Andres Gimenez collected two hits and drove in two runs to help the visiting Cleveland Guardians defeat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 Thursday in the tail end of a four-game series.
Carlos Carrasco (1-1) held Boston to two runs in 5 2/3 innings to earn the win. He gave up four hits, struck out five and walked three. Emmanuel Clase retired the side in order in the ninth to collect his fifth save as the Guardians won three games in the series.
Jarren Duran drove in two runs and scored twice for the Red Sox, who struck out 10 times.
Boston committed two errors that led to three unearned runs. The Red Sox have 20 errors in 20 games this season.
Cooper Criswell (0-1) surrendered four runs (one earned) on three hits in 2 1/3 innings of relief.
Duran gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when he walked, stole second, moved to third on Triston Casas’ infield single and scored on Wilyer Abreu’s fielder’s choice.
Cleveland tied the game in the third on an RBI single from Gimenez that scored Gabriel Arias, then took a 2-1 lead on Josh Naylor’s single that drove in David Fry in the fourth.
The Guardians added two runs to go up 4-1 in the fifth. A single by Gimenez drove in Ramon Laureano, who had reached base on a throwing error. Brayan Rocchio scored when Jose Ramirez hit into a fielder’s choice.
It became a 5-1 game when Laureano singled to drive in Tyler Freeman in the sixth.
Boston pulled within a run by scoring three times in the sixth. Reese McGuire and Ceddanne Rafaela each scored on Duran’s triple, and then Duran made it 5-4 by scoring on Cade Smith’s balk.
Rafael Devers was not in Boston’s lineup. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said postgame that an MRI on Devers’ knee revealed only a bone bruise.
