Six-Run Seventh Helps Red Sox Win Over Guardians

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images

May 31, 2026

The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 9-4 to secure the series win on Sunday afternoon inside Progressive Field. Jovani Moran got the win, pitching 1 1/3 innings while not allowing a hit. Colin Holderman got the loss out of the pen, allowing two runs in 1/3 of an inning. Three Red Sox hitters had multiple RBI days.

Red Sox-Guardians Game Summary

Jarren Duran started this game with a bang, crushing a 3-1 fastball off Bibee for his 10th home run of the season. Ranger Suarez loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the second inning. Austin Hedges knocked a two-run single to take a 2-1 lead.

The Red Sox response came in the fifth inning. After a Jarren Duran walk loaded the bases, Mickey Gasper drove in Marcelo Mayer via a sacrifice fly ball. Wilyer Abreu blooped an RBI single to take a 3-2 lead, before getting thrown out trying to go for second base.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, after a Brayan Rocchio double, Masataka Yoshida lost a fly ball in the sun. This turned what would’ve been the second out of the inning into an RBI double for Jose Ramirez. Chase DeLauter slapped an RBI single to left field to take back the lead. Miraculously, after an eight-pitch walk from David Fry loaded the bases, no more runs came across to score in the fifth. That marked the end of Suarez’s day, notching 10 strikeouts in the process of going five innings and allowing three runs.

Six-Run Seventh

With the bases loaded in the seventh, Wilyer Abreu might’ve gotten away with striking out looking on a full count. Alas, home plate umpire Austin Jones called it a ball. With the Guardians out of challenges for the game, they couldn’t do anything about it, tying the game at 4-4. Yoshida made up for his fielding mishap by driving a single up the middle to take a 6-4 lead, knocking Tim Herrin out of the game. Codi Heuer came in and allowed an RBI single to Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Lastly, Caleb Durbin went to the opposite field and notched a two-run triple to cap off a six-run seventh inning.

Aroldis Chapman got the ball in the ninth despite the lack of a save situation. He shut the door to secure the win.

What Went Right for the Red Sox

Duran’s Hot Bat

Duran struggled up until the month of May, with a .481 OPS through the month of April. However, he has stepped up in a major way, with an .847 OPS, and nine long balls in May.

Scoring Against the Number One Bullpen

The Guardians bullpen ranked as the best bullpen according to Reliever Roundup & Bullpen Bonanza‘s latest Power Rankings. However, the Red Sox absolutely crushed the Guardians bullpen this game. This is especially great for an offense that struggles mightily with runners in scoring position.

What Went Wrong for the Red Sox

Risky Baserunning

The Red Sox have problems with getting thrown out when runners try to take an extra base. It happened once again with Abreu trying to take second base in the fifth inning.

Chapman Injured Too?

Chapman went down awkwardly on a ground ball hit by DeLauter. Although he gave a thumbs up to manager Chad Tracy, his velocity was initially down to 96 right after it. The Red Sox do not need any more injuries messing up their season.

Looking Ahead

The Red Sox head back to Fenway Park for a three-game set with the Baltimore Orioles. Connelly Early will take the mound opposite Shane Baz for the first game on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. Eastern.