Archives for September 23, 2026

FENWAY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s reserve utilityman Andruw Monasterio’s sixth-inning RBI single and starting pitcher Sonny Gray’s six shutout innings propelled the ed Sox to a 1-0 win over the visiting Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night.

The Red Sox (85-73) managed the lone run on 12 hits, all singles. They went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base through five innings before Monasterio’s run-scoring, two-out knock off Cleveland starter Foster Griffin (15-6) broke the deadlock.

In the sixth, Jarren Duran (2-for-3) lined a leadoff single to left and moved to second on a groundout. He scored from second base on Monasterio’s knock, sliding ahead of left fielder Steven Kwan’s relay throw and catcher Patrick Bailey’s tag.

Gray (18-5) struck out three while allowing four hits and one walk to increase his American League-leading win total. Tyron Guerrero, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman each threw a scoreless inning to finish off Boston’s 17th shutout victory of the season.

Chapman struck out the side in the ninth to log his 35th save as Boston snapped a three-game losing streak.

Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela returned from a 17-game injury absence caused by a right quad strain to record all three outs in the first, including a spectacular diving catch on Kwan, the leadoff hitter who still went 2-for-4 for Cleveland (82-76).

Griffin worked six frames, striking out seven and allowing one run on 10 hits and no walks.

The Guardians remained one game up on the White Sox (81-77) in the American League Central after Chicago lost 5-4 at Kansas City on Wednesday.

Rafaela hit a leadoff single in the second inning but appeared to be in pain after reaching first. He stayed in the game to run the bases and initially took his defensive position before Duran replaced him. The Red Sox announced that Rafaela was dealing with right hamstring tightness.

Rafaela’s defense helped Gray retire the first six men he faced. Bailey recorded Cleveland’s first hit with a leadoff single in the third, but a 6-3 double play ended the inning without any damage. Gray fanned a pair of Guardians to strand two to end the fourth.

After the lone run scored and Gray exited, Guerrero struck out three in the seventh after a leadoff walk. Whitlock worked around Brayan Rocchio’s leadoff single and Jose Ramirez’s one-out walk in the eighth, inducing an inning-ending double-play grounder from Chase DeLauter.

–Field Level Media

BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox hope to shift some momentum in advance of the playoffs when they host the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night in the second game of a three-game series.

Cleveland extended its winning streak to six games by beating Boston 3-2 on Tuesday. It was the third straight loss for the Red Sox (84-73), who have dropped eight of their last 12 games and own a 9-10 record in September but still clinched a wild-card berth on Sunday.

Add left-handed reliever Erik Miller to the list of Boston’s concerns as the Red Sox prepare for the playoffs. Miller looked sharp when the Red Sox acquired him from San Francisco in August, but he has allowed nine walks and hit two batters in September.

One of those hit batsmen scored the game-winning run Tuesday. Miller hit Chase DeLauter to start the ninth inning, and DeLauter ended up breaking a 2-2 tie when he scored on Nathaniel Lowe’s sacrifice fly.

Miller has given up six runs and six walks in his past 3 1/3 innings and took the loss on Tuesday.

“He’s working through stuff,” Boston manager Chad Tracy said. “I thought today was another step in the right direction. The hit batter … the free passes are what gets you, and I think he also got some bad batted ball (luck). … We’re gonna try to get him out there a couple more times this week. Obviously still trust the stuff. If we can get that right, trust the stuff and his ability to strike out guys.”

Tuesday’s win allowed the Guardians (82-75) to remain one game ahead of the Chicago White Sox at the top of the American League Central standings. Chicago has the division tiebreaker over Cleveland, which has a magic number of two to clinch a playoff berth.

Meanwhile, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt called Lowe “a professional hitter.”

“You know he’s not trying to do too much,” Vogt said. “He’s not going up there trying to be a hero, hitting a three-run homer. Just score the guy from third. Got a pitch up in the zone, and was able to drive it deep enough to left. And you know he continues to just make plays for us.”

The Guardians won despite stranding 15 runners and a 1-for-12 hitting performance with runners in scoring position.

“Again, felt like it was another night where we get a ton of traffic, we put a lot of pressure on, and just weren’t able to get the big hit,” Vogt said. “You know, we were able to get a couple runs across, but we left a lot on the table. But I just love the way we’re making guys work. We’re getting on base … and we’re going to come through a lot more often than not. And again, our pitching just picked us up again tonight.”

Tracy said he expects center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (quadriceps) to be activated from the injured list on Wednesday. The manager also said first baseman Willson Contreras still has some soreness in his hand and won’t be in the lineup Wednesday but is close to returning.

Right-hander Sonny Gray (17-5, 2.82 ERA) will start for the Red Sox on Wednesday. He’s 8-5 with a 3.12 ERA in 21 career starts against the Guardians. On May 30, he gave up one run on four hits and three walks over six innings against them. He struck out seven in a 9-1 win.

Left-hander Foster Griffin (15-5, 3.67 ERA) will start for Cleveland on Wednesday. It will be his first career appearance against the Red Sox.

–Field Level Media