The Red Sox went 4-2 on their second road trip of the year, sweeping the Pirates in Pittsburgh and avoiding getting swept by the Guardians in Cleveland.

After their first homestand culminated in a blemished 3-7 mark to begin the Fenway season, it was a much-needed palate cleanser.

But the trip ended on a period rather than an exclamation point; the Sox lost Thursday’s series finale 6-4, taking some of the wind out of their sails before their return to Boston.

Making his first start of the year in place of the injured Brayan Bello, Chase Anderson escaped a jam in the first inning, but couldn’t get through the second. He gave up a solo home run to Will Brennan, then loaded the bases on a pair of walks and hit-by-pitch, setting the stage for José Ramírez. With two outs and nowhere to put Cleveland’s top slugger, Anderson tried in vain to end the frame. Ramírez fouled one pitch into Reese McGuire’s glove, but the catcher was unable to hang out for the out, and on the 10th pitch of the at-bat, he walloped a grand slam.

“A good battle,” Alex Cora told reporters.

“I made a good pitch, and he’s a good hitter,” Anderson told reporters. “You’re hoping Reese can hold onto that ball, but I’ve still got to make a pitch right there. Came back from 3-0, fought back in that count, was one pitch away, and unfortunately I threw a cutter that came back over the plate and he put a good swing on it.”

After a resounding 8-0 victory on Wednesday night in which Wilyer Abreu and Connor Wong each contributed four hits – including a two-homer night for Wong – and Rafael Devers three, it was a frustrating afternoon for the lineup as they tried and failed to overcome the early deficit; they’re 1-6 when opponents score first.

The lineup chipped away and managed to cut Cleveland’s lead to one. Rob Refsnyder’s RBI triple got Boston on the board in the top of the third, and he scored their second run on Abreu’s sacrifice fly. In the top of the sixth, Ceddanne Rafaela ground-out to score David Hamitlon, and after striking out in his first three at-bats and going 0-for-5 the night before, Jarren Duran connected for an RBI single, driving in what would ultimately be the team’s last run of the contest.

It was encouraging to see Devers continue to look like himself; he went 3-for-5 and scored a run. Refsnyder continues to be an extra-base machine. Since coming off the injured list last Thursday, he’s 9-for-21 with four doubles, a triple, and a home run.

And while Abreu snapped his hitting and on-base streaks, he’s now driven in at least one run in seven consecutive games, something no Red Sox player under 25 years old had done since Mookie Betts (2016) and Jim Rice (1977). The hard-hitting outfielder entered the day leading qualified rookies in on-base percentage (.412).

Cora had been hoping for a much deeper start from Anderson, but thanks to Cooper Criswell’s five-inning performance the night before and Tanner Houck’s six-inning bid for a second consecutive complete game in Tuesday’s series opener, the Sox skipper had a fairly well-rested Boston bullpen. Brennan Bernardino, Cam Booser, Greg Weissert, Chris Martin, and Kenley Jansen pitched the rest of the way, and the only run the Guardians scored was unearned.

Nevertheless, Thursday was a reminder of how crucial the starting rotation has been thus far. The pitching staff has been able to mask several areas of inadequacy, including their MLB-leading error count, which rose by two on Thursday, and the lineup’s continued struggles to drive in their baserunners.

The Guardians plated their sixth and final run on a pair of throwing errors by McGuire: after singling and stealing second in the bottom of the eighth, Ramírez advanced to third on the catcher’s first error. He quickly scored when Martin failed to cover the plate after a passed ball and McGuire made his second miscue.

On Thursday, the Sox out-hit their hosts 10-8, but struck out 12 times, only drew two walks, and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, stranding eight men. They left the bases loaded in the top of the second, only to have Ramírez get the job done in the bottom of the inning.

Without consistent, deep starts, the Red Sox would already have several more losses just like this one, which was frustratingly reminiscent of so many of their losses last season. Instead, nearly a month into the regular season and despite having a Major League-leading 13 players on the injured list, they own a winning record (14-12).

That’s far from a consolation prize.

NL up next

The Red Sox begin their second homestand on Friday, hosting the Chicago Cubs for a three-game set over the weekend. Kutter Crawford will start Game 1 against Chicago’s new ace, Shota Imanaga. Josh Winckowski and Tanner Houck will start Saturday (4:10 p.m.) and Sunday (7:10 p.m.), respectively.

After a day off on Monday, Mike Yastrzemski and the San Francisco Giants come to town for a trio.