The Reds tweeted a photo of a T-shirt that read, "Got swept in Cincinnati, OH," with the caption, "Y'all want some new shirts, @CleGuardians?" Last September, "Cincinnati is in Kentucky" was edited on to shirts showing Guardians players celebrating after a win over the Reds and posted on X to the team's official page.

Yes, they couldn’t get former Cleveland first-round pick Will Benson out, but from a big-picture point of view, Tanner Bibee, Slade Cecconi and Luis Ortiz did what they were supposed to do. They each pitched five or more innings, and kept the game within reach for an offense that took the weekend off.

After jumping on the Cleveland Guardians early, the Cincinnati Reds' pitching staff creaked and buckled, but ultimately held up.

The Cincinnati Reds didn't go with a traditional starting pitcher, and by game's end it was clear they were fine without one, albeit for a day.

In the fifth inning, Cincinnati trailed 1-0 until Will Benson stepped up to the plate and hit a game-tying home run. It was Benson's third home run in as many days and the first time in his career that he's homered in three consecutive games.

Find out how to watch the Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Guardians series, with TV channel info, live streaming options, game times, probable starting

Will Benson, another former Guardian, and Austin Hays each had home runs for the Reds. Bo Naylor and José Ramírez homered for the Guardians, who faced a 5-0 deficit after three innings before cutting it to 5-4 in the eighth.