Final: Guardians 5, Red Sox 2 - Sox fall behind early, can't catch up

Spotting the Cleveland Guardians a quick 3-0 head start, the Red Sox never got fully untracked in the opener of their homestand, suffering a 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians.

The Guardians jumped on starter Nick Pivetta for two in the first and another in the third and never trailed.

Kiké Hernandez singled home one run in the second, and the Sox added another in the sixth when Alex Verdugo scored Hernandez with a groundout. After that, the Sox threatened on several occasions but couldn't draw any closer. They finished just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

Kutter Crawford pitched well in relief (four innings, one run allowed) but a solo homer from Will Brennan in the top of the ninth provided the Guardians with a bigger cushion.

WHO: Red Sox (13-13) vs. Cleveland Guardians (12-13)
WHEN: 7:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Nick Pivetta (1-1, 4.58) vs. RHP Shane Bieber (1-1, 3.23)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM 93.7

LINEUPS

RED SOX

Verdugo RF
Yoshida LF
Turner DH
Devers 3B
Casas 1B
Duran CF
Hernandez SS
McGuire C
Valdez 2B

GUARDIANS

Kwan LF
Rosario SS
Ramirez 3B
Naylor 1B
Bell DH
Gimenez 2B
Zunino C
Brennan RF
Straw CF