Guardians split doubleheader with Red Sox; Cleveland seeks to win series Sunday

Story by

Story by
Guardians split doubleheader with Red Sox; Cleveland seeks to win series Sunday

Michael Beaven, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Sat, Apr 26, 2025 ·

14 min read

About Our Ads

CLEVELAND — The Guardians (14-10) are hosting a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox (14-13) on Saturday, April 26, at Progressive Field in a matchup of two of the top seven teams in the American League.

The Guardians are in second place in the AL Central Division behind the Detroit Tigers (15-10) .

The Red Sox are in second place in the AL East Division behind the New York Yankees (15-11).

The Guardians enter the day a winner in five out of their past six games, which includes a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The Guardians defeated the Yankees on Monday, April 21, and Tuesday, April 22 and lost on Wednesday, April 23 . Cleveland beat New York 6-4 Monday and 3-2 Tuesday . New York avoided a three-game sweep with a 5-1 win Wednesday .

First pitch in the first game took place at 1:11 p.m and the Guardians won 5-4. The second game started at 6:10 p.m. and the Red Sox won 7-3.

Check out how the first game unfolded through our updates:

Aroldis Chapman pitches ninth inning and Red Sox top Guardians 7-3 to split doubleheader

Aroldis Chapman pitches the ninth inning and the Red Sox top the Guardians 7-3.

Chapman retired the Guardians 1-2-3 with a flyout and two strikeouts.

Kolby Allard works around double in ninth inning; Boston leads 7-3

Romy Gonzalez hit a double with two outs off of Kolby Allard in the ninth, but Allard bounced back and got Kristian Campbell to hit a flyout to Steven Kwan in left field to end the inning.

Red Sox lead Guardians 7-3 through eight innings

Justin Slaten pitches a scoreless eighth inning for the Red Sox. Daniel Schneemann led off the inning with a walk and did not advance as Slaten struck out José Ramírez and got Kyle Manzardo and Will Wilson both to pop out to second baseman Kristian Campbell.

Kolby Allard retires Red Sox in order in eight inning; Boston leads 7-3

Kolby Allard retires the Red Sox in order in the eighth inning with a groundout and two flyouts.

Justin Wilson retires Guardians in order in seventh inning; Red Sox lead 7-3

Justin Wilson enters in relief of Walker Buehler in the seventh inning and retires the Guardians 1-2-3. Wilson struck out Brayan Rocchio in the inning.

Kolby Allard retires Red Sox in order in seventh inning; Boston leads 7-3

Kolby Allard retires the Red Sox in order in the seventh inning with three groundouts.

Walker Buehler works around a single and an error to keep Red Sox ahead 7-3 through six innings

Walker Buehler works around a single and an error to keep Red Sox ahead 7-3 through six innings. Kyle Manzardo singled to start the inning, but the Guardians were unable to score.

Red Sox extend lead to 7-3 in sixth inning against Guardians

Jarren Duran , Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman each hit a single off of Kolby Allard and the Red Sox lead 7-3. Allard retires the next three batters.

Red Sox maintain 6-3 lead through five innings over Guardians

Steven Kwan led off the fifth inning with a single to right field off of Walker Buehler. One batter later, Daniel Schneemann lined the ball to first baseman Romy Gonzalez, who caught the ball and doubled off Kwan. José Ramírez popped out to shortstop Trevor Story to end the inning.

Jhonkensy Noel flashes glove and arm on double play in fifth inning; Red Sox lead 6-3

Guardians right fielder Jhonkensy Noel flashed his glove and his arm on a double play in the fifth inning. Noel caught a line drive that Carlos Narvaez hit off Kolby Allard and then threw the ball to Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo to get Kristian Campbell out. Campbell led off the inning with a single.

Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Jhonkensy Noel (43) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Guardians trim deficit to 6-3 in fourth inning against Walker Buehler

Jhonkensy Noel hits a two-run home run over the left field fence off of Walker Buehler to cut the Guardians deficit to 6-3 in the fourth inning. Noel's homer also scored Angel Martinez, who singled in Gabrial Arias earlier in the inning.

Buehler got out of the inning by getting Brayan Rocchio to ground out.

