Criswell (1-1) earned the win Wednesday over the Guardians, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out three over five scoreless innings.
Criswell was impressive in his second start this year, as he held the Guardians scoreless through five innings while throwing just 72 pitches en route to his first victory. The 27-year-old right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.38 on the season with a 1.15 WHIP and 7:2 K:BB across 11.1 innings. The Red Sox will likely continue to stretch out Criswell as a starter with Brayan Bello (lat), Nick Pivetta (elbow) and Garrett Whitlock (oblique) all on the IL. He's currently lined up for a home matchup with the Giants early next week.
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Red Sox's Connor Wong: Four hits, two homers in win
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Wong went 4-for-4 with a pair of homers and three total RBI in Wednesday's 8-0 victory over the Guardians.
It's the second two-homer game of Wong's career while his four hits matched a personal best. The 27-year-old catcher has been on fire lately, going 13-for-31 with four home runs in his last eight games while taking over the primary catching job in Boston. Wong's now slashing a solid .320/.327/.520 with three home runs (six shy of a career high), eight RBI and five runs scored across 51 plate appearances to open the campaign.
Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Still viewed as everyday DH
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said prior to Wednesday's 8-0 win over the Guardians that Yoshida is still viewed as the team's primary designated hitter, despite being on the bench for two straight matchups with right-handed starting pitchers, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. "He's an everyday DH, man," Cora said of Yoshida. "I don't know what the big deal is. [Tyler] O'Neill had to DH [on Tuesday]. [Rafael Devers] had to DH [on Wednesday]."
Yoshida's consecutive absences from the lineup created some question regarding whether the 30-year-old was still viewed as an everyday player after struggling to a .250/.333/.375 slash line through the Red Sox's first 24 games of the season, but Cora dispelled the notion that Yoshida's role was being downsized. The skipper noted that the Red Sox's injury situation was largely responsible for Yoshida being excluded from the lineup, as O'Neill was limited to DH duties when he came off the 7-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's 4-1 loss, and Devers was eased back in as a DH on Wednesday after having not played in a week due to a bone bruise in his left knee. O'Neill returned to his usual spot in left field Wednesday, but Devers may need another day or two as a DH before the Red Sox clear him to play third base. Since the Red Sox aren't keen on having Yoshida play in the corner outfield, he could miss out on more starts until Devers is back at third base on a full-time basis.
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Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Another start at shortstop
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Rafaela started at shortstop and went 2-for-4 with an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-0 win over the Guardians.
Rafaela made a fifth consecutive start at shortstop, which could be his primary home for the rest of the season. While his defense in center field will be missed, moving him to the infield allows the Red Sox to get better bats into the lineup. That's is important for a team missing Trevor Story (shoulder) and Triston Casas (rib).
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Red Sox's Rafael Devers: Returns with bang
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Devers went 3-for-4 with a walk, home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 8-0 win over Cleveland.
Devers was in the lineup for the first time in a week while dealing with a bone bruise in his left knee. He returned as the designated hitter and recorded his first multi-hit game since Opening Day. The next hurdle for Devers will be playing a game in the field.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Back to bench Wednesday
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Refsnyder is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
Refsnyder had started in right field in each of the previous four games, going 7-for-15 with one home run, four doubles, four runs, three RBI and one stolen base. Though his opportunities to start against right-handed pitching may become more scarce with Rafael Devers (knee) making his return from a one-week absence Wednesday, Refsnyder should still have the opportunity to play regularly versus southpaws.
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Red Sox's Zack Kelly: Back in big leagues
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The Red Sox recalled Kelly from Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday.
Kelly got a late start to the season at Worcester with an oblique injury, but he's since fired nine scoreless innings with a 10:8 K:BB. He'll work in middle relief for Boston.
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Red Sox's Connor Wong: Reclaims top catching job
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Wong will start at catcher and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Guardians, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
The Red Sox will include Wong in the starting nine for the seventh time in eight games, with both of his last two starts having come against right-handed pitching. The right-handed-hitting Wong appeared to have fallen into the short side of a catching platoon with the lefty-hitting Reese McGuire earlier in the season, but Wong since looks to have re-emerged as the clear No. 1 option. With Wong maintaining an excellent .320/.327/.520 slash line for the season with three home runs and eight RBI and his playing time now on the rise, he might be worth a look in leagues where he's still on the waiver wire.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Placed on IL with lat tightness
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The Red Sox placed Bello on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with right lat tightness.
