Will Benson had his first two-homer game, going deep for the fourth straight day to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-1 victory on Sunday and their first three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians since 2012.
Benson followed Tyler Stephenson’s fourth-inning single with a 399-foot drive to right off L.L. Ortiz (2-5) then added a sixth-inning shot off Hunter Gaddis for his fifth home run this season. The Reds won their fourth straight and got back to .500 at 24-24.
Cleveland (25-21) has lost four in a row and the first three of a 10-game trip.
Andrew Abbott (3-0) allowed four hits and three walks in five shutout innings for his first win in five starts — despite giving up one earned run over 20 innings.
Emilio Pagán got a save for the third day in a row and 12th time in 14 chances. He gave up a leadoff double to Bo Naylor and a one-out infield hit to José Ramírez, then struck out Carlos Santana on a splitter on the 10th pitch of the at-bat and Will Brennan on three pitches, the last a splitter.
Carlos Santana hit a two-out RBI single in the seventh against Luis Mey.
Ortiz allowed six hits in five innings with seven strikeouts.
