Cleveland Sports Forum

Game on MLB network at 11:10 this morning.

‘Pesky’ pinch-hitter Will Brennan sparks Guardians offense in 6-0 win over Red Sox

Updated: Apr. 15, 2024, 3:27 p.m.|Published: Apr. 15, 2024, 1:58 p.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

BOSTON — For all the running taking place outside Fenway Park on Monday, not much was adding up around the diamond in the run department early on. With the Boston Marathon swarming throughout the city’s streets, Guardians and Red Sox hitters traded moon shots for most of the day, but had nothing to show for it in the scoring column.

Their mutual run prevention society came to a crashing halt, however, with one Will Brennan pinch-hit appearance in the seventh inning.

Brennan, a Red Sox fan growing up in Stillwell, Kansas, wrapped a two-run home run around Pesky’s Pole in right field to break a scoreless tie and spark a 6-0 Guardians win. Tim Herrin (1-0, 1.04) struck out three in two scoreless innings of relief work for his first win of the season and second of his career. Herrin picked up where Xzavion Curry left off after five scoreless innings in his season debut.

Brennan, a Red Sox fan growing up in Stillwell, Kansas, wrapped a two-run home run around Pesky’s Pole in right field to break a scoreless tie and spark a 6-0 Guardians win. Tim Herrin (1-0, 1.04) struck out three in two scoreless innings of relief work for his first win of the season and second of his career. Herrin picked up where Xzavion Curry left off after five scoreless innings in his season debut.

It’s Cleveland’s sixth win in eight matchups against Boston on Patriots’ Day, and the third straight loss on Marathon Monday overall for the Red Sox.

It also marked the second consecutive day Guardians manager Stephen Vogt has called on a pinch hitter who delivered a home run late in the game. On Sunday, Estevan Florial came up big in a similar spot against the Yankees. Vogt called Brennan’s at-bat his best of the season, regardless of the result.

“He was on the fastball, he was fighting off the offspeed,” Vogt said. “Will’s been a little in-between up to this point, so to see him committing to the best fastball and then be able to make an adjustment on a breaking ball in the zone, it was really good to see and a huge moment for him. Huge moment for us.”

Brennan’s home run was the second time he bent a fly ball around Pesky’s Pole, the Boston landmark named for Red Sox legend Johnny Pesky, and one Brennan was intimately familiar with growing up as a big Sox fan.

Facing Boston reliever Greg Weissert with Josh Naylor aboard in the seventh, Brennan battled for seven pitches before he pulled the last slider he saw down the right field line for his first homer of the season. The at-bat, and the result, were much needed, Brennan said afterward.

“The past, probably 10 to 15 have been pretty poor, but that’s baseball,” Brennan said. “You’ve got to be able to get back in the box and be prepared and have an eight-pitch at-bat that either leads to success or to failure and luckily there it led us to a success.”

Cleveland added a pair of runs in the eighth against Boston’s Josh Winckowski as Brayan Rocchio walked and stole second before moving to third on a base hit by Steven Kwan. Ramírez then sent a smash to first that deflected off the glove of Triston Casas and past second baseman Enmanuel Valdez. Wilyer Abreu’s errant throw from right field glanced off a hustling Ramírez as Rocchio and Kwan both scored to give the Guards a four-run advantage.

“When your best player has a hustle double it takes care of all the rest,” Vogt said. “These guys live it. These guys want to run the bases hard. That’s how we play. We take the extra base, we look for that, but for him to go right in his face like that and make something happen, it leads to an extra run. That’s José Ramírez. I mean, he is fun to watch.”

Kwan, meanwhile, extended his hitting streak to seven games. He has hit safely in each of his eight career games at Fenway, and his 26 hits through Cleveland’s first 16 games are the most since Victor Martinez collected 26 in 2009.

Curry twirled five shutout innings, allowing a walk and just two hits. Activated from the 15-day injured list after working his way back from a viral infection during spring training, the right-hander was efficient early, relying on a sharp slider to put Boston hitters away.

“That’s a pitch that I’ve gone to throughout my career,” Curry said. “I’ve been trying to really hone in with. It can help me play off other pitches. To have that working today and to be able to locate that early, I feel like that really helped.”

Vogt praised curry’s effort, noting that he had maxed out at 59 pitches in rehab outings prior to Monday’s contest.

“For him to go out and be that efficient with his pitches is exactly what we needed,” Vogt said. “He came out and attacked and was living ahead and putting guys away. It was beautiful.”

