Guardians score vs. Red Sox. Cleveland loses, magic number stays the same
The Guardians couldn't muster any offense against Sonny Gray and the Red Sox bullpen in a loss that prevents them from clinching a playoff spot.
The Cleveland Guardians faced a tough challenge as they lost their game to the Boston Red Sox on September 23rd, securing only a 1-0 shutout. This defeat left Cleveland's magic number frozen at one, meaning they still needed a win to clinch an American League playoff spot. If Texas or Houston were to lose their game later that same day, the Guardians would secure their spot.
Otherwise, they would have to rely on a win in their Thursday, September 24th game against Boston at Fenway Park to clinch their berth in the postseason.
The Guardians' pitching staff put up a valiant effort, with Foster Griffin pitching six strong innings for Cleveland, striking out seven batters while allowing just ten hits and no walks. However, Boston's bullpen stepped up in the sixth inning, capitalizing on a single by Andruw Monasterio, who drove in Jarren Duran. This effort was enough to secure the shutout for the Red Sox.
Guardian's closer Aroldis Chapman made his return to the mound after a 10-day layoff due to lat tightness and pitched a perfect ninth inning, striking out the side. In terms of offensive production, Steven Kwan contributed two hits for the Guardians, while Petey Halpin, Patrick Bailey, and Brayan Rocchio each had a hit as well. Rocchio's single in the eighth inning set the stage for Chase DeLauter's inning-ending double play.
After this loss, Cleveland's magic number for clinching a playoff spot remained at one. Depending on the outcomes of the Rangers and Astros' games later that evening, the Guardians might clinch their postseason berth earlier than anticipated. The AL Central standings following the Guardians' loss were as follows: Guardians (82-76) — White Sox (81-76) .5 games behind.
Meanwhile, the AL wild card standings stood at the Yankees leading with a nine-game lead over the Red Sox (85-73), Boston (81-76) with a three-and-a-half-game lead, the White Sox (81-76) tied with the Astros (78-79), and the Blue Jays (77-79) trailing by three-and-a-half games.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
