By Tiffany Williams –
The Cleveland Guardians hammered the Red Sox 8-1 at Fenway Park on Wednesday night, snapping Boston’s three-game winning streak and dealing them just their seventh loss by seven or more runs this season.
The Sox (78-63) had been rolling with 10 wins in their previous 14, but Cleveland jumped on them early with a six-run second inning. Gabriel Arias launched a two-run homer, José Ramírez drove in two, and Steven Kwan added an RBI single to put the Guardians in control.
Boston’s only offense came in the fourth when Nick Sogard singled home a run to cut the deficit to 7-1. Romy Gonzalez stayed hot with two hits, extending his hitting streak to seven games, while Connor Wong doubled. The Sox, however, were held to just one run or fewer for only the third time in their last 38 games.
Zack Kelly was a bright spot for Boston, throwing four scoreless innings in relief while setting a career high in both innings (4.0) and pitches (63). Starter Brennan Bernardino lasted just two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run after a leadoff double.
Cleveland (69-69) evened their record behind rookie lefty Joey Cantillo, who worked six innings of one-run ball, scattering five hits and striking out seven. It was the second quality start of his career and his third straight outing allowing just one run.
Kwan finished 3-for-5 with two runs, a double and an RBI, notching his 12th three-hit game of the season. C.J. Kayfus added two doubles and an RBI, Bo Naylor chipped in with a double and two runs scored, and George Valera collected his first career hit with a pinch-hit single in the eighth.
The loss dropped Boston to 25-20 in series finales and 7-6 in sweep attempts this season. The Guardians, meanwhile, snapped a three-game skid and avoided being swept for the first time since June.