Rhys Hoskins and a Handful of Walks Can't Rally Guardians Past Reds in Series Opener

The Cincinnati Reds nearly handed the game away, but an extra insurance run down the stretch held the Cleveland Guardians at bay.

On Friday, May 15, the Guardians and Reds went toe-to-toe to begin the 2026 rendition of the Ohio Cup. With a chance to begin with a bang, the Guardians fell flat, struggling nearly all game long, falling 7-6. They ultimately ended the nine-inning affair with eight hits and eight walks.

Most of the team's offense came in the dying embers of the contest, as a sixth-inning Rhys Hoskins home run started the late comeback efforts. He is now up to four deep balls on the campaign. From there, runs were tacked on in the eighth and ninth innings, with most of the action on the base paths coming via the Reds' struggles on the mound.

Rhys Hoskins gets us on the board!#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/ZtusiZNqEj
— GuardsTV (@GuardsTV) May 16, 2026

That eighth-inning surge the Guardians were able to find came from the strugglesome arms of Graham Ashcraft and Brock Burke, who combined for one hit, five walks and four earned runs allowed.

"You know, we rarely give a take sign around here," manager Stephen Vogt said. "But just be smart, make them come into the zone. And our guys did a great job. Great job of that, and, you know, obviously, Travis [Bazzana] with the hit to keep the line moving. It was a very good inning for us."

Although the game didn't end up going Cleveland's way, the keen eyes and plate discipline shown down the stretch gave a glimpse into the team's growth at the plate.

Every player who suited up for the Guardians on Friday night and wore the navy blue and red reached base either with a hit or a walk, with Austin Hedges and David Fry serving as the lone exceptions.

Among the group, José Ramírez and Travis Bazzana stood out the most.

Ramírez, who had been struggling a bit at the plate, went 3-for-4 with an RBI. He bumped his batting average back up to .220, with it nearing below .200 just a few days ago.

Bazzana, who is still just a few weeks removed from his call-up to the highest level of professional baseball, continues to look ready for any challenge thrown his way. He went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. His RBI knock came during the eighth inning, when Cleveland needed him to step up.

A four-run inning and just like that, we're back in this thing!#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/CPPHGdKiet
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 16, 2026

Bazzana also had two 10+ pitch at-bats on the night, extending plate appearances and giving the next guy on deck a chance to see what pitches would be coming his way.

"Yeah, Travis, obviously two hits, hit the ball hard there at the end," Vogt said. "I thought we had a number of guys that had really good at-bats tonight, and Travis's at-bats have been very, very good, vs. left, vs. right."

On the mound for the Guardians, starter Tanner Bibee ended up tossing through 6.2 innings. He gave up seven hits, two walks and three earned runs, all while striking out two batters along the way.

"I thought Tanner threw outstanding," said Vogt. "Six and two-thirds, you know, three runs. That's enough to help us win. He did his job tonight."

After Bibee exited, the bullpen saw rocky performances from both Peyton Pallette and Tim Herrin. They combined to give up four hits, four earned runs and one walk in the final two innings of play.

It's hard to argue that Cleveland should've played other, more reliable arms because at the time, everything pointed towards the game being out of reach. At least on a positive note, the team will have it's high-leverage arms ready to go and extra rested for Saturday and Sunday.

The Guardians and Reds are right back in action tomorrow, Saturday, May 16, at 6:10 p.m. EST.

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