CLEVELAND – David Fry had a game-ending hit and the Cleveland Guardians stopped the Atlanta Braves' nine-game winning streak with a 6-5 victory in 10 innings Tuesday night.
Fry drove an 0-1 pitch over the head of left fielder Eddie Rosario to score Amed Rosario from third base. Braves closer Raisel Iglesias (3-3) intentionally walked Andrés Giménez, bringing Fry to the plate with two outs.
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“Off the bat I was like it’s for sure a hit,” Fry said. “And then I was watching Rosario. I thought, he’s going to catch this thing. I had my hand in the air, I need to put my hand down because he is about to catch it. But when I saw it land, pretty fired up."
Fry was mobbed by his teammates in the celebration that ended the tense contest.
“It's a hard-fought game,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We ended up a run shy. We battled back and put ourselves in a good position.”
Guardians center fielder Myles Straw threw out Sam Hilliard at the plate to keep the game tied in the top of the inning. Hilliard was the automatic runner and took third on a fly ball. Straw fielded Eddie Rosario's line drive and made a strong throw to Fry, who made a diving tag .
“As an outfielder you always kind of want that play and luckily enough (Rosario) didn’t hit that ball too well,” Straw said. "Fry made a great play. It was kind of to the right a little bit and he put his body on the line."
Gabriel Arias almost short circuited the rally when he bunted into a double play with runners on first and second.
“After that double play I was hoping we'd get a crack at the next half inning,” Snitker said. “That was a great double play by everybody.”
Ennyel De Los Santos (4-1) pitched the 10th for Cleveland.
Atlanta had won 17 of 18 and 24 of 27. The Braves, who have eight All-Stars, own MLB’s best record (57-28).
Cleveland has played 36 one-run games, going 17-19. The Guardians have played 53 games decided by two runs or fewer and are 28-25.
Amed Rosario drove in four runs, including a go-ahead single in the seventh. Ozzie Albies, who hit a two-run homer in the fifth, tied the game with a leadoff homer in the ninth off closer Emmanuel Clase.
Ronald Acuña Jr. stole his 41st base of the season for the Braves in their four-run fifth, but the bullpen couldn't hold a 4-2 lead.
Amed Rosario hit a two-run double in the third that gave Cleveland an early lead. Atlanta went ahead in the fifth, but Rosario’s leadoff homer in the sixth that cut Atlanta’s lead to 4-3.
Steven Kwan’s single tied the game in the seventh. He stole second and scored when Rosario slapped a single through the right side.
The Braves didn't have a hit against Cleveland ace Shane Bieber until the fourth inning before scoring four times in the fifth to erase a 2-0 deficit. Albies' home run tied the game. Travis d’Arnaud's RBI single gave Atlanta the lead and Eddie Rosario added a run-scoring double.
Acuña started the fifth-inning rally with a one-out single. The hit extended Acuña's hitting streak to 15 games, and he stole second. Albies followed with a towering drive to right. Atlanta's No. 2 hitter has 22 homers this season.
Bieber pitched out of bases-loaded jam in the first, but the Braves' offense eventually caught up to him. He was charged with four runs, allowed six hits and issued a career-high five walks. Bieber threw 97 pitches in 4 2/3 innings.
Acuña also singled in the sixth. The four-time All-Star outfielder is the first player to reach 20 home runs, 40 stolen bases and 50 RBIs before the All-Star break.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Braves: RHP Max Fried (forearm strain) faced live hitters for the second time on Tuesday. Manager Brian Snitker said the team will see how Fried feels Wednesday before a decision on the next step in his return process is made.
Guardians: First baseman Josh Naylor (right wrist tendinitis) was out of the lineup. Imaging tests showed swelling and Naylor is considered day-to-day.
UP NEXT
RHP Michael Soroka (1-1, 6.89 ERA) will start the series finale for the Braves on Wednesday night. RHP Cal Quantrill (2-5, 6.18 ERA) will start for the Guardians.
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