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Jun 18, 2026 Major2
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Bazzana's Seventh-Inning Homer Lifts Guardians Past Brewers 4-2
Travis Bazzana's seventh-inning home run helped the Cleveland Guardians defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Thursday. Parker Messick pitched six strong innings with nine strikeouts, and David Fry and Kyle Manzardo also homered for Cleveland, which won after dropping the first two games of the series.
Quick Facts
Who
Travis Bazzana
What
Travis Bazzana hit a go-ahead solo home run
When
Thursday
Where
Milwaukee
- Travis Bazzana hit a go-ahead solo home run
- Parker Messick pitched six effective innings
- David Fry hit a solo home run
- Kyle Manzardo hit a solo home run
- Gary Sánchez hit a run-scoring single
Travis Bazzana's go-ahead solo home run in the seventh inning proved decisive as the Cleveland Guardians defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Thursday. The towering blast off Grant Anderson (1-3) gave Cleveland a 3-2 lead, and the Guardians extended their advantage later in the inning when a bases-loaded wild pitch by Drew Rom scored an additional run.
Parker Messick was the standout performer on the mound for the Guardians, delivering six effective innings while holding the Brewers to two runs and four hits. The right-hander struck out nine batters across 96 pitches, improving to 7-3. Cade Smith secured the victory by earning his 24th save in 26 opportunities, including a critical strikeout of Christian Yelich with the bases loaded in the eighth inning.
David Fry and Kyle Manzardo also contributed home runs for Cleveland, which bounced back from losing the first two games of the series. Fry's solo shot in the third tied the game at 1-1, while Manzardo's homer in the sixth knotted the score at 2-2.
The Brewers struck first when Gary Sánchez's run-scoring single in the second inning gave Milwaukee a 1-0 lead. They extended their advantage to 2-1 in the fourth inning when Sánchez scored on Cooper Pratt's sacrifice fly following a Blake Perkins double. However, Milwaukee could not overcome Cleveland's momentum and squandered several late-inning opportunities, including loading the bases with two outs in both the seventh and eighth innings without scoring.
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Why This Matters
This victory marks a crucial momentum shift for the Guardians after losing the first two games of their series against the Brewers. Bazzana's clutch seventh-inning homer and the team's strong pitching performance—highlighted by Messick's nine strikeouts—demonstrate their ability to execute under pressure. For fans tracking playoff positioning and divisional races, this comeback win signals the Guardians' resilience and potential to compete effectively during critical stretches of the season.