Braves, Guardians battle it out to stay undefeated in series play

The race to determine the last Major League Baseball team to lose a series this season will, appropriately, go down to the wire Sunday night.

The Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Guardians each will attempt to remain unbeaten in series play Sunday night, when Atlanta hosts Cleveland in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set.

Left-hander Chris Sale (2-1, 3.94 ERA) is slated to start for the Braves against Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee (0-1, 3.29).

The Guardians equaled the series Saturday night, when rookie Parker Messick earned the victory and combined with three relievers on a five-hitter in a 6-0 win.

The win was the third in the last four games for Cleveland, which scored more than four runs for the sixth time in 15 games this season. The Guardians turned a close game into a rout in the ninth, when they scored three times -- equaling the number of ninth-inning runs they had in the first 14 games combined.

"I think that's been atypical for us to add on late," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "It gives us a little more wiggle room."

The shutout was the first of the season for the Guardians, who are 3-0-1 in series play this year. They hold three straight wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals since a season-opening four-game split with the Seattle Mariners.

The first shutout loss of the season snapped a three-game winning streak for the Braves, who are also 3-0-1 in series play. Atlanta opened with series wins over the Royals and the Athletics before splitting a four-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks and taking two of three from the Los Angeles Angels.

Atlanta scored 26 runs in its previous three games before being stymied by Messick, who has an 0.51 ERA in three starts this year and a 2.04 ERA in 10 career starts.

The Braves got just four runners beyond first base Saturday night, when they were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

Atlanta built its best threat against Messick in the fifth, when Ronald Acuna Jr. tripled with two outs before Messick struck out Drake Baldwin.

"Offensively we just couldn't get anything going against Messick," Braves manager Walt Weiss said. "He handled us tonight."

Sale took the defeat in his most recent start last Monday, when he gave up six runs over four innings as the Braves fell to the Angels, 6-2. Bibee didn't factor into the decision Monday after allowing one run over 4 2/3 innings in the Guardians' 4-2 loss to the Royals.

Sale is 7-8 with a 4.44 ERA and three saves in 33 career games (22 starts) against the Guardians. Bibee didn't factor into the decision in his lone previous start against the Braves on Apr. 27, 2024, when he gave up two hits over seven scoreless innings in Cleveland's 4-2, 11-inning win.

-Field Level Media