the story. The left-hander went five innings, allowing 1 run on 6 hits with 2 walks and 9 strikeouts on 85 pitches. He earned his eighth win of the season against four losses, carrying a 3.56 ERA. Miami's bats could not solve him when it counted, and by the time he departed, Cleveland held a 3-1 lead.
The Guardians struck in the first. Travis Bazzana reached and came around to score when Brayan Rocchio singled to right, putting Cleveland ahead immediately. Rocchio then scored on a Kyle Manzardo single to left, making it 2-0. Rocchio added to his day in the fifth, homering to right 398 feet to extend the lead to 3-1. In the seventh, Kahlil Watson reached on an infield single to shortstop, scoring Bazzana to push it to 4-1. Chase DeLauter capped the scoring with a 435-foot homer to right in the ninth. Rocchio finished 2-for-5 with 2 RBI; DeLauter went 1-for-5 with 1 RBI.
Miami starter Tyler Phillips lasted only one inning, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits with a walk and a strikeout on 26 pitches, taking the loss to fall to 2-4. The Marlins' bullpen covered the remaining eight innings but allowed 3 runs. Xavier Edwards singled home Hernández in the third to cut the deficit, and Griffin Conine hit a 442-foot homer to right center in the ninth, but Miami never seriously threatened the Cleveland lead.
Cleveland extended its winning streak to four games and improved to 51-46. Miami dropped to 52-45, losing its third straight.