Cleveland

Guardians

Martínez’ home run was his 18th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Ranger Suarez in the second inning, which accounted for all of the run scoring in the Guardians’ 1-0 victory. Martínez has hit .258 with 49 runs scored, 58 RBI and 11 steals despite sporadic playing time this year.

Smith came in to protect a 1-0 lead in the ninth inning on the road and wiped the floor with the Red Sox. He struck out the side in order, picking up his league-leading 41st save. Finally getting the chance to be a full-time closer this year, Smith showed that he’s elite.

Following an opener, Cantillo gave up one hit, walked two and struck out four. Assuming he doesn’t appear again this season, Cantillo will finish 11-9 with a 3.62 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 171 strikeouts in 159 innings over 30 starts and 33 appearances. For his first season as a full-time starting pitcher, it wasn’t a bad debut, but he’ll have to cut his walk rate to be more than bordering on viable in mixed leagues.

This strategy worked well in Cantillo’s last outing, where he recorded five strikeouts over six scoreless innings against the Athletics on Friday. With Boston’s offense in a bit of a slide right now, Cantillo could be a solid option in fantasy leagues on Thursday.

Needing a win to ensure their one game lead in the American League Central would stay intact, the Guardians were shutout by Sonny Gray and three relievers against the Red Sox. Kwan did all he could though with two knocks and now has an astounding .355 batting average and .440 on-base percentage in the second half.

A master escape artist, Griffin somehow held the Red Sox to just one run while scattering 10 hits. He only tossed one cleaning inning out of six and let runners into scoring position in all five of those. Yet, he forced key whiffs when he needed them – on his sweeper especially – and was practically never behind in the count. Of course, that’s because Boston’s hitters were often aggressive early in the count, but Griffin never faced a 2-0, 3-1, or 3-0 count in this game. He closed the regular season with a strong 3.60 ERA and 15 wins. He will likely pitch next for the Guardians in the postseason.

Armstrong returns to Cleveland’s bullpen mix after missing two months with a left calf strain. The 36-year-old veteran reliever is back for Wednesday’s contest against the Red Sox. He’s compiled a serviceable 4.91 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 33/19 K/BB ratio across 33 innings this season.

Brogdon loses his spot in Cleveland’s bullpen with Shawn Armstrong returning from the injured list for Tuesday’s game against the Red Sox. The 31-year-old has posted a serviceable 5.05 ERA across 16 innings of work for the Guardians this season.

The HBP proved key, as DeLauter went on to score the go-ahead run on Nathaniel Lowe’s sac fly in the ninth. DeLauter upped his average to .292 tonight, placing him third in the AL.

Messick left with a 2-1 lead, but Hunter Gaddis gave up a homer in the eighth to tie the game before the Guardians responded in the ninth. The no-decision keeps Messick 12-9 with a 2.55 ERA. He could pitch again Sunday, but if the Guardians clinch before then, he’ll almost certainly be held back for the Wild Card series.