The Cleveland Guardians took on the Cincinnati Reds in Game 2 of the 3 game series. Not only were the Guards looking to get a W to remove another series sweep, they were also looking to avoid the season sweep.

Terry Francona returned to Cleveland for the first time since being named Cincinnati’s manager and the Reds opened a three-game series against the Guardians on Monday.

The Reds hadn’t won the Ohio Cup outright since 2014, when Francona was in his second season managing Cleveland. The Reds won five of their six meetings against the Guardians, falling 11-2 in Wednesday’s series finale.

CLEVELAND — Jose Ramirez and a struggling Guardians offense look to rebound from June 9's loss against the Cincinnati Reds June 10 at Progressive Field. Slade Cecconi (1-2, 4.87 ERA) is set to take the mound for the Guardians opposite Andrew Abbott (5-1, 2.18 ERA).

Andrew Abbott led the Cincinnati Reds to a win almost single-handedly, putting together a complete-game shutout of the Cleveland Guardians.

"It's a good check to see where we're at. It's gonna show what areas we need to work on, what areas we excel at," Nick Martinez said.

Francona's reaction to his first game back in Cleveland since his 2023 retirement? "I mean, it's an America's Cup game, with the added pressure."