The Boston Red Sox celebrated a 5-4 win against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night, following a four-run eighth inning that saw Rob Refsnyder secure the go-ahead RBI single. James Paxton played a crucial role in the win as he tied his season-high with nine strikeouts, while Kiké Hernández drove in two runs and Masataka Yoshida had three hits for the Red Sox. Kenley Jansen worked a perfect ninth for his 13th save in 16 opportunities. Cleveland carried a 2-1 lead into the eighth before De Los Santos loaded the bases and walked Hernández to plate Justin Turner with the tying run.
Cleveland mounted a comeback in the eighth inning when they pulled off a pair of runs against Chris Martin, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome of the game. Naylor singled, doubled, and scored twice, while Josh Bell had two hits in his return from a paternity leave. Bieber threw for 5 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and matching his season-low with two strikeouts.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Chris Murphy would be a candidate to fill the vacant spot in the rotation if he wasn’t used in the first two games in Cleveland. Furthermore, CF Adam Duvall, who is batting .188 through five games of a rehab assignment with Worcester, is set to be activated on Friday, according to Cora. Cleveland’s SS Amed Rosario missed the game due to left knee soreness, but he is expected to start on Wednesday according to Francona.
Refsnyder’s RBI single helps Red Sox secure 5-4 victory over Guardians in 8th inning.
