After eking out a nail-biter, the Cleveland Guardians will try to close the curtains on the Boston Red Sox by handing them a third-straight loss on Thursday evening. They were able to outlast Boston in a firefight on Wednesday, but they could find even tougher resistance against a Red Sox team desperately hoping to even up the series. Triston McKenzie is slated to start on the mound for Cleveland opposite of Boston’s Kutter Crawford.
The game was tied in the top of the ninth inning on Tuesday, and Josh Naylor stepped to the plate with a bat in his hands.
Crack!
A swing of the bat and the Guardians put the Red Sox away at Fenway Park and took the 2-1 lead in the series. This head-to-head meeting has been all Guardians since the offensive floodgates opened on Tuesday. After being held to only one run in the opener, the Guardians exploded for eight runs in the rematch and then another six on Wednesday.
Boston’s bats can do damage in return, and there’s always a chance of the finale turning into another firefight. But there’s also the possibility that Guardians’ starting pitcher Triston McKenzie (3.11 ERA) has a strong defensive outing by slowing down Boston’s offense.
It’s the same thing he’s done to the previous fo ur teams that have come before them. McKenzie has looked nothing short of spectacular since his meltdown at the hands of the Minnesota Twins back in June. If he’s locked into his craft on Thursday, It’s going to be tough for the Guardians to lose this game.