Sonny Gray and the Boston Red Sox host Cleveland Guardians in a potential MLB playoffs preview

The end of the MLB Season is almost here, with roughly five games remaining, including today, for most teams. There are still some exciting matchups today and this weekend. We went just 1-1 yesterday, with a loss on the Angels and a win in the Rays-Yankees game. I suppose I should know better than to back a 100-loss team. 

Tonight, I’m going for a game that we could potentially see in the playoffs as the Guardians take on the Red Sox.

The Guardians are currently the owners of the top spot in the American League Central. As seems to be the case for Cleveland every season, they saved their best baseball for the end of the season. They’ve won six straight games, but they are only one game ahead of the White Sox, who have also won three straight games. The good news for both of them is that, as long as they both are winning games, they can both make the postseason. The magic number for the Guardians to make the playoffs is down to one.

Giving them a great chance today is the arm they acquired at the trade deadline, Foster Griffin. For the season, Griffin is 15-5 with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Griffin, overall, has been a nice addition to the team. He has two starts that were a little bit of a disaster, going four innings against the Mets and allowing five earned in his debut with the Guardians. 

The Baltimore Orioles also knocked him around for eight runs in 2.1 innings. His other six starts saw him going for 22 innings and allow just 11 runs. He has never faced the Red Sox, so he could have them off balance the first time through the lineup.

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The Boston Red Sox are one of those teams that are likely brimming with confidence. After a disaster of a start to their season, they pivoted and became one of the hottest teams in baseball right before the All-Star Break. They continue to be a streaky team, but the majority of their streaks have seen them winning games instead of losing them. They are still just an average team at Fenway with a 38-38 record for the season. It is almost hard to believe given how good they’ve been, but getting to .500 is impressive because of how bad they were early in the year.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Sonny Gray throws a pitch during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 30, 2026. (David Dermer/Imagn Images)

The Red Sox are sending the one guy who was dominant at home all year, Sonny Gray. For the season, Sonny Gray is 17-5 with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He should be in the running for the Cy Young Award, even though he won’t win over Cam Schlittler. He’s been solid in September, going 19.1 innings and allowing a total of six earned runs. He faced the Guardians earlier this season and allowed just one earned run over six innings in a 9-1 win for the Red Sox.

Boston Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy heads back to the dugout after a mound visit in the fourth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park on Sept. 1, 2026. (Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

It wasn’t just that one game against the Guardians that Gray has excelled in. He has been great against them for years, holding hitters to a .208 batting average over 130 at-bats. Although the Red Sox don’t really “need” this game to solidify their Wild Card spot, they still should look to win. Gray has been dominant for them, and they’ve been very successful in his outings this year. I’m backing the Red Sox here and I also think they probably cover the -1.5 run line. I also would be surprised to see this game go under 6.5 runs. I’ll play all three bets.

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