Guardians trim deficit to 6-1 in fourth inning against Walker Buehler

The Guardians trimmed their deficit to 6-1 in the fourth inning against Walker Buehler. Gabriel Arias doubled to left field and scored on a single to center field by Angel Martinez

Kolby Allard enters to pitch for Guardians in fourth inning; Red Sox lead 6-0

Kolby Allard enters to pitch in the fourth and posts a scoreless inning. Rob Refsnyder hit a two-out double, but was stranded when Romy Gonzalez grounded out 6-3 (Brayan Rocchio to Kyle Manzardo).

Doug Nikhazy pitched three innings in his Major League Baseball debut. Nikhazy struck out three, had a wild pitch and allowed five hits, six walks and six earned runs.

Red Sox starter Walker Buehler works around two hits in third inning

Three innings are complete and the Red Sox lead 6-0.

Red Sox starter Walker Buehler worked around two hits in the third inning to keep the Guardians scoreless. With one out, Brayan Rocchio doubled to left field and Steven Kwan singled to left field. Buehler struck out Schneemann and got José Ramírez to flyout to Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela .

Red Sox extend lead to 6-0 in third inning against Guardians

The Red Sox extended their lead to 6-0 in the second inning with a walk, a triple and a straight steal of home.

Guardians rookie starter Doug Nikhazy struck out Kristian Campbell to start the inning and then walked Carlos Narvaez. Ceddanne Rafaela hit into a flyout and Jarren Duran followed with a triple down the right field line that scored Narvaez to make it 5-0. The Red Sox sixth run came a moment later when Duran stole home.

Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Walker Buehler (0) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Red Sox starter Walker Buehler works around walk in second inning

Red Sox starter Walker Buehler worked around a walk in the second inning to move the game to the third inning. Bo Naylor walked with two outs and then did not advance.

Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan, left, and first baseman Carlos Santana, right, receive their Rawlings Gold Glove awards before the game between the Guardians and the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Red Sox extend lead to 4-0 in second inning against Guardians

The Red Sox extended their lead to 4-0 in the second inning with three hits and three walks.

Kristian Campbell started the inning with a double to right field. Nikhazy got a groundout and a flyout, but then ran into trouble. Jarren Duran singled in Campbell and Rafael Devers doubled in Duran. Nikhazy proceeded to walk Alex Bregman, Trevor Story and Rob Refsnyder to force in Devers.

Red Sox starter Walker Buehler retires Guardians in order in first inning in second game of doubleheader

Red Sox starter Walker Buehler retires the Guardians in order in the first inning as Steven Kwan, Daniel Schneemann and José Ramírez each groundout.

Red Sox first baseman Romy Gonzalez fielded two of the groundouts and threw the ball to Buehler as he covered first base. Third baseman Alex Bregman fielded the Ramírez grounder and threw the ball to Gonzalez at first base.

Red Sox take 1-0 lead in first inning of second game in Cleveland

Doug Nikhazy, making his Major League Baseball debut, gets a strikeout against Jarren Duran to start the second game of the doubleheader. Nikhazy needed seven pitches to retire Duran.

Nikhazy then walked Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman and allowed an RBI single to Trevor Story. Rob Refsnyder popped out to Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo and Nikhazy struck out Romy Gonzalez to end the inning.

Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Doug Nikhazy (65) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Who are the starting pitchers for the second game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Boston Red Sox today?

Doug Nikhazy is set to make his Major League Baseball debut as the Guardians starting pitcher in the second game and the Red Sox will counter with Walker Buehler, a two-time World Series champion during his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers .

Boston Red Sox batting lineup for Game 2 against the Guardians

Jarren Duran, LF
Rafael Devers, DH
Alex Bregman, 3B
Trevor Story, SS
Rob Refsnyder, RF
Romy Gonzalez, 1B
Kristian Campbell, 2B
Carlos Narvaez, C
Ceddanne Rafaela, CF

Cleveland Guardians batting lineup for Game 2 against the Red Sox

Steven Kwan, DH
Daniel Schneemann, LF
José Ramírez, 3B
Kyle Manzardo, 1B
Gabriel Arias, 2B
Bo Naylor, C
Angel Martinez, CF
Jhonkesny Noel, RF
Brayan Rocchio, SS

Check out how the first game unfolded through our updates:

Cade Smith pitches ninth inning to record save as Guardians win 5-4

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt has called on Cade Smith to pitch the ninth inning and Smith earns a save.

