Red Sox 6, Indians 3
CLEVELAND -- The streaking Boston Red Sox jumped on Cleveland early and the Indians were never able to fully recover as the Sox slugged their way to a 6-3 victory Wednesday night.
The victory extended Boston's winning streak to five games. Cleveland has lost five of its last seven games.
The Red Sox jumped on Cleveland's best starter, Justin Masterson, for three runs in the first inning and never trailed in the game.
Boston got contributions from all corners of the lineup, with six Red Sox players having multi-hit games. No. 9 hitter Mike Carp, who came into the game 0-for-3 for the season and 0-for-4 in his career vs. Masterson, was 3-for-3 in the first five innings, with two doubles and a triple.
Shane Victorino also had three hits as the Red Sox collected 15 hits overall in support of starter Alfredo Aceves, who pitched five innings to get the win, his first of the season.
Masterson came into the game tied with Boston's Clay Buchholz for the lead in the American League with a 0.41 ERA, but he was in immediate trouble Wednesday, giving up hits to four of the first five batters he faced.
Mike Napoli's two-run single and an RBI single by Daniel Nava gave Boston a 3-0 lead before Masterson, who threw 27 pitches in the first inning, recorded his second out.
Boston loaded the bases in the first, second and fourth innings, and the Red Sox made it 4-0 in the fifth inning on an RBI triple by Carp, who had two doubles and a triple in the first five innings.
Cleveland came into the game having scored two or fewer runs in four of its last five games, and Indians' hitters couldn't do much against Boston starter Alfredo Aceves, who held Cleveland scoreless on four hits through the first five innings.
Cleveland's only runs came on back-to-back home runs off Aceves in the sixth inning by Nick Swisher and Jason Giambi. Swisher's was a two-run homer, and the 42-year-old Giambi's made him the third oldest player to ever hit a home run for the Indians.
The only players older than Giambi to hit home runs for Cleveland are Sam Rice (44) in 1934 and Dave Winfield (43) in 1995.
Aceves gave up both of those homers, and was removed from the game after Giambi's. In five innings Aceves gave up three runs on seven hits.
Boston's bullpen was very strong. Three Red Sox relievers combined to retire the last 12 Indians batters to end the game, striking out eight of those 12 batters.
NOTES: The Indians placed outfielder Michael Bourn on the disabled list with a lacerated right index finger. Bourn injured the finger while sliding headfirst into first base in Sunday's game with the White Sox. ... Napoli's two-run single in the first inning gave him 13 RBIs in the last nine games. ... Cleveland recalled pitcher Corey Kluber from Triple-A Columbus to fill the roster spot created when Bourn was placed on the disabled list. ... John Lester, who will start Thursday for Boston, has never lost at Progressive Field, where in seven career starts he is 3-0 with a 3.92 ERA.
