Tag: fenway park

Tommy Pham comes through with walk-off single in 10th inning as Red Sox come back to defeat Yankees, 3-2

The Red Sox walked off the Yankees in 10 innings at Fenway Park on Friday night. Tommy Pham immersed himself into the storied rivalry by lifting Boston to a 3-2 victory over New York.

Well before that, though, Nathan Eovaldi made his 18th start of the season for the Sox. The veteran right-hander grinded through six innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and two walks to go along with three strikeouts on the night.

The first of those two runs came right away in the top of the first inning. After issuing a one-out walk to Aaron Judge, Eovaldi gave up an RBI double to Anthony Rizzo. Two innings later, Judge took Eovaldi 429 feet over the Green Monster for his 46th home run of the season to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead.

J.D. Martinez got the Red Sox on the board in the fourth inning by driving in Alex Verdugo, who led off with a double, on a run-scoring single up the middle. That cut the deficit in half, but it was all they could get off Yankees starter Domingo German, who tossed six-one run innings.

Eovaldi, meanwhile, settled in by retiring nine of the final 12 batters he faced from the fourth inning on. He gave up a one-out single to old friend Andrew Benintendi in the sixth, but that was immediately negated when Jose Trevino popped into a force out at second base.

All told, Eovaldi finished with a final pitch count of 108 (70 strikes). The 32-year-old hurler induced a total of 11 swings-and-misses while averaging 94.4 mph with his four-seam fastball. His ERA on the season now sits at 4.15.

In relief of Eovaldi, Matt Barnes received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. Barnes yielded a one-out single to D.J. LeMahieu and promptly plunked Judge, but he got out of that by punching out Rizzo and Josh Donaldson in back-to-back fashion.

From there, Ryan Brasier retired the side in order in the eighth before Garrett Whitlock did the very same in the ninth to hold the Yankees at two runs. In the latter half of the inning, the Red Sox were down to their final three outs and matched up against All-Star closer Clay Holmes.

Holmes got a slumping Rafael Devers to ground out to short, but then issued back-to-back walks to Xander Bogaerts and Verdugo. Martinez then came through once again by driving in Bogaerts on another RBI single up the middle to knot things up at two runs apiece.

Verdugo, who advanced to third on the play, represented the potential winning run as Yankees manager Aaron Boone pulled Holmes in favor of Wandy Abreu. The lefty fanned Eric Hosmer and then got Christian Arroyo to line out to send the game into extras.

Whitlock came back out for the 10th and stranded runners at second and third while striking out Donaldson and Gleyber Torres. Arroyo, having recorded the final out of the ninth, started the bottom of the 10th inning at second base. Jaylin Davis moved him up to third on a softly-hit groundout.

After Reese McGuire reached base on a bunt single, Pham delivered with the hit of the night: a walk-off single down the left field line off Lou Trivino that scored Arroyo from third. Comeback completed.

With the win, their second straight, the Red Sox improved to 56-58 on the season. They still trail the Orioles by four games for the third and final American League Wild Card spot.

Next up: Crawford vs. Montas

The Red Sox will go for their second consecutive series win over an American League East opponent on Saturday night. Rookie right-hander Kutter Crawford will get the start for Boston while former Red Sox pitching prospect Frankie Montas will do the same for New York.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. eastern time on FOX.

(Picture of Tommy Pham: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Eric Hosmer comes through with game-winning RBI double as Red Sox end losing streak with 4-3 victory over Orioles

The Red Sox have done it. They have won a series against another American League East team.

Yes, it may have only been one game, but Thursday’s contest against the Orioles at Fenway Park counted as a series, according to The Elias Sports Bureau. Boston therefore clinched its first series win of the season against a divisional opponent with a 4-3 victory over Baltimore.

Matched up against Dean Kremer to begin things on Thursday, the Sox got off to a quick start. Right out of the gate, Xander Bogaerts and Alex Verdugo went back-to-back on a pair of two-out doubles in the first inning. The two traded places to give their side an early 1-0 lead.

Two innings later, Jarren Duran led the bottom of the third off with a hard-hit single and promptly scored all the way from first base when Tommy Pham ripped an RBI double down the left field line. Pham moved up to third on a Rafael Devers sacrifice fly and scored from third on a Bogaerts sacrifice fly to make it a 3-0 game in favor of Boston.

To that point in the contest, Josh Winckowski had been cruising right along. Making his 11th start of the season for the Sox, the rookie right-hander took his shutout bid into the sixth inning before running into some trouble.