Boston’s Kutter Crawford matched Curry inning for inning, allowing only a one-out triple by Gabriel Arias in the third, and a base hit by Arias in the sixth to go along with six strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. Arias added an RBI double in the ninth for his third career game with multiple extra-base hits. He has six hits in his last 10 at-bats dating back to the start of the Yankees series last week.

Vogt said it has been fun watching Arias find his rhythm in the last couple of days.

“He made a little adjustment with his hands and it seems to be giving him a lot more rhythm,” Vogt said. “He’s on time and he’s hitting the ball hard.”

Outfielders on both sides turned in outstanding defense, taking away hits and home runs to keep things scoreless through six innings. Ramírez sent a drive to right field in the first that Abreu snagged just before hitting the wall. It would have been a home run in 20 out of 30 big league ballparks, according to StatCast.

Boston’s Rafael Devers drilled a shot to center in the third that carried 369 feet and had a .750 expected batting average, but Tyler Freeman tracked it down in front of Fenway’s Bermuda Triangle for the final out of the inning. Andrés Giménez amd Tyler O’Neill both sent drives into the stratosphere in the fourth that eventually wound up nestled in an outfielder’s glove.

Brennan, who took over in center for Freeman after pinch-hitting, tracked down a towering fly ball by Red Sox shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela that carried 400 feet to center field and had an expected batting average of .470.

Cleveland improved to 8-2 on the road and is 8-0 this year when scoring first. Guardians pitchers held an opponent scoreless for the fourth time, the most shutouts in the majors this season.

Next:

The series continues Tuesday from Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. The Guardians will send right-hander Tanner Bibee (1-0, 5.93) to the mound while the Red Sox counter with righty Garrett Whitlock (1-0, 1.26). The game will air on Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM 1100 AM, WMMS 100.7 FM and the Guardians Radio Network.

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Guardians rally again for 10-7 win against Boston in extra innings

Updated: Apr. 16, 2024, 11:00 p.m.|Published: Apr. 16, 2024, 10:51 p.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

BOSTON — Guardians hitters do some of their best work when the club is behind late in a game.

Cleveland scored a 10-7 comeback win Tuesday against Boston, rallying to force extra innings on an RBI single by Andres Gimenez in the ninth and taking the lead for good in the 11th with three runs thanks to RBI hits by José Ramírez and Estevan Florial.

Boston closer Kenley Jansen suffered his first blown save when Gimenez singled up the middle in the ninth to score Tyler Freeman, who was aboard after a one-out double off the Green Monster in left. Arias sent a soft single to center field, his second hit of the game, to score pinch runner Brayan Rocchio. But Boston tied the score in the bottom of the 10th on an RBI sacrifice fly by Connor Wong off Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase. It was Clase’s second blown save of the season.

Scott Barlow, instead, struck out a pair in the bottom of the 11th and earned his first Guardians save, making Clase (1-0) the winner.

The back-and-forth affair saw Boston victimize Cleveland’s bullpen, turning a four-run deficit into a 6-5 advantage by scoring five times in the sixth. Guardians relievers, who led baseball with a 1.76 ERA but were averaging more than four innings per game, surrendered the lead after starter Tanner Bibee allowed one run on five hits across five frames.

Boston’s Triston Casas greeted Tyler Beede with a home run to open the sixth, and Beede walked Wilyer Abreu before Connor Wong sent a splitter over the wall in left for his second home run, trimming Cleveland’s lead to a run. Cade Smith relieved Beede and struck out Red Sox shortstop David Hamilton, but allowed a two-out double to Ceddanne Rafaela and a walk to Jarren Duran before Rafael Devers delivered a go-ahead two-run double to center.

Cleveland went ahead 5-1 with three runs in the fifth thanks to an RBI sacrifice fly by Ramirez and an RBI single by Josh Naylor that scored two runs. Andres Gimenez slid home after Boston outfielder Wilyer Abreu bobbled the ball in right before making a strong throw. Gimenez was originally called out at the plate, but upon review his run scored as Red Sox catcher Connor Wong was ruled to have blocked his path to the plate.

Cleveland pushed its lead over Kansas City in the American League Central Division standings to a full game at 12-5 as the Royals and White Sox were rained out in Chicago. The Guardians’ nine road wins through 12 games matches a record set three other times in franchise history, most recently in 1948.

