Red Sox Wrap: Boston Falls Short In Thrilling 11-Inning Duel Vs. Guardians
BOSTON — The Red Sox refused to go down without a fight, but still drew the short end of the stick in Tuesday night’s 10-7 loss in 11 innings against the Guardians at Fenway Park.
With the loss, the Red Sox dropped to 9-9 while the Guardians improved to 12-5 midway through the four-game set.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston strapped on its boots and put together a thrilling five-run sixth-inning to come from behind after trailing by four runs, but the rally went to waste.
The team entered the night with injury concerns and added another one with right-handed starter Garrett Whitlock being removed after four innings due to left oblique tightness.
Whitlock surrendered two earned runs to the Guardians off three base hits before handing it off to the bullpen, receiving zero run support. The 27-year-old, who’s already been put through the injured list wringer since transitioning from a reliever to a starter, remains a pivotal part of the pitching staff — which recorded an MLB-best 2.48 ERA in the first 17 games.
That put a slight damper on the night, especially with Boston having already endured five losses in its last seven games, including two shutouts. Yet, as manager Alex Cora explained pregame, the healthy cast members need to uplift the team, regardless of who goes down — a message that was received and brought to life.
However, the Guardians were ahead of the Red Sox in resilience, escaping Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning, then taking the lead against Greg Weissert in the 10th, and again in the 11th versus Josh Winckowski.
Boston has now fallen to 2-6 in games played at Fenway Park, the worst home record of any team in the American League East.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Cleveland’s All-Star third baseman José Ramírez sported the heroes cape by driving in the game-deciding run in the top of the 11th inning, sparking a three-run rally to put Boston to rest.
— Devers completed the late-game rally, going 1-for-2 with a two-RBI double to give Boston a 6-5 lead over Cleveland in the sixth inning. Devers also exited the contest with left knee discomfort.
— Boston’s Connor Wong also had a hand in the comeback rally, crushing a two-run home run to cut the scoring deficit to one run. Wong also scored the game-tying run on sacrifice fly in the 10th inning. He finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
ON DECK AT NESN
The series between Boston and Cleveland continues Wednesday night. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, plus a full hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.