After giving up a leadoff single to Cedric Mullins and issuing a five-pitch walk to Adley Rutschman, Winckowski recorded the first two outs of the inning. He then served up a two-run triple to Terrin Vavra, who proceeded to score from third base on an infield single off the bat of Austin Hays.

Winckowski attempted to field the 62.3 mph grounder, but struggled to get the ball out of his glove before making a late underhanded toss to first baseman Eric Hosmer. Hays was initially called out by first base umpire Mark Carlson, but the Orioles challenged the call on the field and it was overturned.

Hays proved to be the last batter Winckowski would face. The 24-year-old hurler wound up allowing three runs on six hits, two walks, and two strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings of work. He threw 93 pitches (63 strikes) and raised his ERA on the season to 4.69.

Austin Davis came on to record the final out of the sixth and did just that to keep the 3-3 stalemate intact going into the bottom half of the inning. Kremer got the first two outs rather quickly before issuing a seven-pitch walk to J.D. Martinez. He was then pulled in favor of Nick Vespi.

Hosmer greeted the new O’s reliever by driving in Martinez all the way from first on a 394-foot RBI double to deep center field. Hosmer’s second hit of the night allowed the Red Sox to jump back out to a 4-3 advantage.

From there, Matt Barnes struck out two and stranded one in the seventh before John Schreiber closed things out by recording the final six outs of the game to notch his fourth save of the year.

With the win, the Red Sox improved to 55-58 on the season. They currently trail the Rays by 4 1/2 games for the third and final American League Wild Card spot.

Also of note, Bogaerts’ first-inning double was the 300th two-base hit of his career. He became the 11th player in Red Sox history to hit 300 doubles with the team, but only the second to do so before turning 30. Carl Yastrzemski first accomplished the feat in 1969.

Next up: Eovaldi vs. German

The Red Sox will now welcome the first-place Yankees into town for a three-game weekend series that begins Friday night. Nathan Eovaldi will get the start in the opener for Boston while fellow eight-hander Domingo German will do the same for New York.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Eric Hosmer: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Eric Hosmer day-to-day with left knee contusion

Well before falling to the Braves by a final score of 9-7 in 11 innings on Tuesday night, the Red Sox lost first baseman Eric Hosmer due to injury.

In the fourth inning of Tuesday’s loss, Hosmer — who was making his Fenway Park debut as a member of the Red Sox — took a foul ball off his left knee after making contact with an inside fastball from Braves starter Charlie Morton.

Despite being in visible pain and receiving a visit from manager Alex Cora and a team trainer, Hosmer was able to remain in the game for the moment. He finished his at-bat by striking out on eight pitches, but was then replaced at first base in the top half of the fifth by Bobby Dalbec.

Hosmer, who finished the night having gone 0-for-2 in his only two trips to the plate, was later diagnosed with a knee contusion. The 32-year-old is currently day-to-day with knee soreness and is unlikely to suit up for Wednesday’s series finale against Atlanta, Cora told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier) Tuesday.

Since being acquired from the Padres (along with minor-leaguers Max Ferguson and Corey Rosier) for pitching prospect Jay Groome last week, Hosmer has gone 2-for-12 (.167) with two doubles, one RBI, three runs scored, three walks, and two strikeouts over four games (15 plate appearances) with the Red Sox.

It remains to be seen at this point if Hosmer will require a stint on the injured list. If he does, that could require Boston to recall fellow left-handed hitting first baseman Franchy Cordero from Triple-A Worcester. Top prospect Triston Casas may be a possibility as well, though that would necessitate a 40-man roster move.

(Picture of Eric Hosmer: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Xander Bogaerts delivers with go-ahead 3-run home run as Red Sox hold on for 4-2 win over Guardians to salvage series split

The Red Sox salvaged a series split with the Guardians at Fenway Park on Thursday night. Boston defeated Cleveland by a final score of 4-2 to improve to an even 50-50 on the season.

Kutter Crawford, making his sixth start of the season for the Sox, was solid yet again. The rookie right-hander allowed just one earned run on three hits and zero walks to go along with two strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings of work.

The lone run Crawford gave up came in the top half of the fourth. With one out in the inning, Jose Ramirez belted a 413-foot solo shot down the right field line that managed to stay to the left of Pesky’s Pole and in fair territory. The play was reviewed, but the call was upheld and the Guardians had themselves a 1-0 lead.