Will Brennan and Gabriel Arias provided early offense for Cleveland in the second inning with back-to-back RBI doubles off Boston starter Garrett Whitlock.

After Ramón Laureano drew a two-out walk, Brennan pulled a cutter to right. The ball bounced off the five-foot high wall and stayed in play, allowing Laureano to score from first. It was Brennan’s second double of the season. Arias followed with a double into the left field corner on a changeup from Whitlock for his sixth RBI.

Though Brennan had only appeared in three games at Fenway prior to Tuesday’s start, he was slugging 1.143 with a pair of home runs and eight RBI. Arias entered the contest batting .600 in his previous three games with two doubles, a triple and a home run.

Whitlock exited after the fourth inning with tightness in his left oblique, and Cleveland’s offense took advantage of his replacement, Joely Rodríguez, in the fifth. Tyler Freeman launched a solo shot that cleared the Green Monster in left for his second home run, and after back-to-back singles by Kwan and Giménez, Ramírez sent a sacrifice fly to center that set up Josh Naylor’s two-run single.

Next:

The series continues Wednesday with a 7:10 p.m. first pitch from Fenway Park. Right-hander Ben Lively will make his Guardians debut while the Red Sox counter with righty Garrett Whitlock (1-0, 1.26). The game will air on Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM 1100 AM, WMMS 100.7 FM and the Guardians Radio Network.


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Guardians offense has no answer for Tanner Houck, Red Sox in 2-0 loss to Boston

Updated: Apr. 17, 2024, 9:05 p.m.|Published: Apr. 17, 2024, 9:04 p.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

BOSTON — Ben Lively might never get an answer as to why he was called for a controversial balk Wednesday in the Guardians’ 2-0 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. But Cleveland’s hitters were searching for answers themselves against Boston righty Tanner Houck, who turned in a dominant performance to halt the Guardians win streak at three.

Lively was incensed after being called for a balk by home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz with two out and two runners in scoring position in the third inning. Pablo Reyes scored Boston’s first run as he trotted home from third base and Guardians manager Stephen Vogt emerged from Cleveland’s dugout seeking an explanation.

Guardians hitters were no match for Houck, who struck out nine and did not walk a batter, allowing just three singles. Cleveland did not advance a runner to second base against Houck, who tossed his first complete game shutout, doing so in fewer than 100 pitches for a “Maddux.”

Josh Naylor bounced a single through the hole on the right side of the infield to open the second inning but was erased on a double play grounder off the bat of Will Brennan. José Ramírez singled with two out in the fourth and Gabriel Arias did the same in the fifth. In both cases, Houck made quick work of the next hitter.

Lively, in his Guardians debut, looked strong, striking out seven and walking one over five innings. He made one mistake, an 0-1 sweeper that caught too much of the plate to Connor Wong in the fourth that Wong belted over the Green Monster in left for his third home run.

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Another win !!!!!!!

Guardians outlast Red Sox for sloppy 5-4 win, take three of four games in Boston

Updated: Apr. 18, 2024, 5:37 p.m.|Published: Apr. 18, 2024, 4:18 p.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com
BOSTON — A sloppy win still counts the same in the standings, and Thursday’s 5-4 Guardians victory against Boston at Fenway Park was messy in more ways than one.

Driving rains persisted throughout the second half of the contest, but the Guardians stayed focused and remained atop the American League Central Division standings at 13-6. Manager Stephen Vogt said his team’s ability to block out the weather and overcome some early miscues showed up in the final result.

“To be quite frank, we didn’t play very well today,” Vogt said. “To overcome that, it says a lot about the guys in that room. We made some mistakes early, but we were able to rebound from it and keep adding on runs. It really talks to the resilience of this team.”

Each team committed two errors, and the field conditions worsened as play dragged on. Cleveland trailed by a run in the third inning when Gabriel Arias reached base on an error by Boston shortstop David Hamilton and scored on a two-out RBI single by Andrés Giménez off Red Sox righty Cooper Criswell.

The Guardians took the lead in the fourth when David Fry doubled into the left field corner to open the inning and scored on Josh Naylor’s sharp single to right. It was Naylor’s seventh straight game against Boston with a hit, giving him nine career RBI in 19 games against the Sox. He also extended his on-base streak to 11 games.

Giménez is batting .500 and has 10 RBI with runners in scoring position. Vogt called him the Swiss Army knife of Cleveland’s lineup, as the Platinum Glove winning infielder moved into the leadoff spot with Steven Kwan getting a day off.

