The Red Sox are trying to juggle the end of the regular season and the start of the postseason, and Monday night offered another reminder of how messy that can get.
In a tied game, manager Andy Tracy went to Erik Miller in the ninth instead of turning to Aroldis Chapman, and the move backfired when Miller allowed the go-ahead run on Nathaniel Lowe’s sacrifice fly. Before that, Miller hit Chase DeLauter on the forearm, then gave up a single to Jo Adell.
For Boston, the issue is bigger than one inning. The club is already working with October in mind, and that has started to shape how it handles its pitching staff. Earlier in the game, Tracy pulled budding ace Peyton Tolle after five innings, another sign that the Red Sox are managing with a different lens than they would in a normal late-September game.
Miller’s outing only deepened the concern. He has now allowed a run in three straight appearances, a stretch that suggests he’s slipping down Tracy’s trust tree. After the game, Tracy said Miller was “ working through some things,” and that was pretty clear from the way the inning unfolded.
The timing matters because Boston’s final two games at Fenway Park are lined up to feature two of its best arms, Sonny Gray today and Ranger Suarez tomorrow. It’s hard to imagine the Red Sox pushing either starter for much volume, which means the bullpen could be asked to bridge the gap again.
The Guardians may not get much out of Boston’s relief issues once the bracket is set, since the Red Sox will likely be locked into the other side. But over the next 48 hours, those struggles could still matter as Cleveland keeps pushing to secure a postseason spot.
In Other News...
Guardians Moved Within Reach Of October After A Win That Got Tense
The Guardians gave themselves another October boost with a fast start and enough steady work from the mound to hold off a late push. Angel Martnez, David Fry and Nathaniel Lowe all helped build the early cushion, and Parker Messick did his part in a five-inning start before the bullpen took over to finish the job.
Tim Herrin, Craig Yoho, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith each had a hand in protecting the lead, keeping Cleveland in control even as the game tightened down the stretch. The win leaves the Guardians with a magic number of two to clinch a playoff spot, and depending on how the other results break, it could shrink to one before long. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Are Suddenly One Step Closer To A Clinch After Another Thriller
The Guardians kept finding ways to survive on September 22, outlasting the Red Sox 3-2 in another tight, late-September game that fit the tone of a team trying to finish the job. Nathaniel Lowe provided the decisive blow with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, while Parker Messick did enough in his start to keep Cleveland in position before the bullpen took over.
Cade Smith finished it off and reached 40 saves on the year, a notable marker for a club that has leaned on its late-inning arm all season. The bigger picture is even better for Cleveland: its magic number to clinch a playoff spot is down to two, and the Guardians still sit atop the AL Central as the calendar turns toward the final stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Vogts Late-Game Guardians Move Is Becoming A Real October Weapon
Travis Bazzanas rookie season has come with the usual growing pains, and for Stephen Vogt, that has meant getting creative when games tighten up late. The Guardians manager has turned to Angel Genao as a defensive replacement in key spots, using his versatility around the infield to help shore up a young roster when the margin for error shrinks. It is the sort of September adjustment contenders make when every clean inning and every sure-handed exchange starts to matter more.
Against the Red Sox, that move paid off in a big way, as Genao made a crucial defensive play that helped close out the win and trim Clevelands magic number to clinch a postseason berth. The contrast between the two young infielders has become part of the clubs late-game equation, with Genao offering the steadier glove right now while Bazzana continues to work through the challenges of his first full season. For a team trying to lock down October, those small swaps can carry outsized weight. [Read more 🡒]