The Boston Red Sox are already headed to the postseason, but Thursday night at Fenway Park was a blunt reminder that the lineup still has work to do before October. Boston managed just two hits and never found a breakthrough in a 1-0 loss to the Cleveland Guardians, who locked up their third straight playoff berth with the win.
The game turned on one pitch. Angel Martínez drove a solo homer off Ranger Suárez in the second inning, and that was enough for Cleveland’s pitching staff to carry the night from there. Boston’s offense never came close to erasing the deficit.
Cleveland played the matchup with a different look from the start, using Daniel Espino as an opener before handing things to Joey Cantillo. The move paid off.
Cantillo threw five scoreless innings, giving up only one hit and two walks while striking out four. He moved to 11-9 and stretched his scoreless streak to 15 innings over his last three appearances in a bulk role.
Cade Smith finished it off in the ninth, punching out all three batters he faced for his 41st save.
Suárez did enough to win on most nights. He allowed three hits and one run across five innings, struck out five, and walked one. Martínez’s blast was the lone mistake, but it proved decisive and left Suárez with an 8-5 record.
The loss dropped Boston to 85-74. Cleveland improved to 83-76 and stayed one game ahead of the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central.
The Red Sox won’t have long to stew on it. They’re back at Fenway Park on Friday for a split doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs, after Sunday’s scheduled game was moved because of the weekend weather forecast.
The first game is set for 1:05 p.m. ET, with the second scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
ET.
That gives Boston two quick chances to wake the bats back up. The Red Sox already know they’ll be playing in October. The question now is whether they can get there with an offense that’s ready to go.
Thursday was one of those nights when a single run felt enormous.
In October, it usually is.
In Other News...
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Red Sox Suddenly Face Another Late-Season Bat Concern
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The concern lands alongside other sidelined players, including Willson Contreras, and it underscores how quickly a roster can thin out when the calendar turns toward the stretch run. For the Red Sox, it is less about one isolated injury than the cumulative effect of losing options, especially when even a routine swing can turn into a postgame question mark. [Read more 🡒]