Sports
Guardians vs. Reds Monday Prediction: Best Bets for the Battle of Ohio
The Cleveland Guardians (54-53) and the Cincinnati Reds (49-55) meet at Great American Ball Park on the banks of the Ohio River in the battle of the Buckeye State. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN.
As luck has it, I am in the Queen City this week, and if the kids get tired of Kings Island Amusement Park in the next couple of days, I wouldn’t mind finding our way over to the yard for some ball, dogs with Skyline Chili and other various ballpark snacks.
The Guardians had a rough time on the Suncoast of Florida, as the Tampa Bay Rays not only swept Cleveland, but the Guards were shut out in each of the final two games of the series. The Cleveland pitching staff bounced back after an 11-3 loss Friday, as it allowed just four runs in the past two outings. However, the offense needs to do something, or management needs to go out and grab a bat.
Meanwhile, the Reds did a good job at Busch Stadium II in St. Louis, picking up two wins in three at-bats to win the series. That’s the third consecutive series victory for Cincinnati, who improved to 6-3 in the past nine games, all on the road.
The last time we saw Cincinnati at GABP, it suffered a series loss to the division-rival Chicago Cubs July 10-12. In fact, while the Reds have won three straight series on the road, they’ve dropped four consecutive series at home, going 3-9 in the past 12 outings, including two series losses against division rivals.
Cleveland turns to RHP Slade Cecconi (4-7, 4.60 ERA, 1.45 WHIP) to snap the team’s skid. The Guardians are in a tailspin, losing each of the past five games, while scoring just four total runs in the past four outings. As luck has it, the last time it had an offensive eruption, it scored six for Cecconi at home against the Minnesota Twins last Wednesday, but the Twins dropped a 10-spot.
Cincinnati counters with RHP Chase Burns (12-1, 2.42 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) across his 19 starts this season. He has been a godsend for the Cincinnati rotation, especially since he has accounted for 24.5% of the team’s victory total.
The Reds need Burns to stay hot, as Cleveland won two of three meetings with Cincinnati at Progressive Field May 15-17, with the Guardians averaging 7.7 runs per game (RPG) in the three-game set. It’s baseball, and Cleveland is due after getting blanked in back-to-back games. But, it still seems rather improbable it will explode against one of the best pitchers, statistically, in the National League.
While the Over cashed in the first three meetings in Cleveland in mid-May, the lean is to the UNDER 8.5 (-105).
And while you’ll be eating a little bit more chalk than I’d like, REDS ML (-174) is a strong play based on the red-hot Burns, and the ice-cold Cleveland offense. Let’s just hope Cecconi doesn’t get tuned up. The Reds have won four of five games, with the Under going 4-1 in that span. Cincinnati has totaled 18 runs in the past six games (3.0 RPG), while allowing just 17 runs (3.4 RPG) in the past five outings. A same-game parlay (SGP) is a solid +183, which is worth a roll of the dice.
Sports
Michael Massey's blast lifts Royals over Tigers
Jul 26, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Lane Thomas (15) hits a home run in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Michael Massey hit a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth inning and the visiting Kansas City Royals hung on for a 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.
Massey’s eighth homer made a winner of Nate Pearson (2-0), who was making his Royals debut after being acquired in a trade with Houston. Steven Cruz survived a ninth-inning jam to record his second save.
Lane Thomas had a solo homer and Luke Maile added an RBI double as the Royals salvaged a split of the four-game series.
Dillon Dingler had two hits and drove in two runs for Detroit.
Kansas City took a 2-0 lead in the first. Leadoff hitter Thomas hit a 3-2 pitch to the opposite field that just cleared the wall. The Royals then scratched out an unearned run. Nick Loftin singled and Salvador Perez was hit by a pitch. Valdez retired the next two batters before walking Isaac Collins to load the bases.
Second baseman Hao-Yu Lee then bobbled Tyler Tolbert’s grounder, allowing Loftin to score.
The Royals made it 3-0 in the fourth. Tolbert drew a one-out walk and Maile followed with a double down the left field line to knock him in.
Detroit took a 4-3 lead in the fifth. Lee led off with a double and Colt Keith walked. Kevin McGonigle singled to load the bases. After Gleyber Torres struck out, Avila was removed for Matt Strahm. Riley Greene hit a bouncer up the middle that got by second baseman Andrew Velazquez for an error. Two runs scored and Greene raced all the way to second. Dingler then knocked in McGonigle and Greene with a single up the middle.