“He hits kind of all over the place, but he’s just a ball player,” Vogt said. “His defense, you can’t speak up enough, but his at-bats from the beginning of the year until now have just been phenomenal. Clutch hit after clutch hit. He’s, he’s huge for us.”

The Guardians added to their lead in the fifth when Ramon Laureano reached on a throwing error by Boston third baseman Pablo Reyes and scored on Giménez’s second RBI hit of the game. Brayan Rocchio, who walked ahead of Giménez, scored when José Ramírez beat the relay throw on a double-play grounder with the bases loaded.

Fry, who is now batting .429 in 14 at-bats on the road, said Cleveland’s reputation for forcing defensive mistakes is well earned.

“I feel like who we are as a team, we put pressure on other defenses and it’s kind of known around the league,” Fry said. “We run the bases hard and we put pressure on guys and I think it gets ‘em at times.”

Laureano delivered an RBI single that scored Tyler Freeman in the sixth after Freeman opened the inning with a double off the wall in left, his second two-base hit of the series.

Red Sox hitters had starter Carlos Carrasco in a tight spot early, but the veteran righty wiggled out of trouble in the first after an RBI ground out by Wilyer Abreu gave Boston a 1-0 lead.

Carrasco gave up a single to Enmanuel Valdez and walked Hamilton to load the bases before getting Reyes on a fly ball to deep left that Fry caught a step in front of the Green Monster. From there, Carrasco settled in, finishing with five strikeouts and three walks in 5 2/3 innings

Cade Smith relieved Carrasco with two out in the sixth after a base hit by Reese McGuire. Ceddanne Rafaela greeted Smith with a sharp single to left and Jarren Duran drilled a two-run triple to the deepest part of the park, 420 feet to straight away center.

With Duran at third and rain picking up, Smith stumbled on the mound in the middle of his delivery and was called for a balk. Duran scored to cut Cleveland’s lead to 5-4. Vogt said despite throwing 29 pitches in the first inning, Carrasco was able to power through.

“Even up to this point when he’s had struggles, he’s found a way to wiggle out of them,” Vogt said. “Really good for him to give us some length right there. And then obviously the back end of the bullpen was phenomenal.”

Carrasco said he was trying to be “too perfect” in the first inning, but made adjustments as the game went on.

“I just went back and thought about the same way that I pitched in the bullpen (warming up) and that’s what happened on the second, the third, the fourth on the fifth inning and the sixth,” Carrasco said. “I just went and attacked.”

Emmanuel Clase earned his fifth save in seven chances, retiring the Red Sox in order in the ninth as Cleveland took three of four games in the series and picked up its first one-run victory on the road this season.

Tim Herrin and Hunter Gaddis got the ball to Clase in the ninth with spotless innings in the seventh and eighth. Herrin struck out a pair and Gaddis punched out Reyes on a nasty slider for his 10th straight scoreless outing to begin the season.

The Guardians won their first series in Boston since May 2019 and are 6-4 against the Red Sox since the start of the 2023 season. Their 10-3 road record is the second-best in baseball behind Milwaukee (7-2) and they improved to 10-1 when scoring at least five runs in a game.

Next:

The Guardians open a three-game weekend series against Oakland on Friday. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. at Progressive Field. Cleveland will send right-hander Triston McKenzie (1-2, 6.23) to the mound while the Athletics counter with righty Joe Boyle (1-2, 5.68). The game will air on Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM 1100 AM, WMMS 100.7 FM, WARF 1350 AM (Spanish) and the Guardians Radio Network.


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Tyler Freeman’s two-run homer triggers Guardians 10-2 win over Oakland

Published: Apr. 19, 2024, 9:27 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If there was a link between fishing and Statcast, MLB’s automated tool for measuring player skills and abilities, it would have suggested that Tyler Freeman’s two-run homer Friday night be thrown back in the pond and told to return when it had gained a few pounds.

Freeman’s two-run homer, the Guardians’ first runs in a 10-2 win over Oakland, traveled a mere 331 feet and had an exit velocity of 89.5 mph. If it had come off the bat of Aaron Judge, it would have been arrested for loitering.

What’s more Statcast determined that Progressive Field was the only big league park in which his drive over the right field wall in the second inning would have counted as a home run. But isn’t that what home field advantage is all about?

