Carlos Carrasco gave up two runs in 5 2/3 solid innings and Andrés Giménez had two RBI to lead the Cleveland Guardians to a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday.
Ramón Laureano, Josh Naylor and José Ramírez also drove in runs for Cleveland, which took three of four from Boston and improved to a Central Division-best 13-6.
“You want to win every series. Every team talks about it,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “It’s not this new idea, but any time you can go on the road and win a series, especially from a very good team across the way, you feel good about it heading home.”
Carrasco (1-1) threw 56 of his 89 pitches for strikes and allowed two hits while striking out five and walking three. He left after allowing a two-out single to Reese McGuire in the sixth with Cleveland leading 5-1.
“Trying to be too perfect, which led to the first run,” Carrasco said of the first inning when Boston scored a run but left the bases loaded. “After that, I went back and thought the same way I did in the bullpen (for pregame warmups). I just went out there and attacked.
“We’re winning series. That’s important for us.”
Emmanuel Clase pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save.
Giménez had two hits while batting leadoff Thursday, and is hitting .293 overall this season.
“He’s the Swiss Army knife of the lineup. He hits all over the place,” Vogt said. “His at-bats since the start of the year have been phenomenal … clutch hit after clutch hit.”
After starting the season with seven wins in 10 road games, the Red Sox went 3-7 on their first homestand.
Trailing 5-1, Boston cut into Cleveland’s lead behind Jarren Duran’s two-run triple in the Red Sox’s three-run sixth inning.
Left-hander Brennan Bernardino had two scoreless innings in the start for the Red Sox, who used five pitchers. Cooper Criswell (0-1) was charged with the loss after allowing four runs — three earned — in 2 1/3 innings.
Boston made two more errors that led to three unearned runs. The Red Sox have committed an MLB-worse 19 errors.
“It sounds repetitive, but we have to play better defense,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “That’s the bottom line. We don’t make two routine plays and don’t turn a double play, and we lose by one. They’re good defenders. We’re not making plays right now.”
The Guardians will next be back at home to take on the Oakland Athletics, which will begin a 3-game series, on Friday, April 19th, with first pitch at 7:10 p.m.