Besides that one blip, though, Crawford rebounded by retiring seven of the final nine batters he faced. He was pulled with two outs in the fifth inning as the left-handed hitting Josh Naylor was due to hit next for Cleveland.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 69 (49 strikes), Crawford induced a total of eight swings-and-misses while topping out at 95.7 mph with his four-seam fastball, a pitch he threw 23 times. Although the 26-year-old did not factor into Thursday’s decision, he did lower his ERA on the season to 4.15.

In relief of Crawford, Jake Diekman received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. The veteran left-hander did what he was called upon to do by getting Naylor to ground out to end the inning.

To that point in the contest, the Red Sox lineup had been completely held in check by Guardians starter Triston McKenzie, who did not give up his first hit until the fourth and took a shutout bid into the sixth.

After Jarren Duran switched places with Jeter Downs while recording the first out of the inning, Alex Verdugo moved the speedster up to second base with a line-drive single. Xander Bogaerts followed by taking a hanging 0-2 slider from McKenzie and crushing it 412 feet over the Green Monster for a go-ahead three-run blast.

Bogaerts’ eighth home run of the season left his bat at 105 mph. It also gave the Red Sox their first lead of the night at 3-1. Bobby Dalbec provided some insurance in the seventh by plating Franchy Cordero on a 103 mph RBI single to left field.

Following a scoreless seventh inning from Diekman in which he struck out two of the three Guardians he faced, Garrett Whitlock came on with the hopes of recording a six-out save.

Whitlock, working on two days of rest, yielded one run on one hit and one walk in the eighth. As the rain began to fall harder in the ninth, the righty maneuvered his way around a Naylor double to slam the door on the Guardians and pick up his third save of the year.

Next up: Bring on the Brewers

Exactly 100 games into the 2022 season, the Red Sox are a .500 team. They will next welcome the Milwaukee Brewers into town for a three-game weekend series at Fenway Park. The Brewers last visited Fenway in April 2014.

In Friday’s series opener, it will be rookie right-hander Brayan Bello getting the ball for Boston and fellow righty Brandon Woodruff doing the same for Milwaukee.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Xander Bogaerts: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Trevor Story still dealing with discomfort in right hand

Red Sox second baseman Trevor Story is still dealing with some discomfort stemming from the right hand contusion he suffered earlier this month, manager Alex Cora said Thursday.

Story, who took an 89 mph sinker from Rays starter Corey Kluber off his right hand on an awkward swing at Tropicana Field on July 12, has been on the 10-day injured list for the last two weeks.

While X-rays on Story’s hand came back negative, it took until this past Sunday for the 29-year-old to start swinging a bat again. He took more swings on Wednesday, but did not do so before Thursday’s game against the Guardians at Fenway Park.

“He’s doing OK. He swung the bat yesterday. Today, nothing,” Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith). “So we’ll see how it goes over the weekend. Hopefully, he keeps trending in the right direction and we go from there.”

Given that he swings from the right side of the plate, Story has had some issues when it comes to gripping and swinging the bat with his top (right) hand.

“Where it got him, it was in a tough spot,” said Cora. “The swinging part of it, the top hand, has kind of been hard for him to feel comfortable with it. (If) he doesn’t feel comfortable to go out there and compete with his swing where he’s at, then there’s nothing we can do.”

At the time he got injured, Story was batting .221/.289/.423 (93 wRC+) with 17 doubles, 15 home runs, 58 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, 49 runs scored, 28 walks, and 105 strikeouts through 81 games (342 plate appearances) this season. The two-time All-Star has also posted eight defensive runs saved, the most among American League second baseman.

That quality of defense, according to Cora, is something the Red Sox have missed dearly while Story has been sidelined.

“He had become the rock of the infield,” Cora said.

On Sunday, Cora did not give a definitive answer when asked if Story will require a rehab assignment. That could soon change the longer Story remains out.

(Picture of Trevor Story: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Franchy Cordero commits 3 errors as Red Sox blow late lead and fall to Guardians, 7-6, to drop below .500

For the first time since June 4, the Red Sox are under .500. Boston blew a late lead and ultimately fell to the Guardians by a final score of 7-6 on Wednesday night to drop to 49-50 on the season.

Nathan Eovaldi, making his second start since returning from the injured list on July 15, allowed five runs (three earned) on nine hits and zero walks to go along with one strikeout over six innings of work.

Three of those five Cleveland runs came in the top half of the second inning. Franmil Reyes led off with a ground-rule double and moved up to third base on an Owen Miller single. Following a mound visit from pitching coach Dave Bush, Eovaldi got Nolan Jones to chop a groundball in the direction of Franchy Cordero at first base.

