Arizona Diamondbacks at Cleveland Guardians

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ARI	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	4	6	0
CLE	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	1

Mitch Bratt drew the start for Arizona at 7:10 PM ET, and Tanner Bibee took the ball for Cleveland — a pairing of two guys trying to turn a rough season around. Bratt came in at 0-1 with a 5.23 ERA and had just been shelled for 5 earned runs over 5.0 innings against Washington in his last outing. Bibee wasn't much sharper on paper, sitting at 4-10 with a 3.81 ERA after a 6-inning, 3-run loss to Tampa Bay.

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FINAL

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ML

Total

Diamondbacks(57-52)

WWLLL

4

+1.5-181+127o8.5-118

Guardians(56-54)

WLWPL

1

-1.5+149-130u8.5-102

Best BetDiamondbacks +116

Postgame

The moneyline pick cashed as Arizona's bullpen shut Cleveland down and the offense broke through late for a 4-1 win.

Pregame

Arizona was live value here even with Bratt's rough last outing, because Cleveland's offense had gone cold and the Diamondbacks were the hotter team overall. The D-backs' bullpen did the heavy lifting behind him, and that depth on the road was worth trusting over a Guardians lineup that wasn't scoring.

Arizona's rotation has been stripped down to the studs. Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka are both on the 15-day IL, Corbin Burnes is still working back from a 60-day stint, and that's what pushed Bratt into a spot he probably wasn't ready for on paper. Cleveland, meanwhile, got Shawn Armstrong back from the injured list last week, giving Stephen Vogt a fresher bullpen arm to lean on late — which barely mattered here given how the offense cratered.

Mitch Bratt

(1-1)·3.74 ERA

Jul 25 @ Nationals

L

5.0IP

5ER

3K

5BB

92P

07/31 Lineup

Tanner Bibee

(4-12)·3.99 ERA

Jul 25 @ Rays

L

6.0IP

3ER

5K

2BB

107P

07/31 Lineup

Neither lineup did much of anything through the middle innings, which tracks: Cleveland had been hitting .235 across its previous stretch of games and Arizona's order has been without Jordan Lawlar and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. up the middle of the lineup for weeks. This had all the makings of a low-scoring grind, and it played out that way until the Diamondbacks finally broke through.

Arizona Diamondbacks

(57-52)

Jul 29W@ Pirates3-0

Jul 28W@ Pirates8-7

Jul 27L@ Pirates2-3

Jul 26L@ Nationals7-10

Jul 25L@ Nationals3-5

Cleveland Guardians

(56-54)

Jul 29W@ Reds6-1

Jul 28L@ Reds0-2

Jul 28W@ Reds6-5

Jul 27P@ Reds0-0

Jul 26L@ Rays0-1

Arizona had dropped 3 straight before rattling off back-to-back wins over Pittsburgh to close out July, and they carried that momentum into Cleveland. The D-backs are also squarely in buy mode with the trade deadline bearing down, looking to add pitching depth and a left-handed bat if the payroll math allows it — context that makes every game down the stretch feel a little more charged for a club trying to punch a Wild Card ticket.

Arizona Diamondbacks

(13)

• 10-Day-ILJordan Lawlar (LF) — Lawlar (hamstring) has resumed all baseball activity and is nearly running at full speed, MLB.com reports.07/25
• 10-Day-ILLourdes Gurriel Jr. (LF) — Gurriel isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against St. Louis.07/18
• 10-Day-ILTommy Troy (LF) — Manager Torey Lovullo said Friday that Troy (shoulder) is expected to remain out for roughly 3-to-4 weeks, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.07/17
• 15-Day-ILMichael Soroka (SP) — Soroka (glute) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno on Tuesday, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.07/31
• 15-Day-ILZac Gallen (SP) — Gallen (elbow) was given permission to begin throwing and has thrown twice this week, MLB.com reports.07/25
• 15-Day-ILDrey Jameson (RP) — The Diamondbacks recalled Jameson from Triple-A Reno on Saturday.07/22
• 60-Day-ILJustin Martinez (RP) — Martinez (elbow) is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Visalia next week, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.07/31
• 60-Day-ILA.J. Puk (RP) — Manager Torey Lovullo said Saturday that MRI results on Puk's left shoulder revealed that his shoulder capsule hasn't fully healed, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.07/18
• 60-Day-ILRyne Nelson (SP) — Nelson (elbow) will begin a throwing program Saturday or Sunday, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.07/18
• 60-Day-ILAndrew Saalfrank (RP) — Saalfrank (shoulder) has begun a throwing program, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.07/18
• 60-Day-ILCorbin Burnes (SP) — Burnes (elbow) began a throwing program July 10 and felt good following the session, MLB.com reports.07/13
• 60-Day-ILCristian Mena (RP) — Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Monday that Mena underwent surgery on his right shoulder and will be sidelined for the rest of the season, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.06/01
• 60-Day-ILBlake Walston (SP) — Walston (elbow) paused his rehab program earlier in the season, but he was expected to start building back up around the middle of May, MLB.com reports.06/01

Cleveland Guardians

(1)

• 15-Day-ILShawn Armstrong (RP) — The Guardians reinstated Armstrong (groin) from the 15-day injured list Monday.07/25

The Guardians' lone run came in the bottom of the 1st and that was it — Bratt and the Arizona bullpen combined to blank Cleveland the rest of the way. Then the floodgates opened in the 8th: 4 runs on the board, aided by a Cleveland error, and the Guardians never got anything going in response. Final score: 4-1, Arizona.

It wasn't pretty for seven-plus innings, but Arizona's pen did exactly what it needed to and the offense cashed in when it mattered. For a Diamondbacks team fighting for playoff positioning with a rotation held together by patchwork, a road win like this — quiet, unglamorous, decided in one inning — is exactly the kind of result they need more of in August.