Collins had a bloop single off Drew Sommers with one out in the eighth. Sommers (0-1) struck out the next batter but Massey took advantage of a hanging slider and deposited over the right field wall to give his club a 5-4 advantage.
Detroit had two runners on with no one out in the ninth as Lee walked and Keith singled. Cruz then recorded two strikeouts, sandwiching a popout, to end the contest.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers pound Rockies 11-2
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) throws during the first inning of their game against the Colorado Rockies Sunday, July 26, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Jacob Misiorowski retired the first 14 batters he faced and finished with 12 strikeouts, Andrew Vaughn homered and the host Milwaukee Brewers beat the Colorado Rockies 11-2 on Sunday.
Jackson Chourio, Joey Ortiz, Luis Lara, Cooper Pratt and Jake Bauers had two hits apiece for Milwaukee, which broke open a close game in the sixth inning to win the series.
Misiorowski struck out seven in a row to start the game and 12 of the first 13 batters he faced with pitches consistently above 100 mph. Cole Carrigg ended the bid for a perfect game with an opposite-field homer to left.
Willi Castro was hit by a pitch before Misiorowski got Troy Johnston to ground out to end the inning — and his afternoon. Misiorowski (11-4) allowed one run on one hit and didn’t walk a batter in his five innings.
Carrigg’s home run was his fifth of the season and Castro hit a solo home run in the seventh for the Rockies, who finished with five hits and fanned 15 times.
Chourio led off the bottom of the first with the first of his two doubles and scored on Brice Turang’s single. One out later, William Contreras doubled to put runners on second and third, Turang scored on a Freeland wild pitch and Contreras came home on a groundout.
Freeland (2-10) settled in, giving up just two hits over the next four innings before Vaughn led off the sixth with his fourth home run. Freeland left after a one-out walk to Bauers, having allowed five runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
The Brewers added on against Colorado’s bullpen.
Bauers stole second and Jimmy Herget walked Gary Sanchez ahead of three straight doubles. Lara brought home Bauers with the first two-bagger, Pratt made it 7-1 with a two-run double and Ortiz put runners on second and third with the next double.
Pratt capped the inning when he scored on a groundout.
After Castro’s 10th home run, Sanchez and Lara had RBI doubles in the bottom of the seventh and Vaughn a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Munetaka Murakami strokes 2 of White Sox's 5 homers in rout of Astros
Jul 26, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) is greeted in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images Miguel Vargas hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the sixth inning and Munetaka Murakami added a pair of homers as the host Chicago White Sox routed the Houston Astros 12-3 on Sunday to avoid a series sweep.
Chicago clubbed a season high-tying five home runs compared to three from Houston to extend its lead atop the American League Central to 2 1/2 games over Cleveland.
With his parents throwing out first pitches on his bobblehead day, Murakami went 3-for-5 with a career-high six RBIs. He drilled an opposite-field two-run homer in the first, drove in a run with a third-inning groundout, added a two-run single in a four-run seventh and finished with a solo clout to right in the eighth.
Jeremy Pena cracked solo homers in his first two at-bats and Taylor Trammell added a solo homer for the Astros, whose five-game winning streak came to a close.
The White Sox’s breakout against Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco in the sixth turned the tide. Sam Antonacci, who collected two hits, led off with a double and advanced to third on a Murakami groundout. Vargas followed with a two-run blast to left field, his 21st homer this season, to put the White Sox ahead 5-3.
Blanco (0-1) scattered five runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings with three walks and four strikeouts. It marked his second start since rejoining the rotation last week following Tommy John surgery in June 2025.
After Pena opened the game with a home run, Murakami reached Blanco for a two-run home run in the first to stop a 13-game homerless streak.
Houston’s own penchant for the long ball kept the club afloat in the early innings. Jeremy Pena stretched his hitting streak to eight games with a pair of home runs.
White Sox starter Erick Fedde yielded three solo home runs among his five hits over 4 1/3 innings. Pena homered against Fedde with one out in the third, then Taylor Trammell sent Fedde’s first delivery of the fifth over the wall in right center.
Fedde walked one and struck out two. Sean Newcomb (1-2) worked around a hit and walk to get the final two outs in the sixth to notch the victory.
Chase Meidroth homered in the seventh for Chicago and Junior Perez added a two-run blast in the eighth.
–Field Level Media
Michael Massey's blast lifts Royals over Tigers
Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers pound Rockies 11-2
