Guardians right-hander Ben Lively departs with right thigh contusion

Cleveland's bullpen holds on for 6-5 victory over slumping Red Sox

Lively exits in second inning after being hit by comebacker

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Guardians right-hander Ben Lively exited his start against the Red Sox in the second inning Wednesday night after being hit by a comebacker on his right thigh.

Lively was struck by a 101 mph ground ball off the bat of Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez with one out in the second inning. The ball appeared to glance off Lively's thigh and into the glove of first baseman Josh Naylor, who threw to second for the out.

Lively immediately fell to the ground in pain and was attended to by the Guardians' training staff. He was able to walk off the field under his own power, but was replaced by reliever Sam Hentges.

The Guardians announced that Lively suffered a right thigh contusion and is day-to-day.

Lively's departure forced the Guardians to turn to their bullpen early, but the relievers came through with a strong performance.

Hentges allowed one run on two hits in 2 2/3 innings, while Nick Sandlin, Eli Morgan and Trevor Stephan combined to allow just one hit over the final 4 1/3 innings.

Offensively, the Guardians were led by Jose Ramirez, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Amed Rosario also had two hits, including a solo homer in the seventh inning.

The Guardians' bullpen has been a bright spot for the team this season, and the relievers came up big again on Wednesday night.

With the win, the Guardians improved to 17-16 on the season, while the Red Sox fell to 13-20.