Guardians 3, Red Sox 2

 

"It takes more than one run to win  baseball game." The Red Sox apparently heard me and scored not one, but two, runs yesterday but still found a way to lose the game. 

Top of the ninth, scored tied 2-2, Erik Miller takes the mound and hits the first batter with a pitch, putting him on base. A single advances him to third, and a sac fly brings him home to give the Guardians a 3-2 lead. The Sox go scoreless in the bottom of the inning, of course they do, and lose the game. 

Third straight loss. Fifth loss in the last seven games. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your September swoon. 

Cleveland hasn't yet clinched and is highly motivated as they're clinging to a one-game lead ahead of the White Sox in the AL Central. They're going to play their hearts out this series. The Sox have clinched a playoff spot, but it's more important in these final games of the season to stay healthy and to get the team fine-tuned for the playoffs, but the lack of offense is alarming. Plus a "losing mentality" can be hard to shake after a multi-game skid. 

The Rays clinched the AL East and the top seed in the league last night if anyone cares. I don't. These Red Sox won't be seeing the Rays again until 2027. 

Sonny Gray (17-5, 2.82) pitches tonight. To keep him well rested, they'll probably pull him early, especially if Boston gets ahead of Cleveland's Foster Griffin (15-5, 3.67) early in the game.