BOSTON — In their first 17 games of the season, the Red Sox were shut out three times — including twice in the last four days – managed no more than three runs seven times, and went to extra innings three times.

Though they plated the sixth-most runs in the American League last year, the 2023 squad wasn’t much in the way of the round-tripper. The average AL club hit 195 home runs; Boston’s 182 ranked sixth-worst, and then they let two of their most productive sluggers, Justin Turner and Adam Duvall, depart in free agency with little in the way of replacement.

The resulting inconsistent offense, coupled with a shaky bullpen, led to a roller-coaster Tuesday night contest that went to extra innings before the Cleveland Guardians pulled out a 10-7 win in the 11th inning.

Early on, however, it looked like yet another game in which the Red Sox would squander a strong start and go quickly and quietly. Boston’s rotation entered Tuesday’s contest leading the majors with a 1.92 ERA and ranking second in the American League in strikeouts (95), WHIP (1.07), and opponent batting average (.214). And save for the Guardians taking a 2-0 lead on a two-out walk and pair of RBI doubles in the top of the second, Garrett Whitlock was lights-out. Even with the aforementioned snafu, the right-hander needed only 54 pitches to get through four.

That’s why it was so concerning when Whitlock didn’t return for the fifth inning. He exited with left-oblique tightness, though postgame he was optimistic it was only precautionary.

Still, the Red Sox were forced to go to the bullpen early, and they’d suffer for it immediately and hours later. With Joely Rodriguez on the mound instead of Whitlock, it looked like Cleveland would run away with it. After a leadoff strikeout, the left-hander gave up a solo home run to Tyler Freeman and back-to-back singles. A sacrifice fly plated the second run of the inning, and a single and error by right fielder Wilyer Abreu yielded a third. Connor Wong was ruled to be blocking the plate, so the inning continued, albeit briefly. By the time Rodriguez got Bo Taylor to strike out looking, Cleveland had a 5-1 lead.

The miscues and misadventures — which also included Triston Casas leading off the second with a double only to get caught stealing third — stood in stark contrast to Tanner Bibee’s smooth start. The 2023 American League Rookie of the Year runner-up was able to dispatch the Boston bats with relative ease over his five innings, holding them to five hits, two walks and three strikeouts.

“We cannot push the envelope that way,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Casas’ failed attempt to swipe third. “Twenty-seven outs are too valuable in this game.”

Enmanuel Valdez made a loud exception in the bottom of the fourth, when he got the Sox on the board with a towering blast. The solo home run went 442 feet at 108.6 mph before landing deep in the right-field seats. It was the first Red Sox run since the sixth inning of Sunday’s game. (Cleveland shut them out 6-0 in the Marathon Monday series opener.)

The energy finally began to shift in the bottom of the fifth, when Jarren Duran pelted a two-out double to the left-field corner. Rafael Devers joined him on the bases with a walk, and though both were stranded, it was a sign of life.

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