Josh Naylor hit his 17th homer and Tyler Freeman made two impressive defensive plays, helping the Cleveland Guardians beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-3 on Tuesday night in the opener of the Ohio Cup series.
Steven Kwan hit a two-run double for AL Central-leading Cleveland, which earned its third consecutive win. Triston McKenzie (3-3) pitched 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball, and Emmanuel Clase worked a shaky ninth for his 20th save.
The Guardians went ahead to stay with three runs in the third against Nick Martinez (2-4). Kwan hit a two-run double and scored on Naylor’s single.