Cordero, while running to his right, attempted to corral the ball with his glove but picked it off the ground barehanded. With his momentum carrying him in the opposite direction, he made an awkward throw to Eovaldi, who was covering the first-base bag. Said, throw, however, was nowhere near Eovaldi and instead rolled into the Red Sox dugout. So not only did Reyes score on the play, but Miller advanced to third while Jones reached base safely.

The Guardians took full advantage of Cordero’s fielding and throwing errors, as Austin Hedges plated Miller on an RBI groundout and Straw drove in Jones on a run-scoring double to give his side an early 3-0 advantage.

The Red Sox, matched up against right-hander Cal Quantrill, responded by scoring two runs of their own in the bottom of the second. After Cordero drew a two-out walk, Bobby Dalbec crushed a 410-foot two-run home run over the Green Monster to cut the deficit to one at 3-2.

Eovaldi, meanwhile ran into more trouble in the fourth, when Jones led off with a sharply-hit double and moved up to third on a successful sacrifice bunt laid down by Hedges. Straw fanned on four pitches for the second out, but Steven Kwan and Amed Rosario kept the inning alive by stringing together back-to-back run-scoring hits.

Once more, the Sox kept the pressure on by answering with two runs in the latter half of the fourth. Christian Vazquez reached on a one-out single and then scored all the way from first on an RBI double off the bat of Cordero that neither Kawan or Rosario could handle cleanly. As a result, Cordero advanced up to third base and easily scored on a Dalbec sacrifice fly.

At the very least, Eovaldi was able to settle down a bit from there. The 32-year-old right-hander retired eight of the final nine batters he faced leading into the middle of the sixth inning. Of the 95 pitches he wound up throwing, 67 went for strikes. His ERA on the season now sits at 4.32.

The Cordero-Dalbec combo struck again in the bottom of the sixth. Moments after the former reached base on a force out, the latter followed by clubbing his second home run of the night. Dalbec’s 10th homer of the season left his bat at 107.1 mph and traveled 397 feet to dead center field. It also gave the Red Sox their first lead of the contest at 6-5.

That newfound lead would not last long, though. After John Schreiber worked a scoreless seventh inning in relief of Eovaldi, the righty was called upon again to take the mound in the eighth. He begin the frame by giving up an infield single to Jones, but the Guardians rookie was able to take second base as well thanks to another Cordero throwing error.

Schreiber then surrendered a game-tying RBI double to Straw. An inning later, Tanner Houck served up a go-ahead solo homer to Josh Naylor that put Cleveland back up, 6-5.

Emmanuel Clase came on to close things out in the ninth for the second straight night and did just that by making quick work of Jackie Bradley Jr., Yolmer Sanchez, and Rob Refsnyder.

With the loss, Boston has now dropped seven of its last eight games to fall to a dismal 6-17 in the month of July. It is also 31-41 against teams with winning records and 13-16 in one-run games this season.

According to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, Cordero is the first Red Sox first baseman to commit three errors in a single game since Mo Vaughn did so in 1993.

Dalbec, on the other hand, has four hits in his last seven games. Three of those have left the yard.

Next up: Crawford vs. McKenzie

The Red Sox will look to settle for a four-game series split in Thursday’s finale with the Guardians. In a starting pitching matchup featuring a pair of right-handers who went to high school in Florida, Kutter Crawford will get the ball for Boston while Triston McKenzie will do the same for Cleveland.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Franchy Cordero: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Rafael Devers (right hamstring inflammation) expected to come off injured list when first eligible

Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers has been on the 10-day injured list because of right hamstring inflammation since July 23, meaning he is eligible to be activated as soon as August 2.

Devers took groundballs and hit in the batting cage ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Guardians at Fenway Park. When speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) earlier Wednesday afternoon, Red Sox manager Alex Cora indicated that the two-time All-Star could return from the injured list without needing to go out on a rehab assignment.

“He’s moving better,” Cora said of Devers. “He’s progressing. I think Raffy will be OK right away.”

Devers, 25, is batting .324/.379/.602 with 29 doubles, one triple, 22 home runs, 55 RBIs, 62 runs scored, two stolen bases, 26 walks, and 69 strikeouts over 87 games (380 plate appearances) so far this season.

In their last four games without Devers, the Red Sox are 1-3 and have averaged just 2.75 runs per game. Bobby Dalbec will start at the hot corner for Boston on Wednesday.

