AP Sports Preview: Red Sox at Guardians CLEVELAND (Interstat) — The Boston Red Sox visit the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night at Progressive Field, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. under clear skies and 62 degrees. Boston (23-32) sends right-hander Slade Cecconi (3-5, 4.91 ERA) to the mound as the team looks to snap a skid. Cecconi has struggled in May, allowing at least four earned runs in three of his last five starts. The Red Sox are coming off a 10-2 loss Thursday to Atlanta, their fourth defeat in five games. Payton Tolle is a player to watch for Boston; the right-hander has been erratic, posting a 2-1 record over his last five outings with a 2.93 ERA, including a dominant seven-inning, one-hit shutout effort against Detroit on May 4. In Thursday’s loss, Tolle allowed two earned runs over 4 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts. Cleveland (33-25) counters with right-hander Gavin Williams (4-2, 3.12 ERA), who has been sharp lately. Williams is coming off a seven-inning, three-hit, one-run performance in a 3-2 win over Washington on Wednesday. Over his last three starts, Williams is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 21 innings. The Guardians have won seven of their last 10 games. The Interstat game simulator projects a 7-4 Guardians victory, and the ELO system gives Cleveland a 55.4 percent probability to win. Despite that, Boston enters as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The over/under is set at 8. These teams play again Saturday and Sunday before Boston embarks on a 10-game road trip through Baltimore, New York and Tampa Bay. Cleveland travels to New York, Texas and back home against the Yankees after this series.