Manager Alex Cora said that Bello felt discomfort following his most recent start Friday, but the team is optimistic the right-hander will be ready to return after the minimum 15 days, per Pete Abraham of The Boston GlobeKutter Crawford up a day to start the series finale in Cleveland on regular rest.
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Red Sox's Reese McGuire: Losing work to Wong
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McGuire is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
The lefty-hitting McGuire will take a seat against right-hander Carlos Carrasco and looks to have moved into a pure No. 2 role at catcher behind the righty-hitting Connor Wong, after McGuire had previously been occupying the strong side of a platoon. McGuire is on the bench for the third game in a row and for the second straight day against a right-hander, with the downturn in playing time coming while he's batted just .167 over his last nine games.
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Red Sox's David Hamilton: Limited to bench role
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Hamilton is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
Hamilton will take a seat for the fifth straight contest and looks as though he won't be in store for a regular role at shortstop in the wake of Trevor Story's season-ending shoulder injury. Instead, the Red Sox have moved Ceddanne Rafaela from the outfield to shortstop, opening up a regular spot in the corner outfield for Wilyer Abreu.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Out against right-hander again
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Yoshida is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
Yoshida didn't start Tuesday, either, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora had indicated the 30-year-old would be back in the lineup Wednesday. That's not the case, as the lefty-hitting Yoshida is sitting out a second straight contest against a right-hander. According to Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican, Cora hasn't provided clarity whether Yoshida is dealing with an injury or is simply being held out of the lineup for performance-related reasons, as Yoshida is slashing just .250/.333/.375 over 21 contests this season. Rafael Devers will serve as Boston's designated hitter Wednesday while Yoshida remains on the bench.
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Red Sox's Rafael Devers: Back in lineup at DH
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Devers (knee) will start at designated hitter and bat second in Wednesday's contest in Cleveland, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
Devers hasn't played since April 17 due to a bone bruise on his left knee, and between that injury and a shoulder problem, he's seen action in just three of the last 12 games. However, he's feeling well enough to give it a go Wednesday, albeit in a non-defensive role. Devers should be ready to play third base soon.
Kirwin was signed by the Red Sox on Tuesday, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.
Kirwin, 24, was pitching for the Oakland Ballers of the independent Pioneer League. Boston struck quickly to sign the right-hander after the Ballers posted a video on social media, showing Kirwin's velocity up to 98 mph. He was 7-2 with a 2.32 ERA in 25 relief appearances for Rider University, striking out 54 over 47.2 innings, and went undrafted. Kirwin is scheduled for a physical Wednesday then will be assigned to a minor-league team.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Enters as pinch hitter
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Yoshida entered Tuesday's game as a pinch hitter and was hit by a pitch in a 4-1 loss to Cleveland.
Yoshida was held out of the starting lineup against a righty, with Red Sox manager Alex Cora explaining that decision was more about getting Tyler O'Neill's bat in the lineup and less about Yoshida, per Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe. Yoshida will be back in the starting lineup Wednesday, per Cora.
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Red Sox's Tyler O'Neill: Back in action
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O'Neill started at designated hitter and went 1-for-4 in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Guardians.
O'Neill was back in the lineup after a stay on the injured list due to a concussion. The Red Sox are coping with injuries to several key players, which means O'Neill's bat should be in the starting nine most days going forward.
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Red Sox's Bobby Dalbec: Fills in at first base
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Dalbec started at first base and went 0-for-2 in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to Cleveland.
The day after Boston learned it would be without primary first baseman Triston Casas (fractured rib) for a significant stretch of time, Dalbec replaced him at first base. Unfortunately, Dalbec's season-opening struggles continued. He's now 1-for-32 (.031) with 18 strikeouts. Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe that Dalbec is expected to serve as the primary replacement for Casas, but Dalbec's leash could shorten quickly if he fails to get going at the plate in the near future.