Regardless of measurements, it was Freeman’s third homer of the season and capped a good night for infielder turned center fielder. In the top of the second, he saved Triston McKenzie (2-2, 5.00) big problems by robbing Lawrence Butler with a diving catch in deep right field for the second out of the inning.

It proved to be a big out because the A’s loaded the bases on Shea Langeliers’ single and two walks. McKenzie extracted himself from his own jam by getting Abraham Toro to foul out to catcher Bo Naylor.

It was Toro who gave the A’s a quick 1-0 lead with a leadoff homer off McKenzie’s 1-1 pitch in the first inning.

McKenzie retired the next three batters, two on strikeouts, but it was not an encouraging start for McKenzie, who is pitching with a strained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

Freeman’s homer and a five-run fifth inning made McKenzie a winner for the second time this season. He allowed one run on three hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked three on 84 pitches.

McKenzie, according to Baseball Savant, threw 39 fastballs, 35 sliders and 10 curves. The velocity on his fastball was 90.7 mph, about two miles an hour slower than it was in 2022, which was his last healthy season.

The Guardians put the game away in the fifth against Joe Boyle (1-3, 7.23). They loaded the bases with one out on a Bo Naylor walk, a single by Estevan Florial and another walk by Brayan Rocchio.

Steven Kwan doubled into the right field corner to score Naylor and Florial for a 4-1 lead. Andres Gimenez followed with a two-run single. Jose Ramirez dumped a single into left field to score Gimenez for the final run of the inning.

The Guardians made it 10-1 in the eighth with three more runs. Josh Naylor hit hits fifth homer of the season and Florial added an RBI single for his third hit of the night.

Lefty Tim Herrin replaced McKenzie and pitched a scoreless sixth with two strikeouts. Herrin has not allowed a run in his last 6 2/3 innings.

Tyler Beede and Scott Barlow pitched the last two innings of the game. Brent Rooker homered off Barlow in the ninth for the A’s second run.

The victory was the Cleveland’s 14th in the first 20 games of the season. They are 4-1 against the A’s this season and 15-3 against them over the last three years.

Next:

LHP Logan Allen (2-0, 5.06) vs. LHP Alex Wood (0-1, 8.10) Saturday at 6:10 p.m. Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM, WMMS and the Guardians radio network will carry the game.


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Just another win !

Guardians sweep Oakland as Josh Naylor delivers another big hit in 6-2 win

Updated: Apr. 21, 2024, 4:34 p.m.|Published: Apr. 21, 2024, 4:25 p.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Josh Naylor thrives in late-game situations where the Guardians need his bat the most. Sunday was no exception with All-Star José Ramírez getting a much-deserved day off.

Naylor’s double off Oakland lefty T.J. McFarland with the bases loaded in the seventh drove in three runs and locked up Cleveland’s fourth straight win, completing a weekend sweep of the Athletics at Progressive Field.

Cleveland has won seven of its last eight games and remains atop the American League Central Division standings with 16 wins, the most in the majors. Their 16-6 record represents the franchise’s best start to a season since 1999.

In late and close situations Naylor is hitting .500 with nine RBI in 11 at-bats. He is batting .406 with 14 RBI and a 1.036 slugging percentage in nine home games this season.

anner Bibee (2-0) earned his second win, striking out eight and walking a pair while allowing two runs on five hits. Tim Herrin, Nick Sandlin, Cade Smith and Emmanuel Clase held Oakland’s offense scoreless over the final 3 1/3 innings.

Will Brennan gave Cleveland an early lead when he drilled a solo home run to right off A’s starter Ross Stripling with one out in the second. Brennan is slugging .706 with a pair of home runs and five RBI in his last seven games. He contributed with his glove as well, diving to take a hit away from Seth Brown to lead off the sixth on a ball that was ticketed for the right field corner.

Andrés Giménez plated Rocchio with a two-out RBI single in the third. It was the 10th hit with a runner in scoring position for Giménez, who leads the club and ranks fifth in baseball with a .526 batting average in that situation.

Gabriel Arias stayed hot at the plate with a two-out RBI single of his own in the fourth, driving in Brennan who was aboard with his second extra-base hit of the game.

Bibee was looking to become the first Guardians starter to complete six innings since Logan Allen did so against Seattle on April 3. But with two out in the sixth, he walked Ryan Noda and Zack Gelof followed with a sharp grounder in the hole that Rocchio fielded but could not make a throw to first. Lawrence Butler’s line drive single scored Noda and knocked Bibee out of the game.

