Given his postgame comments, the Red Sox hope to have avoided a scare regarding center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, who left his first game back from the injured list with right hamstring tightness. A quad injury sent him to the IL on Sept. 3.
“Not even close,” Rafaela said of the severity comparison of the two injuries. “I think it was just a cramp.”
After the game, Tracy said Rafaela would have an MRI exam on Thursday.
Ranger Suarez will start for the Red Sox on Thursday. He’s 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA in four career appearances, including three starts, against Cleveland. On May 31, he struck out 10 and allowed four runs across five frames against Cleveland in Boston’s 9-4 win.
“He’s a very good competitor, a good pitcher that even when he gets traffic, you trust that he’s going to find his way through it,” Tracy said of Suarez, whose ERA in three September starts is 0.92.
Daniel Espino will open for Cleveland before giving way to Joey Cantillo.
Here’s a preview of Thursday’s action.
GUARDIANS (82-76): Kwan CF, Ramirez 3B, DeLauter RF, Adell DH, Martinez LF, Fry 1B, Bazzana 2B, Bailey C, Rocchio SS
Pitching: RHP Daniel Espino (0-0, 4.73 ERA)
RED SOX (85-73): Sogard 1B, Gasper DH, Rutschman C, Abreu RF, Durbin 3B, Rafaela CF, Duran LF, Story SS, Kiner-Falefa 2B
Pitching: LHP Ranger Suarez (8-4, 3.27 ERA)
Time: 6:45 p.m.
TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
Guardians vs. Suarez: Jo Adell 2-5, Travis Bazzana 0-3, Chase DeLauter 2-3, David Fry 4-5, Austin Hedges 1-4, Steven Kwan 1-6, Nathaniel Lowe 1-6, Angel Martínez 0-2, José Ramírez 5-8, Brayan Rocchio 1-2
Red Sox vs. Espino: Has not faced any Boston batters
Stat of the day: The Red Sox have notched an American League-leading 17 shutouts this season.
Notes: The Guardians are on the verge of sealing their postseason berth. Cleveland’s magic number is just one, the same as their AL Central rival, the White Sox. If both win on Thursday, they both will earn a postseason berth. … Cleveland, which had a six-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday, has a one-game lead over Chicago in the race for the division title. The White Sox own the division tiebreaker. … “We know we control our own destiny still,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “So, I like where we are. We’ve got four games left, and we have a chance to get in. That’s all you can ask for.” … Espino will serve as an opener for Cantillo, who will pitch in a bulk role. Cantillo is 10-9 with a 3.74 ERA this season. … Cantillo is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in eight career innings against the Red Sox, and Espino has never faced Boston.
Cam Kerry can be reached at cam.kerry@globe.com.