If Devers does indeed come off the injured list when first eligible, that would come when the Red Sox take on the Astros at Minute Maid Park next Tuesday.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Stagnant Red Sox fall into last place in American League East following 8-3 loss to Guardians

Even with new Hall of Famer David Ortiz in the house, the Red Sox lost to the Guardians at Fenway Park on Tuesday night. Boston fell to Cleveland by a final score of 8-3 to drop back down to 49-49 on the season.

In Baltimore, the Orioles defeated the Rays, 5-3, to improve to 49-48, meaning the Red Sox now sit alone in the basement of the American League East for the first time in over two months.

Josh Winckowski returned to the mound on Tuesday after missing the last two weeks on the COVID-19 related injured list. Making his eighth start of the season for Boston, the rookie right-hander allowed five earned runs on six hits, one walk, and one hit batsman to go along with one strikeout over just three innings of work.

Command seemed to be an issue for Winckowski, as only 47 of the 73 pitches he threw went for strikes. Cleveland got to him right away in the first inning, with Jose Ramirez drawing a two-out walk and scoring from second base on an RBI single from Owen Miller.

An inning later, Winckowski grooved a 1-0, 92 mph sinker to Austin Hedges, who deposited it 387 feet over the Green Monster to give the Guardians a 2-0 lead. Nolan Jones broke it open with two outs in the third by crushing a 408-foot, three-run blast off Winckowski to make it a 5-0 game.

The Red Sox were at the very least able to get two of those runs back in their half of the third. Jaylin Davis led things off with a 284-foot double off Guardians opener Bryan Shaw. Rob Refsnyder was hit by a pitch and Alex Verdugo grounded into a force out to put runners at the corners with one out for Xander Bogaerts, who promptly ripped a 106.9 mph RBI single to score Davis and get his side on the board.

Following a Cleveland pitching change, newly-inserted reliever Nick Sandlin plunked the very first batter he faced in J.D. Martinez to fill the bases for Christian Vazquez, who kept the line moving with another run-scoring single. With only one out and the bases still full, Kevin Plawecki lined out to Jones in right field. Bogaerts attempted to tag up from third on the play, but was instead gunned down at home by Jones for the third and final out of the inning. Boston challenged the call on the field, but it was upheld and the rally was over.

At that point in the contest, Red Sox manager Alex Cora elected to go to his bullpen, pulling Winckowski in favor of Austin Davis. Winckowski, who was ultimately took the loss, now owns an ERA of 5.18 this season. Davis, on the other hand, loaded the bases with one out in the fourth before getting Josh Naylor to hit a 66.9 mph groundball in the direction of Yolmer Sanchez at second base.

With his momentum carrying him towards left field, Sanchez attempted to make a behind-the-back toss to Bogaerts, who was covering the second-base bag. Sanchez’s toss, however, was inaccurate and was nowhere near Bogaerts, which allowed two more Guardians runs to cross the plate as Sanchez was charged with a throwing error.

Davis managed to escape the fourth inning without giving anything else up, but the damage had already been done with the Guardians in possession of a 7-2 lead.

While Hirokazu Sawamura and Jake Diekman combined for three scoreless frames of relief of the bullpen, the Red Sox lineup was held hitless from the bottom of the third inning up until the bottom of the seventh, when Rob Refsnyder reached base via a two-out single.

After Tanner Houck, who was making his first appearance since Saturday, surrendered one run in the top of the eighth, Plawecki plated Bogaerts on an RBI double off the Green Monster in the latter half of the inning.

Kaleb Ort retired the side in order in the top of the ninth. In the bottom half, All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase did the very same to end the ballgame.

By losing on Tuesday, the Red Sox are now 6-1 in their yellow City Connect uniforms. Overall, they have dropped eight of their last 10 and their run differential now sits at negative-15 on the year.

Next up: Quantrill vs. Eovaldi

The Red Sox will look to bounce back on Wednesday night by sending right-hander Nathan Eovaldi to the mound for his 15th start of the season. The Guardians will counter with fellow righty Cal Quantrill.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Xander Bogaerts: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Alex Verdugo comes through with game-winning RBI double as Red Sox defeat Guardians, 3-1, to snap 5-game losing streak

Back in their yellow City Connect uniforms, the Red Sox put an end to their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Guardians at Fenway Park on Monday night. Boston took the series opener from Cleveland to avoid falling under .500 and improve to 49-48 on the season.

Matched up against Guardians starter Zach Plesac to begin things on Monday, the Sox struck first in their half of the third. Jackie Bradley Jr. led the inning off with a 376-foot wallball double off the Green Monster. Yolmer Sanchez followed by immediately plating Bradley Jr. on an RBI single down the left field line.

