Guardians come back to hand Red Sox third straight loss

Field Level Media|published: Sat 26th April, 16:17 2025

MLB: Game 1-Boston Red Sox at Cleveland Guardians

Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Nolan Jones (22) rounds third base en route to scoring during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez each had two hits with an RBI, and the Cleveland Guardians overcame an early deficit to win 5-4 over the visiting Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of Saturday's split doubleheader.

Angel Martinez also had two hits, and Kwan's two-out, bloop RBI single in the sixth snapped a 4-4 tie for the Guardians, who have won 12 of 16 and improved to 8-2 at home. Ben Lively allowed a three-run, first-inning homer to Wilyer Abreu and a solo shot to Rafael Dever, plus four other hits and three walks in five innings for Cleveland.

However, Tim Herrin (3-0), Hunter Gaddis, Emmanuel Clase and Cade Smith (three saves) combined to allow just one hit against the Red Sox, who got the first two men on in the ninth, but stranded runners on second and third.

Boston's Tanner Houck yielded all four of his runs and five of eight hits in the first inning but settled down to finish five. Alex Bregman added two hits for the Red Sox, who have lost three straight after winning six of seven.

The Red Sox wasted no time getting to Lively. He walked Devers and issued a single to Bregman, but after a Trevor Story fielder's choice, he was an out away from an unscathed first. Abreu, though, clubbed an 0-2 pitch well over the right-field wall for a 3-0 Boston lead.

However, the Guardians erased that Red Sox edge in the bottom of the first. Kwan and Nolan Jones opened the frame with back-to-back doubles, and Ramirez followed with an RBI single. Carlos Santana's sacrifice fly made it 3-2, then consecutive run-scoring singles from Gabriel Arias and Daniel Schneemann put Cleveland up 4-3.

Devers ended his 0-for-16 slump with that tying drive deep into the right-field stands to open the third.

It stayed tied until the bottom of the sixth. With Boston's Brennan Bernardino (1-1) on the mound, Will Wilson was hit by a pitch, went to second on Martinez's infield single, then to third on Austin Hedges' sacrifice bunt. Wilson came home via Kwan's hit off the glove of a drawn-in Story.

--Field Level Media

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