Guardians riding hot rookies as Red Sox come to town

Since the Cleveland Guardians have been looking down at the rest of the American League Central for the majority of the season, it's not a huge surprise that they haven't yet been swept in a series.

After avoiding that fate once again against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday afternoon, Cleveland -- which holds a three-game lead atop its division -- shifts its focus to a weekend visit from the Boston Red Sox. The teams open their three-game series on Friday night.

Rookies Travis Bazzana and Chase DeLauter powered the go-ahead, three-run fifth inning that propelled the Guardians to a 3-2 win in the series finale against Washington. Both had 2-for-4 nights, with Bazzana cracking two doubles and scoring a run.

"They're confident," Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said of the organization's top two prospects entering the season. "They know they belong in the big leagues."

Bazzana is hitting a team-best .302 and carries a five-game hit streak into the new series.

"Whether he's swinging it hot or not, you can't tell," DeLauter said of the Australian-born Bazzana. "He shows up every day, has competitive at-bats, works the box. He doesn't swing at balls, hits the strikes hard. What more can you ask for?"

The Guardians' scheduled Friday starter, Slade Cecconi (3-5, 5.18 ERA), allowed three runs in five innings last Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies, taking his first loss in five May outings.

Cecconi had given up just four runs over his previous three outings (16 2/3 innings), including a 7 1/3-inning outing to beat the host Detroit Tigers on May 18.

In his only previous start against the Red Sox, Cecconi was touched up for seven runs on 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings on Sept. 2, 2025.

The Red Sox had a chance at a marquee series win before hitting the road, but the recent loss of reliever Garrett Whitlock quickly doomed them as the major-league-leading Atlanta Braves scored the final eight runs and cruised to a 10-2 Thursday win in Boston.

"If you said before the game that we'd get (Chris Sale) out of there after five and it's 2-2, you'd be feeling pretty good about that," interim Boston manager Chad Tracy said. "Then, obviously, it just got away from us."

Starter Payton Tolle (4 2/3 innings) and reliever Tyron Guerrero got Boston through the fifth. Then, four different relievers allowed runs en route to the blowout defeat.

Whitlock was placed on the injured list with left knee inflammation before Thursday's game, a day after receiving a pain-killing injection. He had not pitched since Sunday, when he hyperextended his knee while warming up in muddy conditions.

Boston is now 9-19 at home and 14-13 on the road.

One silver lining? Before Thursday, the first four losses on the recently completed six-game homestand against the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta were decided by two runs or fewer.

"I think there was a lot of good in this homestand, but obviously, at the end of the day, it's wins and losses. That's what matters," Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin said.

Tracy is expected to use left-hander Tyler Samaniego (0-2, 1.04) -- who was recalled from Triple-A Worcester to replace Whitlock -- as an opener ahead of Brayan Bello (2-5, 6.43) on Friday. It will be the 27-year-old rookie's first start in the majors.

Bello is 1-0 with a 0.98 ERA in 18 1/3 innings (three appearances) as a bulk reliever. By comparison, he is 1-5 with a 9.68 ERA in 30 2/3 frames across seven starts.

--Field Level Media