At that moment, the skies above Fenway Park began to open and a 38-minute rain delay commenced. Plesac remained in the game for Cleveland on the other side of the delay.

Nick Pivetta, on the other hand, made his 20th start of the season for Boston. Having allowed six or more runs in each of previous three outings before the All-Star break, the right-hander bounced back nicely on Monday. He yielded just one run on seven hits, three walks, and six strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings of work.

That lone run came in the top half of the fifth. Myles Straw and Steven Kwan led off with back-to-back singles before Amed Rosario grounded into a 6-4-3 double play that moved Straw up to third base. With only one out to get, Pivetta gave up a game-tying single to Jose Ramirez that left the third baseman’s bat at a measly 58.6 mph.

Still, it was enough to drive in Straw and knot things up at one run apiece. Pivetta, meanwhile got through the fifth and recorded the first two outs of the sixth before allowing the final two batters he faced to reach base on a walk and single.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 95 (62 strikes), Pivetta induced a total of 13 swings-and-misses while topping out at 96.4 mph with his four-seam fastball, a pitch he threw 51 times. The 29-year-old’s ERA on the season now sits at 4.35.

In relief of Pivetta, John Schreiber received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. The righty officially closed the book on Pivetta’s night by stranding the two runners he inherited to keep the 1-1 tie intact going into the bottom of the sixth.

That is exactly where the Red Sox broke out for their most productive frame of the contest. Rob Refsnyder drew a leadoff walk off Plesac and broke the stalemate by scoring all the way from first on a go-ahead RBI double off the bat of Alex Verdugo that Steven Kwan struggled with in left field.

Following a Guardians pitching change, Xander Bogaerts greeted new reliever Trevor Stephan by moving Verdugo up to third on a single. Christian Vazquez then provided some insurance by driving in Verdugo on a softly-hit, run-scoring single up the middle.

That sequence events made it a 3-1 game in favor of Boston. From there, Schreiber picked up where he left off by punching out two in a scoreless seventh inning. Garrett Whitlock, who pitched on Sunday, was dispatched for the eighth inning and wound up retiring all six batters he faced to record his second save of the season and secure a 3-1 victory.

Next up: Winckowski returns

The Red Sox are expected to activate Josh Winckowski from the COVID-19 related injured list so that he can start on Tuesday. The rookie right-hander last pitched on July 13, allowing three runs over six innings against the Rays at Tropicana Field.

The Guardians have not yet named a starter. Regardless, first pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Alex Verdugo: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Trevor Story swings bat for first time since suffering right hand contusion

For the first time in nearly two weeks, Red Sox second baseman Trevor Story swung a bat on Sunday.

Story has not appeared in a game since July 13 after taking an 89 mph sinker from Corey Kluber off his right hand on an awkward swing at Tropicana Field the night before. The 29-year-old was diagnosed with a right hand contusion and X-rays on said hand came back negative.

Boston placed Story on the 10-day injured list on July 16, retroactive to July 14. Prior to Sunday’s milestone taking place, the right-handed hitting infielder had been limited to just tracking pitches in the batter’s box.

When speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) ahead of Sunday’s 8-4 loss to the Blue Jays at Fenway Park, Red Sox manager Alex Cora expressed optimism when providing an update on Story’s status.

“He swung today,” said Cora. “A lot better. So we’ll see how he reacts during the day and hopefully, at some point this week, he’ll be OK. But he swung today. He swung early. So things are trending in the right direction.”

While Cora indicated that Story could return to the fold in the coming days, he could not give a definitive answer when asked if the two-time All-Star will require a rehab assignment prior to getting activated off the injured list.

“We’ll talk about it,” Cora said.

Story, meanwhile, is itching to get back at it. In the first year of the six-year, $140 million deal he signed with Boston in March, Story is currently batting .221/.289/.423 (93 wRC+) with 17 doubles, 15 home runs, 58 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, 49 runs scored, 28 walks, and 105 strikeouts over 81 games (342 plate appearances). He has also provided the Sox with exceptional defense at second base (positive-8 defensive runs saved), a position the ex-Rockie never played at the major-league level prior to this season.

“I feel much better and just rehabbing around the clock. The whole time trying to get better,” Story explained to The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams on Sunday. “Definitely moving in the right direction. Once I can get [the hand] going and let it rip without crazy soreness, then that will be good. I just have been playing around with the bat just because it’s hard for me to stay away from it.”

(Picture of Trevor Story: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)