The Sox did strike first against Bibee in the top of the first as Alex Verdugo walked to start. Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to right but Justin Turner popped up to first. Rafael Devers got a base hit to left to score Verdugo. Triston Casas flied out to center and Enrique Hernandez forced Devers at second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.
Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first and Steven Kwan struck out swinging to start. Amed Rosario got a base hit just past Crawford but Jose Ramirez hit a bullet to Devers who gunned down Rosario at first to end the inning.
Jarren Duran grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Connor Wong got a ground rule double down the right field line. Enmanuel Valdez struck out swinging but Verdugo walked. Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning. The Guardians tied it up in the bottom of the second as Josh Naylor doubled to center to start. Josh Bell got a base hit to right to score Naylor and Andres Gimenez forced Bell at second. Gimenez was thrown out at second trying to steal and Will Brennan flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.
Turner grounded out to second to start the top of the third and Devers grounded out to third. Casas flied out to center to end the inning. Mike Zunino struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Myles Straw flied out to right. Kwan also went down hacking to end the inning.
Hernandez hit a ground ball to second that Gimenez bobbled then threw away for an error to put Enrique on second base to start the top of the fourth. Duran grounded out to second to move Hernandez to third but Wong struck out swinging. Naylor booted a grounder by Valdez for an error to score Hernandez then promptly stole second. Verdugo lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.
Oops!
The Guardians took command in the bottom of the fourth when Valdez failed to come up with a grounder by Rosario to start. Then Ramirez hit a bullet off the glove of Casas and Valdez threw the ball away for an error to put both runners in scoring position. Naylor got a base hit to right to score Rosario and that was it for Crawford after just 58 pitches. Despite Valdez throwing the ball away, Crawford was charged with 3 runs in 3 innings. Brennan Bernardino came in and Devers immediately booted a grounder by Bell for yet another error to score Ramirez. Gimenez grounded into a double play and Brennan lined out to left to end the inning with the Guardians up 3-2.
Crawford should have thrown the ball into right field
The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fifth as Yoshida grounded out to second to start. Turner flied out to left and Devers popped up to third to end the inning. Justin Garza came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Zunino got a base hit to center. Straw flied out to center and Kwan beat out a double play ball. Rosario doubled to left to score Kwan and Ramirez doubled to right to score Rosario to ice the game. That was it for Garza as Chris Murphy came in for his ML debut. Chris got Naylor to ground out to short to end the inning with Cleveland up 5-2.
Eli Morgan came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Casas struck out swinging to start. Hernandez watched strike three go by and Duran swung at air to end the inning. Bell struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth and Gimenez did the same. Brennan lined out to short to end the inning.
Sam Hentges came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Wong struck out swinging. Pablo Reyes pinch hit for Valdez and walked, but Verdugo forced Reyes at second. Yoshida hit a grounder to second and Verdugo lollygagged to the base which he would have beat out if he was hustling, instead he was "forced" to end the inning. Zunino struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the seventh but Straw singled off the glove of Reyes. Kwan walked but Rosario struck out swinging. Ramirez forced Straw at second to end the inning.
Trevor Stephan came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Turner grounded out to short to start. Devers got a base hit to right then took second on the grounder to first by Casas. Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning. Christian Arroyo came in for Verdugo to begin the bottom of the eighth and Naylor got a base hit to left to start. Bell grounded into a double play and Gimenez struck out swinging....but Wong botched the pitch for a passed ball. A wild pitch moved Gimenez to second but Brennan flied out to center to end the inning. Yeoman's effort by Murphy to keep the Sox in it.
Emmanuel Clase came in to close out the top of the ninth and Duran walked to start. Duran stole second but Wong struck out swinging. Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Reyes and struck out swinging. Arroyo flied out to center to end the game. The Guardians had won 5-2.
Jackass of the Night is Alex Verdugo for taking his sweet time getting to second that would have continued the rally if he hustled.
The Good:
Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with an rbi.
Pablo Reyes walked as a pinch hitter.
Brennan Bernardino tossed a scoreless inning.
Chris Murphy tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Bad:
Christian Arroyo was 0 for 1 at the plate.
Justin Turner was 0 for 4.
Triston Casas was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.
Kutter Crawford was charged with 3 runs in 3 innings off 6 hits.
Justin Garza allowed 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.
The Ugly:
Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4.
Enrique Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.
Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and stole a base.
Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.
Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and an error but walked and stole a base.
Final Thoughts:
This game was a disaster for the Red Sox with guys making errors both physically and mentally. Valdez throwing the ball away and Devers booting another grounder are physical errors, they happen. Verdugo practically walking to second base on that grounder is a mental error, those shouldn't happen. Even if he was out by a half step on a hustling slide, you can appreciate the effort. In a game that was this close, every run and base counted. Obviously the physical errors led to 5 runs crossing the plate and Crawford getting yanked was the primary cause. Justin Garza getting lit up was just another nail in the coffin. Games like these are why the Sox can't ever get a winning streak going, they can't get out of their own way. Losing 3 of their last 4 has sent this team into purgatory and it doesn't seem like they can get out of it any time soon unless a miracle happens. The loss dropped the Sox to 31-31, 13 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to win the series tomorrow when they call up veteran Matt Dermody to start against Aaron Civale of the Guardians. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Progressive Field.
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