Ceddanne Rafaela led off the inning with a single, Jarren Duran walked and then Smith retired the next three batters. He struck out Trevor Story to end the game.

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith (36) throws a pitch against the Boston Red Sox on April 26, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Luis Guerrero retires Guardians in order in eighth inning; Cleveland leads 5-4

Luis Guerrero retires the Guardians 1-2-3 in the eighth inning. Will Wilson and Austin Hedges each strikeout in inning.

Cleveland maintains a 5-4 lead.

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) throws a pitch against the Boston Red Sox on April 26, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Emmanuel Clase enters to pitch eighth inning as Guardians lead 5-4

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt has called on Emmanuel Clase to pitch the eighth inning. Clase delivers a 1-2-3 inning as Kristian Campbell and Triston Casas each strikeout and Blake Sabol grounds out 4-3 (second baseman Will Wilson to first baseman Carlos Santana ).

Cleveland maintains a 5-4 lead.

Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) celebrates after pitching a scoreless eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images — Guardians reliever Emmanuel Clase has looked solid in his last two outings.

Greg Weissert retires Guardians in order in eighth inning; Cleveland maintains 5-4 lead

Greg Weissert retires Guardians 1-2-3 in the eighth inning. Weissert gets a flyout and Carlos Santana and Gabriel Arias each strikeout.

Cleveland maintains a 5-4 lead.

Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) gives the ball to relief pitcher Hunter Gaddis (33) during the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Hunter Gaddis retires three in row in seventh inning; Guardians maintain 5-4 lead

Tim Herrin hit Rafael Devers with a pitch to lead off the seventh inning. Stephen Vogt called on Hunter Gaddis and he retired the next three batters, including a strikeout of Alex Bregman.

Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) hits an RBI single during the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Brennan Bernardino enters to pitch sixth inning; Guardians take a 5-4 lead

The Guardians take a 5-4 lead off of relief pitcher Brennan Bernardino in the sixth inning with Steven Kwan hitting a single that scores Will Wilson.

Wilson reached base to lead off the inning via a hit by pitch against Bernardino, advanced to second base on a Angel Martinez single and took third when Austin Hedges laid down a sacrifice bunt.

Tanner Houck pitches five innings, strikes out six and allows eight hits, four earned runs and one walk.

Apr 22, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Tim Herrin (29) delivers a pitch in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images

Tim Herrin enters to pitch sixth inning and retires Red Sox; score remains 4-4

Tim Herrin enters to pitch the sixth inning and retires the Red Sox. Triston Casas walks to lead off the inning, but Herrin gets the next three batters out. Score remains 4-4.

Ben Lively pitches five innings, strikes out four and allows six hits, four earned runs and three walks.

Red Sox starter Tanner Houck gets through five innings; score remains 4-4

Red Sox starter Tanner Houck gets through five innings and the score remains 4-4. José Ramírez led off the inning with a single, but was caught attempting to steal second base a few moments later. Kyle Manzardo struck out, Carlos Santana was hit by a pitch and Gabriel Arias hit a flyout to left fielder Jarren Duran.

Guardians starter Ben Lively gets through five innings; score remains 4-4

Guardians starter Ben Lively gets through five innings and the score remains 4-4. Wilyer Abreu walked with two outs, but Lively struck out Kristian Campbell to end the inning. Lively started the inning by striking out Alex Bregman.

Red Sox starter Tanner Houck works around two singles in fourth inning; score remains 4-4

Red Sox starter Tanner Houck worked around singles by Angel Martinez and Austin Hedges with one out in the fourth inning. Houck struck out Jones to end the inning. Score remains 4-4.

Guardians starter Ben Lively gets out of jam in fourth inning; score remains 4-4

Ben Lively allowed a single to Triston Casas and walked Blake Sabol in the fourth inning, but neither scored as the Guardians defense made the plays to end the inning.

Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck (89) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Red Sox starter Tanner Houck works around a walk in third inning; score remains 4-4

Tanner Houck worked around a walk to Carlos Santana to retire the Guardians in the third inning. Houck struck out Gabriel Arias to end the inning. Score remains 4-4.

