Boston Red Sox at Cleveland Guardians: Final Score & Recap

The Boston Red Sox handed the Cleveland Guardians a 9-4 defeat at Progressive Field on May 31, 2026, overcoming an early deficit to run away with the game in the seventh inning. The DiamondIQ model opened the night heavily favoring Cleveland at 66 percent home win probability, but that edge eroded steadily before collapsing entirely as Boston piled on late. The Red Sox finished with 12 hits and were the more efficient offensive club despite committing one error to Cleveland's none.

The decisive sequence came in the top of the seventh, when Boston sent Tim Herrin through a punishing frame that effectively ended Cleveland's chances. Masataka Yoshida delivered a single off Herrin that swung win probability 21.8 percent in Boston's favor, the single most impactful play of the game by the DiamondIQ model's estimate. Wilyer Abreu followed with a walk adding another 14.6 percent, and Jarren Duran drew a walk of his own worth 13.6 percent, as Boston's patient approach against Herrin turned a manageable game into a 7-4 lead after the Red Sox plated six runs in the inning. The groundwork had been laid an inning earlier when Connor Wong stroked a double off Tanner Bibee in the fifth for a 12.8 percent swing, and Chase DeLauter briefly gave Cleveland life with a single off Ranger Suarez in the bottom half worth 15.5 percent, but Boston's response in the seventh rendered that answer moot.

Wong finished as Boston's most valuable offensive contributor by the DiamondIQ model's accounting, posting a WPA of plus 22.4 percent and a RE24 of plus 1.0 across the night. Abreu was close behind at plus 19.5 percent WPA and a team-leading plus 1.3 RE24, while Yoshida added plus 15.5 percent WPA despite a quieter run-expectancy contribution. On the mound, Jovani Morán was the top-graded reliever at plus 6.3 percent WPA, helping Boston's bullpen hold the line after the offense did the heavy lifting.