Takeaways From Cleveland Guardians Series Loss vs. Boston Red Sox

The Cleveland Guardians started their series against the Boston Red Sox with a gritty win, but it went downhill from there.

The Guardians ended up losing the second half of their doubleheader and Sunday's rubber match.

Here are some observations and takeaways from the series loss.

Cleveland's Closer Situation

Stephen Vogt continues to insist that Emmanuel Clase is Cleveland's closer.

However, Cade Smith has recorded the last four saves for the Guardians, including in the first game against the Red Sox. The interesting part of all of this is that Clase also pitched in this game in the eighth inning.

Vogt said that after the game, the motivation behind this was to get Clase to take some action in a lower-leverage situation after five days off and some shoulder soreness.

Now we wait to see who will take the mound the next time the Guardians have a save opportunity.

No matter who it is, it's clear the Guardians have two pitchers who can close out games with Clase and Smith in the bullpen.

Guardians 'Uncharacteristic' Errors

The Guardians didn't play clean baseball in the series finale; they're well aware of that, too.

As a team, Cleveland committed four errors and a few mental mistakes that cost the team some runs.

Despite the outcome, Vogt said these miscues were uncharacteristic after Sunday's game.

"We just didn't play clean baseball today, all around. Just as a team, we did not play our type of baseball today. We did not play clean."

Kolby Allard Shines In Guardians Debut

The Guardians made several roster moves with their pitching staff heading into Saturday's doubleheader. One of those moves was promoting LHP Kolby Allard to the big league squad.

Allard made his Guardians debut during Saturday's second game and was simply phenomenal.

The left-hander took over for Doug Nikhazy in the fourth after his first big league start, which didn't go as planned.

Allard pitched the last 6.0 innings of the game and allowed one run on six hits. He may not have struck out any batters, but Allard efficiently threw 78 percent of his pitches for strikes and generated a ton of weak contact.

Whether it's as a starter or a long reliever, this performance proves that Allard more than deserves to be a part of the major league pitching staff.

Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Jhonkensy Noel (43) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Guardians Outfielders (Hopefully) Heating Up

Let's wrap this up with a positive.

Two of Cleveland's power-hitting outfielders showed over the last three games that they may finally start heating up.

Jhonkensy Noel finally hit his first home run of the season on Saturday, pulling a ball over the right field wall at Progressive Field.

Nolan Jones has also been hitting the ball hard without any results. That started to shift against the Red Sox. He recorded a double and his first home run of the year over the weekend.

Hopefully, this is a sign of what's to come for Jones and Noel.

Cleveland's Closer Situation

Guardians 'Uncharacteristic' Errors

Kolby Allard Shines In Guardians Debut

Guardians Outfielders (Hopefully) Heating Up

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