Red Sox DH Rafael Devers ties score at 4-4 with home run in third inning

Rafael Devers ties the score at 4-4 with a home run over the right field fence off of Ben Lively in the third inning.

Tanner Houck retires Guardians in order in second inning; Guardians lead 4-3

Tanner Houck retired the Guardians in order in the second inning. Houck struck out Austin Hedges and Nolan Jones in the inning.

Ben Lively retires Red Sox in order in second inning; Guardians lead 4-3

Ben Lively retired the Red Sox in order in the second inning and the Guardians lead 4-3. Lively struck out Jarren Duran to end the inning.

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan and infielder Daniel Schneemann (10) celebrate after the Guardians defeated the New York Yankees on April 22, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Daniel Schneemann hits RBI single to give Guardians 4-3 lead over Red Sox in first inning

Daniel Schneemann hits an RBI single to right field and Gabriel Arias scores to give the Guardians 4-3 lead over the Red Sox in the first inning.

Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias (13) celebrates after hitting an RBI double during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Gabriel Arias hits RBI single as Guardians draw even at 3-3 against Red Sox in first inning

Garbiel Arias singles to left field and José Ramírez scores to make the score 3-3 in the first inning.

Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Nolan Jones (22) celebrates after hitting a double during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Guardians cut Red Sox lead to 3-2 in first inning

With runners on second and third base and one out, Carlos Santana hit a sacrifice fly to score Nolan Jones and cut the Red Sox lead to 3-2.

Cleveland Guardians' Steven Kwan (38) hits a double against the Boston Red Sox on April 26, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Steven Kwan, Nolan Jones and José Ramírez reach base as Guardians cut Red Sox lead to 3-1 in first inning

Steven Kwan, Nolan Jones and José Ramírez reach base with no outs and the Guardians cut the Red Sox lead to 3-1 in the first inning.

Kwan led off the inning with a double to right field, Jones followed with a double to right-center field and Ramírez singled to right field to score Kwan.

Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu (52) hits a three-run home run during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Wilyer Abreu hits a three-run home run to give Red Sox a 3-0 lead over Guardians in first inning

Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu hits a three-run home run off of Ben Lively to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead over the Guardians in the first inning. Abreu's homer cleared the fence in right field and came on an 0-2 pitch with two outs.

Rafael Devers worked a walk with one out and Alex Bregman singled to right. Trevor Story then hit into a fielder's choice where Devers was forced out. Abreu followed with his three-run homer.

Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Ben Lively (39) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Who are the starting pitchers for the first game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Boston Red Sox today?

Ben Lively is scheduled to start on the mound for the Guardians in the first game and Tanner Houck is set to get the ball for the Red Sox.

Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu (52) rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Boston Red Sox batting lineup for Game 1 against the Guardians

Jarren Duran, LF
Rafael Devers, DH
Alex Bregman, 3B
Trevor Story, SS
Wilyer Abreu, RF
Kristian Campbell, 2B
Triston Casas, 1B
Blake Sabol, C
Ceddanne Rafaela, CF

Cleveland Guardians batting lineup for Game 1 against the Red Sox

Steven Kwan, LF
Nolan Jones, RF
José Ramírez, 3B
Kyle Manzardo, DH
Carlos Santana, 1B
Gabriel Arias, SS
Daniel Schneemann, 2B
Angel Martinez, CF
Austin Hedges, C

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Ben Lively (39) throws during the second inning of a Major League Baseball game against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.

American League Central Division standings

Entering Saturday:

Detroit Tigers 15-10
Cleveland Guardians 14-10
Kansas City Royals 13-14
Minnesota Twins 10-16
Chicago White Sox 6-20

How can I watch, stream or listen to the Guardians vs. Red Sox doubleheader on Saturday?

Saturday's games can be viewed locally on AT&T U-verse (channel 1736), COX (channel 80), DIRECTV Satellite and Streaming (channel 662), FuboTV and Spectrum (channel 1306). It can also be streamed via MLB's direct-to-consumer streaming subscription ( CLEGuardians.TV ) for $99.99 a season or $19.99 a month. And it'll be available on the radio via WTAM 1100, WMMS 100.7 and WARF 1350

Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com .

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians score vs Boston Red Sox MLB live game updates

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: