Hurston Waldrep continues hot stretch as Braves shut out Guardians

Nacho Alvarez Jr. drew a bases-loaded walk in the fourth inning, and Michael Harris II had an RBI single in the ninth as the visiting Atlanta Braves beat the Cleveland Guardians 2-0 on Friday night.
Hurston Waldrep (3-0) continued his breakout month with six strong innings for his third win in three appearances, joining forces with Daysbel Hernandez, Tyler Kinley and Raisel Iglesias for a combined two-hitter. Iglesias picked up his 18th save of the year with a perfect ninth.
Waldrep, who gave up a single and a double to All-Star Steven Kwan, struck out a career-high seven and walked two in a performance that matched his longest outing in the majors. The right-hander made his season debut Aug. 2 against the Cincinnati Reds in Bristol, Tennessee, after logging his first two career appearances in June 2024.
Ozzie Albies scored on Alvarez’s walk against Guardians starter Joey Cantillo (3-3), while Eli White came home on Harris’ single against Carlos Hernandez.
Cantillo pitched five innings, giving up one run on four hits while striking out five and walking four. The left-hander fell to 2-3 in eight starts since being recalled from Triple-A Columbus on July 3.
Former National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., who missed 15 games with a right calf strain, was activated by the Braves before the three-game interleague series opener. He danced while stretching on the field, then started in right and went 0-for-3.
Acuña was called out in the fourth inning for baserunner interference, forcing second baseman Brayan Rocchio to run around him while pursuing a grounder off the bat of Marcell Ozuna.
Atlanta had an opportunity to open the scoring in the third, but Jurickson Profar was easily thrown out at the plate on Matt Olson’s double to center. Daniel Schneemann fed cutoff man Gabriel Arias, who delivered a perfect strike to Bo Naylor.
Cantillo made a nifty defensive play in the second after Harris lined the ball off his glove, knocking it off his hand. Cantillo hurriedly got to the ball and forced out Albies at second base.