Washington Nationals at Cleveland Guardians: Final Score & Recap

The Cleveland Guardians defeated the Washington Nationals 3-2 at Progressive Field on May 27, 2026, with the DiamondIQ model entering the game giving Cleveland a 60% win probability and closing at 100% after the Guardians manufactured all three of their runs in a decisive fifth inning.

That fifth inning was the fulcrum of the game. Travis Bazzana delivered a double off Miles Mikolas that shifted win probability 10.8 percentage points in Cleveland's favor, and the Guardians kept the pressure on through reliever Richard Lovelady's outing as well, with Chase DeLauter's single adding another 11.7 points and Angel Martínez following with a single worth 10.5 points. Washington had provided the game's only other notable offensive moment when CJ Abrams doubled off Gavin Williams in the third inning for a 10.2-point swing, but the Nationals could not push across more than that early run, and their final threat evaporated in the ninth when Jorbit Vivas struck out against Cade Smith, a play that drained 10.9 points of Washington's remaining win probability.

Gavin Williams was the standout performer on the pitching side, finishing with a WPA of plus-18.5, the highest mark of any player in the game, as he limited Washington's lineup through his time on the mound despite surrendering the Abrams double. Bazzana led all batters with a WPA of plus-13.1, while Abrams' plus-11.9 WPA made him the most impactful Nationals hitter on the day despite the team's 2-for-11 showing in hits relative to Cleveland's 11. Tim Herrin contributed plus-8.1 WPA out of the Cleveland bullpen to help close out Washington's final rallies. The Nationals finished with five hits and no errors, but Cleveland's three-run burst in the fifth proved to be more than enough in a game the Guardians controlled from that point forward.