Herrin came on to get pinch hitter Shea Langeilers on a fly ball do deep center that Ramón Laureano ran down on the warning track to preserve Cleveland’s one-run lead. Guardians relievers entered the contest with a 2.19 ERA, the second-best mark in the American League and fifth in the majors.

Next: The Guardians are off Monday before opening a three-game series against the Red Sox at Progressive Field. Tuesday’s series opener features a rematch of last week’s gem at Fenway Park as Cleveland will send right-hander Ben Lively (0-1, 3.60) to the mound and Boston counters with righty Tanner Houck (3-1, 1.35). Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM 1100 AM, WMMS 100.7 FM, WARF 1350 AM (Spanish) and the Guardians Radio Network will carry the game.


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Not a second time: Guardians beat Boston, Tanner Houck, 4-1, with late rally

Updated: Apr. 23, 2024, 8:38 p.m.|Published: Apr. 23, 2024, 8:29 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tanner Houck tried to do it to the Guardians again. He almost made it before the Guardians dropped the hammer.

Houck threw six scoreless innings before the Guardians rallied late to beat Boston, 4-1. The Guards, with the best record in baseball, have won five straight games for the second time this season.

Tyler Freeman and Bryan Rocchio gave the Guardians a 2-1 lead in the seventh. Freeman had an RBI single and Rocchio a sacrifice fly. Ramirez added insurance with a leadoff homer in eighth.

Last week at Fenway Park, Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu stole two hits from Ramirez, including a homer. Tuesday night Ramirez hit it where Abreu would have needed a jet pack to catch it.

Ben Lively and Houck revisited their April 17 matchup from Fenway Park almost to a tee.

The April 17 game went to Houck and the Red Sox, 2-0. Houck threw a three-hitter, striking out nine and retiring the last 13 hitters to come to the plate.

Lively in his first start for the Guardians allowed two runs on three hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked one.

Tuesday night’s game, played in chilly and damp conditions, was scoreless through six. Lively held Boston to three hits, while Houck limited the Guardians to three as well.

The game turned in the seventh.

Lively, just the second Cleveland starter to pitch six innings since April 3, retired Tyler O’Neill to start the seventh, but Abreu homered into the right field seats to give Boston a 1-0 lead. When Rob Refsynder singled, Lively was done for the night.

Scott Barlow relieved. He ended the inning quickly by catching Refsnyder trying to steal second and striking out Emmanuel Valdez.

Lively allowed one run on five hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out seven, the same total he had in his first meeting with the Red Sox and Houck.

The Guardians ended 15 scoreless innings of frustration against Houck (3-4, 1.65) in the seventh to take a 2-1 lead.

Will Brennan opened the inning with a double to center. Freeman brought him home with a single to center to tie the score at 1.

When Houck walked Estevan Florial, lefty Brennan Bernardino relieved. The Guardians countered with pinch-hitter David Fry, who walked to load the bases after Freeman stole second.

Rocchio’s sacrifice fly scored Freeman for the lead.

The Guardians stretched their lead to 4-1 in the eighth on Florial’s double. Ramirez’s homer was his fourth of the season and came after a mini two-day vacation. Ramirez had the day off on Sunday paired with Monday’s off day.

Houck allowed two runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked three as he leaned heavily on his slider and splitter.

Lively threw the kitchen sink at the Red Sox with sinkers, fastballs, sliders, curveballs and changeups. He threw 89 pitches, 61 for strikes.

Barlow (1-2), thanks to the Guardians’ late rally, was credited with the win. Emmanuel Clase pitched the ninth for his seventh save in nine chances.

The Guardians are 4-1 against Boston this season.

Next:

RHP Carlos Carrasco (1-1, 3.44) will face the Red Sox at 6:10 p.m. Wednesday. The Red Sox have not named a starter. Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM, WMMS, WARF and the Guardians radio network will carry the game.


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CLASE FANS ABREU

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FLORIAL RBI DOUBLE OFF THE WALL

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CONDENSED GAME

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nice work by Ben LIverly and our so-far-great bullpen. Hunter Gaddis is the surprise star of the year.

