Red Sox Wrap: Alex Verdugo Homer Was Difference In Win Vs. Guardians

The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians, 4-2, on Saturday at Progressive Field to secure the series victory.

The Red Sox move ahead to 41-31, and the Guardians fall to 36-31.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The evening was shaping up to be all Shane Bieber, as the right hander held the Red Sox scoreless through five innings. The Guardians were up 2-0, and they had cut Boston’s chances at the start of the sixth inning after throwing Jarren Duran out at third on an attempted steal.

But Boston’s bats came alive. After base hits from J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts, it was Alex Verdugo who blasted a rocket to right field to put the Red Sox up 3-2. Boston didn’t look back as the bullpen held Cleveland scoreless for the rest of the game.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Verdugo’s home run went 447 feet — the second-longest homer for the Red Sox this season, only a foot short of Franchy Cordero’s 448 foot dinger, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. The home run was Verdugo’s fifth of the year.

— Duran had his best outing yet as Boston’s lead-off hitter. He batted 4-for-5 with an RBI and two stolen bases.

— Amed Rosario got the scoring going for the Guardians with an RBI triple in the third inning. It was the Cleveland’s shortstop’s fifth triple of the season.

WAGER WATCH
Verdugo’s home run prop closed at 7-to-1 on DraftKings Sportsbook. Also, Duran’s stolen base prop closed at 8-to-1 — payout is for one stolen base only, unfortunately. A considerable amount of profit could have been made on these props as a $100 bet on the Verdugo prop would have paid out $800, and the same bet on Duran’s stolen base prop would have paid out $900 — $1,700 total if both were bet on.

ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox will complete their series against the Guardians on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled at 1:40 p.m. ET, and full coverage of the game will be on NESN following on hour of pregame coverage.