CLEVELAND — Hurston Waldrep pitched six scoreless innings, a trio of relievers worked one hitless frame apiece, and Nacho Alvarez Jr. and Michael Harris II each drove in a run Friday night as the Atlanta Braves beat the Cleveland Guardians 2-0 to open a three-game interleague series at Progressive Field.
Waldrep (3-0) allowed two hits, both to Steven Kwan, while matching his longest outing of the season. The 23-year-old right-hander, a Georgia native selected in the first round of the 2023 MLB draft who made his Atlanta debut in June 2024, struck out a career-high seven batters and walked two before being followed by Daysbel Hernandez and Tyler Kinley.
Waldrep has a 1.02 ERA in three appearances this year, having given up two runs in 17 2/3 innings.
Raisel Iglesias worked the ninth for his 18th save in 23 opportunities this season, giving the Braves their third straight win and their seventh in nine games since being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in a three-game series early this month.
Alvarez drew a bases-loaded walk in the fourth off Cleveland left-hander Joey Cantillo (3-3), scoring Ozzie Albies. Harris singled home pinch-runner Eli White in the ninth against Carlos Hernández.
Cantillo went five innings, allowed four hits and four walks, and struck out five batters. He threw ball four to Alvarez in the fourth just after a fan ran onto the field, and it required two security guards and a member of the grounds crew to remove the interloper.
Braves star right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. returned after missing 15 games with a right calf strain, going 0-for-3 with a walk while batting third in the lineup. The five-time MLB All-Star and 2023 National League MVP, who had been sidelined since July 30, also was called out for baserunner interference in the fourth inning.
“He’s checked all the boxes to return,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said before the game. “I’m sure he’s excited to be back out there.”
Catcher Sandy León was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move.
The 27-year-old Acuña entered the day batting .306 with 14 home runs and 26 RBIs this season, but he had appeared in just 55 of Atlanta’s first 121 games. He missed the first 49 games recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left anterior cruciate ligament.
Since winning the NL MVP award, Acuña had appeared in only 104 games and stolen 20 bases entering Friday. The 6-foot, 205-pound Venezuelan had 73 steals and 41 homers while hitting .337 in 2023.
The Braves won eight of 15 games without Acuña, but even with Friday’s victory, they are 14 games under .500 overall at 54-68. They’re fourth in the NL East — 16 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies, who are the division’s reigning champions — and they’re 10 games out of the final wild-card spot in the league with six weeks remaining in the regular season.
The Guardians (63-58), who were shut out for the 12th time this season, have lost three of their past five games since winning nine of 10. They’re second in the American League Central but seven games behind the Detroit Tigers, and they fell one game behind the AL East’s New York Yankees for the final wild-card spot in the league.
The series continues Saturday night, when the scheduled starting pitchers are Atlanta left-hander Joey Wentz (3-3, 5.03 ERA) and Cleveland right-hander Slade Cecconi (5-5, 4.11).