Closer Kenley Jansen suffered his first blown save of the season Tuesday. He gave up three straight hits (one double and two singles) in the ninth, failing to hold a one-run lead.
Josh Winckowski then allowed three runs on two hits and two walks in the 11th inning. The Red Sox lost 10-7 to the Guardians.
Boston dropped to 9-9 overall and 2-6 at Fenway Park.
To make matters worse, slugger Rafael Devers left the game in the eighth inning due to left knee discomfort and starting pitcher Garrett Whitlock exited after just four innings because of left oblique tightness.
Boston rallies in sixth inning
Boston scored five runs in the sixth inning to overcome a 5-1 deficit.
Triston Casas cut the deficit to 5-2 with a 332-foot home run to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. He wrapped it around Pesky’s Pole.
Connor Wong crushed a 376-foot two-run homer to left field with one out, cutting it to 5-4. Wilyer Abreu, who walked after Casas homered, scored.
Ceddanne Rafaela doubled with two outs, then Jarren Duran walked. Rafael Devers followed with a 391-foot, 104.6 mph double off the wall in left-center field that scored both Rafaela and Duran to give the Red Sox a 6-5 lead.
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Abreu keeps the game tied with running catch
Right fielder Wilyer Abreu kept the game tied in the ninth (after Jansen blew the save opportunity) when he made a tremendous running catch to his left with runners at first and second base.
Abreu snagged José Ramírez’s 104.2 mph, 329-foot liner to right field.
The teams then traded runs in the 10th inning.
Greg Weissert pitched around two singles and an intentional walk in the 10th inning to allow just the extra-inning automatic runner to score. He got red hot Steven Kwan (.372 batting average) to ground out with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Connor Wong’s 298-foot RBI sac fly to right field scored the automatic runner to tie it 7-7. Wong connected on an 88.5 mph slider from hard-throwing closer Emmanuel Clase.
Whitlock leaves after 54 pitches
Red Sox starter Garrett Whitlock was removed after he threw just 54 pitches. He exited with left oblique tightness, the team announced.
Reliever Joely Rodriguez replaced Whitlock to begin the fifth inning and the Guardians immediately put a three-spot on the scoreboard. Rodriguez gave up a solo homer to Tyler Freeman, two singles and two RBI sacrifice flies as Cleveland jumped ahead 5-1.
The 27-year-old Whitlock allowed two runs, three hits and one walk while striking out one in 4 innings. Of his 54 pitches, he threw 36 strikes.
He has a 1.96 ERA (18 ⅓ innings, four runs) in four starts this season. Opponents have batted .212 against him.
Valdez crushes 442-foot homer
Enmanuel Valdez’s 442-foot solo homer to right field in the fourth inning cut the deficit to 2-1. Valdez crushed it. The ball left his bat with a 108.6 mph exit velocity.
Wednesday’s game
Red Sox righty Tanner Houck (2-1, 2.04 ERA) will start opposite Cleveland righty Ben Lively (2024 debut) in the third game of the four-game series Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
