Veteran left-hander Rich Hill pitched six solid innings Sunday as the visiting Boston Red Sox earned an 8-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians to extend their winning streak to seven games while finishing off a three-game series sweep.
The 42-year-old Hill (4-4) mixed a tantalizing curveball and an occasional fastball, while giving up five hits, one run and four walks with five strikeouts.
Cleveland starter Aaron Civale (2-4) went four innings and allowed three runs on eight hits with three walks and two strikeouts. The Guardians saw their losing streak reach four games.
Boston broke the game open with two runs in the sixth when Trevor Story’s bloop single scored J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts for a 5-0 advantage. The hit deflected off the glove of a diving Ernie Clement in left field.
The Red Sox added an insurance run for a 6-1 lead in the seventh when Rafael Devers’ single drove in Christian Vazquez, who led off with a double.
Boston took advantage of Cleveland’s defense to take a 3-0 lead in the fourth.
Doubles by Franchy Cordero and Christian Vazquez produced Boston’s second run before Jarren Duran doubled Vazquez to third. Boston scored again when a tailor-made double-play grounder by Martinez was thrown in the dirt at first base by second baseman Andres Gimenez.
Boston’s Duran and Devers led off the third with singles. A potential double-play grounder by Martinez was thrown away at first base on an error by Gimenez. Martinez was credited with an RBI as Duran came home with the first run of the game.
The Guardians finally got on the board in the sixth inning when Amed Rosario walked and moved to third on Jose Ramirez’s double. Rosario scored on Oscar Gonzalez’s ground out.
A throwing error by Devers allowed Clement to reach second to lead off Cleveland’s seventh. Owen Miller drove him in with a to-out single to right, cutting the deficit to 6-2.
Gimenez’s single in the eighth drove home Ramirez, who led off the inning with a double as the Guardians pulled within 6-3.
Ramirez, who had a 13-game hitting streak stopped on Saturday, was 3-for-4 with two doubles for Cleveland.
–Field Level Media
