William Contreras hit a go-ahead home run in the fourth inning and right-hander Freddy Peralta pitched six solid innings as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the visiting Cleveland Guardians 2-1 on Saturday night.
The Brewers improved to 2-0 in a three-game series between division leaders.
Peralta (8-7) bounced back from a loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers by limiting the Guardians to one run on four hits. He struck out three and walked two.
Devin Williams recorded his fourth save of the season and capped a strong display by the Brewers’ bullpen. Williams, Jared Koenig and Joel Payamps each pitched one perfect inning of relief.
Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee (10-5) was saddled with the loss in the low-scoring affair. He gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits while walking one and fanning seven.
Both teams recorded only four hits.
Gary Sanchez allowed Milwaukee to grab an early 1-0 lead with a double that scored Brice Turang in the first inning. Turang reached on a leadoff walk and advanced to second on an errant pickoff attempt at first base.
The Guardians tied the game in the top of the fourth inning when Josh Naylor hit a solo home run, his 27th long ball of the year.
The Brewers reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the inning, as Contreras sent a 1-2 changeup from Bibee over the wall in left. It was Contreras’ 17th homer of 2024.
Cleveland, which struck out seven times as a team, had an opportunity to potentially tie the game in the top of the sixth inning. After drawing a walk with two outs, Jose Ramirez stole both second and third with Naylor at the plate. However, Peralta caught Naylor looking at a called third strike to end the inning.
The Guardians went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position and left three men on base.