In their first 17 games of the season, the Red Sox were shut out three times – including twice in the last four days – managed no more than three runs seven times, and went to extra innings three times.

Though they plated the sixth-most runs in the American League last year, the ’23 squad wasn’t much in the way of the round-tripper. The average AL club collected 195 home runs; Boston’s 182 ranked sixth-worst, and then they let two of their most productive sluggers, Justin Turner and Adam Duvall, depart in free agency with little in the way of replacement.

The resulting inconsistent offense, coupled with a shaky bullpen, led to a roller-coaster Tuesday night contest that went to extra innings before the Cleveland Guardians pulled out a 10-7 win in the 11th inning.

Early on, however, it looked like yet another game in which the Red Sox would squander a strong start and go quickly and quietly. Boston’s rotation entered Tuesday’s contest leading the Majors with a 1.92 ERA and ranking second in the American League in strikeouts (95), WHIP (1.07), and opponent batting average (.214). And save for the Guardians taking a 2-0 lead on a two-out walk and pair of RBI doubles in the top of the second, Garrett Whitlock was lights-out. Even with the aforementioned snafu, the right-hander only needed 54 pitches to get through four.

That’s why it was so concerning when Whitlock didn’t return for the fifth inning. He exited with left-oblique tightness, though postgame, he was optimistic it was only precautionary.

Still, the Red Sox were forced to go to the bullpen early, and they’d suffer for it immediately and hours later. With Joely Rodriguez on the mound instead of Whitlock, it looked like Cleveland would run away with it. After a leadoff strikeout, the left-hander gave up a solo home run to Tyler Freeman and back-to-back singles. A sacrifice fly plated the second run of the inning, and a single and error by right-fielder Wilyer Abreu yielded a third. Connor Wong was ruled to be blocking the plate, so the inning continued, albeit briefly. By the time Rodriguez got Bo Taylor to strike out looking, Cleveland had a 5-1 lead.

The miscues and misadventures – which also included Triston Casas leading off the second with a double only to get caught stealing third – stood in stark contrast to Tanner Bibee’s smooth start. The 2023 American League Rookie of the Year runner-up was able to dispatch the Boston bats with relative ease over his five innings, holding them to five hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.

“We cannot push the envelope that way,” an adamant Alex Cora said of Casas’ failed attempt to swipe third. “Twenty-seven outs are too valuable in this game.”

Enmanuel Valdez made a loud exception in the bottom of the fourth, when he got the Sox on the board with a towering blast. The solo home run went 442 feet at 108.6 mph before landing deep in the right-field seats. It was the first Red Sox run since the sixth inning of Sunday’s game. (Cleveland shut them out 6-0 in the Marathon Monday series opener.)

The energy finally began to shift in the bottom of the fifth, when Jarren Duran pelted a two-out double to the left-field corner. Devers joined him on the bases with a walk, and though both were stranded, it was a sign of life.

The Red Sox offense remembered how to roar in the sixth. Even without Tyler O’Neill, who entered the day with seven home runs, tied for the MLB lead and the most ever by a player through their first 14 Red Sox games, but was out of the lineup after Monday’s collision with Devers, the home team blasted off. The entire lineup came to the plate against Tyler Beede and Cade Smith, and by the time the inning was over, Boston was in the lead for the first time since Sunday.

Casas greeted the first Guardians reliever with a leadoff home run. The first baseman’s third homer in four games was a classic Fenway round-tripper just inside the Pesky Pole. Then, with Abreu on first via a walk, Connor Wong sent a ball soaring into the third row of Green Monster seats, once again cutting Cleveland’s lead to one.

Beede only recorded one out before Smith took over and quickly found himself in similar straits. After getting David Hamilton to strike out swinging, Ceddanne Rafaela snapped an 0-for-11 skid with a double, and Duran drew a walk to join him on the bases.

With two on and two out, the stage was perfectly set for Devers. The slugger stepped up to the plate and reminded the world why he’s been leading the Majors in extra-base hits since the start of 2019. With a line drive to deep center, the third baseman gave Boston their first lead in over 48 hours.

After the coaster reached that peak, it plummeted once more. Devers exited the game with left-knee discomfort, and the Red Sox left two men on base between the seventh and eighth, meaning Kenley Jansen would try to close it out with a one-run lead.

But instead of moving into sole possession of fifth on MLB’s all-time saves list, the veteran closer blew his first save of the season. The Guardians re-tied the game on a double and back-to-back singles, and the home team went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth to give Fenway free baseball.

“Just gotta tip your hat to the Guardians,” Jansen said. “They did a great job, put the ball in play, nothing you can do about it, just beat myself up with that one.”

In the top of the 10th, Greg Weissert became the fourth Red Sox pitcher to fail to record a clean inning (though the run was unearned thanks to MLB’s ‘Zombie Runner’ rule for extra innings). A leadoff single put runners on the corners, and an intentional walk to Will Brennan loaded them, but Weissert was able to escape the inning with the game tied.

The Guardians responded by sending their two-time All-Star closer, Emmauel Clase, to the mound for the bottom of the 10th, but he fared no better than Weissert. Wong’s sacrifice fly tied the game once again, but that was all they’d get.

After allowing two runs in Monday’s loss, Josh Winckowski’s struggles continued when he entered for the top of the 11th. For the first time this season, he failed to retire the first batter he faced. Instead, he quickly gave the Guardians back the lead, intentionally-walked Bo Naylor to load the bases, and gave up two-run single to Estevan Florial, putting Cleveland on top 10-7.

The Red Sox had come this far, but they’d go no further. Down three runs, they went 1-2-3 to lose the game and the series. They’ve yet to win a game in which their opponent scores first, and they’re facing more potential injuries.

“With Raffy, we’re discussing if we’re gonna take imaging just to make sure everything is OK,” Cora said postgame. “It came out of nowhere.”

The problems on display this season, however, did not.