Series Review: Cleveland Guardians lose four straight, gets swept by the Red Sox

The Cleveland Guardians fell to the Boston Red Sox.

The Cleveland Guardians left over 20 men on base during their series with the Boston Red Sox, which followed seven straight series wins. Not only did the Guards not count the Red Sox among the teams already vanquished, but they’ve also now lost four straight.

The Guardians didn’t play bad games, but two bad innings in the first two matchups (the top of the 7th in game one and the top of the 6th in game two) were the deciding factors in this series. While it’s not great to get beat by the Red Sox, it’s a bit of a comfort to know that it was Bryan Shaw and Shane Bieber who got tagged; as that generally doesn’t happen with those two.

So there’s hope that this is more of an anomaly than anything too concerning. In what may be a troubling stat, however, the Guards are just 1-4 with Franmil Reyes back in the lineup. While he isn’t playing horribly and isn’t the sole cause for the 23 players left on base this series, he is a contributing factor and one has to wonder if Terry Francona isn’t forcing things by having him in the heart of the order. Perhaps putting him near the bottom of the lineup would be more conducive.

The Guardians are now two games out of first place with a five-game series against the Twins up next. So the Guards’ quest for first is far from over.

Red Sox sweep the Cleveland Guardians

Game 1 – Red Sox Win (6-3)

Bryan Shaw gave up three runs, breaking a 2-2 tie, and setting the Guards on a collision course with a loss. The offense didn’t help, leaving nine men on base.

Game 2 – Red Sox Win (4-2)

The Guards held a 2-0 lead until Shane Bieber self-destructed in the sixth inning. No one on the Guardians had more than one hit and Jose Ramirez went hitless on the day.

Game 3 – Red Sox Win (8-3)

Unlike the last two games, the Guardians just got beat up. It was 5-0 before the Guards got their first run, and then gave up three more runs in two of the last three frames. This was just a sucky series.

Series Standouts

Steven Kwan

3-8, 1 Run, 1 Walk

Amed Rosario

3-12, 1 RBI, 1 Run, 1 Walk

Andres Gimenez

5-10, 1 RBI, 2 Runs, 1 Walk