Red Sox 7, Indians 5
By Mike Shalin
BOSTON -- Clay Buchholz, who gets more run support than any starter in the major leagues, finally turned in a decent performance Friday night as the Red Sox beat the Indians 7-5 for only their second win in the last 10 games.
Buchholz, the first pitcher in big league history to allow at least five earned runs in each of his first six starts, came in getting 9.64 runs per nine innings of pitching and his team built a 7-1 lead through six. He left with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh and all three runs scored (one unearned), Boston then hanging on for the win through a scary ninth inning.
Alfredo Aceves worked the ninth, allowing a run, for his sixth save in eight chances, but the Indians had the tying runs on in scoring position when Aceves retired former Red Sox hero Johnny Damon.
Dustin Pedroia (three hits) drove in three runs and rookie Will Middlebrooks two to back Buchholz, now 4-1 with a whopping 8.31 ERA (down from 9.09). He has now beaten every team in the American League (except Boston).
Adrian Gonzalez was on base all five times (two hits) for the last-place Red Sox.
Cleveland starter Ubaldo Jimenez (3-3) lasted 4 2/3 innings and got the loss.
Both teams left the bases loaded in the first, when the Red Sox took a 2-1 lead off Jimenez in his second Fenway Park outing (the other one was in the 2007 World Series for the Rockies).
Carlos Santana's RBI single put the Indians ahead, in a half inning that including a visit from Boston manager Bobby Valentine with the bases loaded. But Middlebrooks' two-run double put his team ahead. It was the third baseman's second time up in the majors with the bases loaded and he has a grand slam, a double and six RBI in those two chances.
The Cleveland second ended with Boston left fielder Daniel Nava throwing Jack Hannahan out at the plate to end the inning, a nifty plate blocking by Jarrod Saltalamacchia keeping Hannahan from scoring. An argument ensued and third base coach Steve Smith was ejected by plate umpire Derryl Cousins.
Pedroia's two-run double made it 4-1 in the bottom of the inning.
A running catch by Nava saved Buchholz two runs in the third and the Red Sox broke it open and chased Jimenez in a three-run fifth that included a Pedroia sacrifice fly.
Notes: The Red Sox acquired veteran outfielder Scott Podsednik from the Phillies for cash in a Class AAA deal. He goes to Pawtucket. ... Boston's Nick Punto snapped a 0-for-19 spell with a second-inning single. ... It was the second time in three years Smith was ejected with the Red Sox, both times coming at Fenway and 11th of his career. Manager Manny Acta took over. ... Valentine said he thought Josh Beckett was tipping his pitches in Thursday night's poor outing against Cleveland. Beckett, talking to WEEI.com and asked if he had talked to Valentine Friday, said, "Just briefly. He just asked me how I was feeling. What is he going to do? None of this is his fault. I really don't know whose fault it is. I guess everybody thinks it's my fault and I can take the brunt of that. I would rather it happen to me rather than somebody else, one of our guys who plays every day. I can deal with it. I would rather it happen to me rather than a position guy who has to go out there every day." ... David Ortiz was uninjured in a minor car accident on the way to Fenway. "I lost a little control coming out of the gas station and I hit a car, but I'm fine. Everybody is fine," Ortiz told WBZ-TV. He did leave the game with left heel soreness. ... The Indians came in with the major leagues' best road record, 10-3. ... After the Red Sox didn't use a PA announcer Thursday night in honor of the passing of announcer Carl Beane, former Sox PR man Henry Mahegan manned the microphone Friday night.
