Red Sox lose as key reliever's struggles continue with playoffs on horizon

BOSTON — Instant reactions to the Red Sox (84-73) open their final week of the regular season with a 3-2 loss to the Guardians at Fenway: 1) Boston started its rather meaningless final homestand with a bit of a dud that won’t affect much going forward. The offense was once again sleepy against All-Star Parker Messick and lefty Erik Miller’s concerning struggles continued in the top of the ninth, which decided the game. The win was important for the Guardians as they kept pace with the White Sox, who are up big on the Royals in Kansas City. Cleveland remains a game ahead of Chicago in the Central race with the White Sox effectively four games behind the Red Sox (which has the head-to-head tiebreaker) for the second wild card spot and five games to go.

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