As for the game, better late than never for the Boston Red Sox. The Guardians broke out to an early 2-0 lead over James Paxton (2-1, 3.81 ERA) but an Enrique Hernandez rbi single in the sixth chased Cleveland starter Shane Bieber. In the top of the eighth, the Sox rallied for five runs with Hernandez drawing a game tying walk. Rob Refsnyder put the Sox ahead and the lead was 5-2. Unfortunately Chris Martin was shelled in the bottom of the eighth to make it a one run game. Kenley Jansen slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth and the Sox had won it 5-4 at Progressive Field.
Bieber got the ball in the top of the first inning and Alex Verdugo lined out to left to start. Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to center but Justin Turner forced him at second. Rafael Devers grounded out to second to end the inning. Paxton got tagged in the bottom of the first as Steven Kwan got a base hit to left to start. Gabriel Arias struck out swinging and Jose Ramirez popped up to short, but Josh Naylor doubled to right to score Kwan. Josh Bell also doubled to right to score Naylor and Andres Gimenez walked. Mike Zunino struck out swinging to end the inning with the Guardians up 2-0.
Triston Casas walked to start the top of the second but Enrique Hernandez flied out to center. Jarren Duran lined out to left and Enmanuel Valdez grounded out to second to end the inning. Will Brennan doubled to left to start the bottom of the second but Myles Straw flied out to right, moving Will to third. Kwan flied out to center and Arias struck out swinging to end the inning.
Reese McGuire flied out to center to start the top of the third and Verdugo grounded out to short. Yoshida got a base hit to left and Turner flied out to right to end the inning. Ramirez grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Naylor flied out to left. Bell struck out swinging to end the inning.
Devers flied out to left to start the top of the fourth before Casas grounded out to second. Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning. Gimenez grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fourth but Zunino walked. Brennan singled to center but Straw struck out swinging. Kwan grounded out to first to end the inning.
Duran doubled to left to start the top of the fifth before Valdez popped up to first. McGuire struck out swinging and Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning. Arias struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Ramirez popped up to first. Naylor singled to left but Bell struck out swinging to end the inning.
The Sox struck back in the top of the sixth as Yoshida doubled to right to start. Turner dropped down a bunt and Bieber threw to second...safe. Devers took strike three and Casas flied out to left, but Hernandez got a base hit to center to score Yoshida. That was it for Bieber as Sam Hentges came in to pitch. Sox manager Alex Cora countered by pinch hitting Rob Refsnyder for Duran. Refsnyder lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.
Gimenez flied out to center to start the bottom of the sixth and Zunino struck out swinging. Brennan grounded out to short to end the inning.
Pablo Reyes pinch hit for Valdez to start the top of the seventh and he reached on an error by Arias. Connor Wong pinch hit for McGuire and grounded into a double play. Verdugo waked but Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning. Paxton came back for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh and Straw lined out to right to begin. Kwan took strike three and Arias grounded out to second to end the inning. Paxton was great, holding the Guardians to two runs in 7 innings allowing 6 hits and 2 walks.
Suddenly the Sox exploded in the top of the eighth with Enyei De Los Santos now on the mound. Turner doubled to right to begin and Devers drew a walk. Casas got a base hit to center to load the bases and Hernandez walked home Turner to tie the game. Nick Sandlin came in to face Refsnyder and Rob got a base hit to right to score Devers and Reyes got a base hit to right to score Casas. Wong struck out swinging and that was it for Sandlin. James Karinchak came in to face Verdugo and Alex hit a sac fly to center to score Hernandez. Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 5-2.
Sox rally to take the lead
Chris Martin came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Ramirez singled to left to start. Naylor forced Jose at second but Bell got a base hit to right. Gimenez struck out swinging and Amed Rosario pinch hit for Zunino. Rosario got a base hit to center to score Naylor and Tyler Freeman pinch ran for Bell. Brennan doubled to center to score Freeman but Straw struck out swinging to end the inning with the Guardians down 5-4.
Brennan inches Cleveland closer
David Fry came in for Rosario with Eli Morgan now on the mound for the top of the ninth. Turner grounded out to third to start and Devers flied out to left. Casas doubled to center but Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning. Kenley Jansen came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Kwan grounded out to short to start. Arias struck out swinging and Ramirez flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-4.
Sox win
Hero Refsnyder
Hero of The Night is Rob Refsnyder. His rbi single in the eighth put the Sox on top.
The Good:
Masataka Yoshida was 3 for 5.
Triston Casas was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.
Jarren Duran was 1 for 2.
Pablo Reyes was 1 for 2 with an rbi.
James Paxton got the win tossing 7 innings of 2 run ball allowing 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9.
Kenley Jansen earned his 13th save with a scoreless ninth.
The Bad:
Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 2.
Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.
Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.
Chris Martin allowed 2 runs in the eighth inning.
The Ugly:
Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.
Justin Turner was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.
Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.
Enrique Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in 2 runs and scored a run.
Final Thoughts:
Its too bad the Sox are so inconsistent because on nights when the starting pitching holds up, they're tough to beat. The Sox definitely miss Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez in the starting lineup but Paxton is starting to justify waiting a year for. He had the Guardians confused for seven innings and apart from the hiccup by Martin, things turned out well this time. Refsnyder and Hernandez led the charge but you can't expect them to do it consistently. Still, sometimes the role players need to step up and this game they did. There's a long way to go in the season but if the Sox can get a rhythm in the starting rotation, they might have a chance to turn things around. The win improved the Sox to 31-30, 12 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Guardians tomorrow night when Kutter Crawford (1-2) takes on Tanner Bibee of Cleveland. The game begins at 8:10 PM eastern time at Progressive Field.
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