I seem to recall Gaddis as being somewhat pudgie last year, his off season program seems to have produced results.

held to 2 singles in the first 4 innngs, down 2=0. Kwan and Florial with the hits.
3-0 now on the second homer surrendered today by Cookie

another solo homer, that's 3 long balls off Carrasco; streak in jeopardy, Guardians trail 4-0 in the 6th

Guardians victimized by Boston’s bullpen-game magic in 8-0 loss

Updated: Apr. 24, 2024, 9:50 p.m.|Published: Apr. 24, 2024, 8:40 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The second time around against the Red Sox was not as pleasant as the first for Carlos Carrasco.

On a frigid Wednesday night, Boston hit three home runs against Carrasco in a 8-0 victory that ended the Guardians’ five-game winning streak.

Carrasco, in his 200th start in a Cleveland uniform, allowed five runs on nine hits in five innings.

On April 18 Carrasco (1-2, 4.63) pitched 5 2/3 innings in a 5-4 victory over Boston at Fenway Park. In that game, he righted himself after a 29-pitch first inning. Wednesday night the Red Sox never let Carrasco out of their grasp.

“The weather was the same,” said Carrasco. “In my last start against them I was really getting to my pitches. I didn’t feel that tonight. I felt I was trying to be too perfect and I paid for it.”

Wilyer Abreu gave Boston a 1-0 lead in the first with a double. Connor Wong made it 2-0 with a leadoff homer in the second. It was Wong’s first of two homers on the night, and his fourth against the Guardians this season.

Wong, for the night, went 4 for 4 with three RBI. He is hitting .500 (9 for 18) with four homers and seven RBI against Cleveland this year.

“Mr. Wong has had our number this year,” said manager Stephen Vogt.

Things calmed down for Carrasco as he worked through two scoreless innings. In the fifth Rafael Devers homered and Wong started the sixth with his second leadoff homer. When Pablo Reyes followed with a single, Carrasco was done for the night.

Carrasco, who struck out four and walked one, threw 89 pitches.

The Guardians signed Carrasco to a minor league contract this winter. He’d spent his first 11 years in the big leagues in Cleveland before being traded to the Mets. Making his 200th start with Cleveland was important to him.

“It meant a lot to me,” said Carrasco. “I made my first start here in September of 2009. I just wanted to do so well and win this game. But tomorrow is another day. We need to win the series tomorrow.”

Said Vogt, “That’s a cool milestone for him. It speaks to his longevity and his ability to pitch and get outs. Tonight didn’t go great, but he’s been doing well for us to this point.”

It was Carrasco’s 100th start at Progressive Field.

This was supposed to be a bullpen game for the Red Sox, but Cooper Criswell gave his bullpen buddies a break by pitching five scoreless innings. He allowed three hits, while striking out three and not walking a batter in just 72 pitches.

Criswell (1-1, 2.38) had good fortune on his side in the first inning.

Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez hammered balls to deep right field. Josh Naylor sent a long drive to center field. On a warmer night they may have been off the wall for extra bases or out of the park.

But with a first-pitch temperature of 43 degrees, they were caught on the track. Of course, the weather didn’t seem to bother Devers and Wong.

“We barreled him early, but had nothing to show for it,” said Vogt. “Criswell was outstanding. He was cutting the ball in on our lefties, using his sweeper. He threw very few fastballs. He did a real good job crowding our lefties.”

The three hits Criswell allowed were singles. Estevan Florial singled in the second, Kwan in the third and Bo Naylor in the fifth. Their only extra base hit, a double, belonged to Ramirez.

Boston is planning another bullpen game for Thursday’s season finale between the two teams. They had to do it because scheduled starter Brayan Bello was placed on the injured list before Wednesday’s game.

The Red Sox finished with 16 hits. It was the most the Guards pitchers have allowed this season. Boston’s eight runs tied the most the Guardians have allowed this year.

Pedro Avila made his Cleveland debut in mop-up duty. Avila, acquired from San Diego, worked the final three innings. The right-hander allowed two runs on five hits.

“I thought Avila was great,” said Vogt. “Three much needed innings for our bullpen. That’s the first time I’ve seen him throw. He’s got some good stuff. I’m excited to see him pitch the next time out.”

It was the second time the Guards have been shut out this season. The Red Sox have been responsible for both of them.

The Guardians have won the series, 4-2.

Next:

RHP Triston McKenzie (2-2, 5.00) will start for the Guardians. The Red Sox will start RHP Chase Anderson (0-0, 2.77). Game time is 1:10 p.m. Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM, WMMS, WARF and the Guardians radio network will carry the game.


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