Indians Get 9-1 Victory Over Red Sox
[photogallerylink id=37107 align=right]Andy Marte hit a three-run homer in a five-run seventh inning, and Justin Masterson pitched five solid innings against his former team on Wednesday night to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 9-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
Jayson Nix homered off the Fisk Pole for Cleveland, which has won four out of five games to improve to 12-8 since the All-Star break and move out of last place and into a tie for fourth. The Indians took advantage of three Boston errors to score seven unearned runs, including all five in the seventh when they turned a 4-1 game into a 9-1 blowout.
David Ortiz homered for Boston, extending his hitting streak to 13 straight games - his longest in three years.
Making his first start in Fenway Park against the team that developed him - and then sent him to the Indians last year at the trading deadline for Victor Martinez, Masterson (4-10) allowed one run on four hits and four walks, striking out three in five-plus innings.
Jon Lester (11-7) gave up four runs - two of them earned - on seven hits and four walks, striking out three in five-plus innings. He has lost four consecutive starts for the first time in his career; he has gotten a total of three runs of support while he was in the game over that span.
Lester allowed one third-inning run and two more in the fifth, when manager Terry Francona came out to check on him for a possible injury for the first time. There was another problem in the sixth, but Lester stayed in; Nix homered on the next pitch to make it 4-0.
Jason Donald singled off Scott Atchison to lead off the seventh, then Asdrubal Cabrera reached on an error and went to second when his grounder over the bag got past first baseman Victor Martinez. Shin-Soo Choo was intentionally walked to load the bases; Donald scored on Shelley Duncan's grounder when shortstop Marco Scutaro's throw home pulled the catcher off the plate for another error.
One out later, Nix hit a sacrifice fly, and Marte homered with a high fly ball that bounced on the shelf atop the Green Monster and into the light stanchion.
NOTES: The Red Sox activated OF Jacoby Ellsbury from the disabled list before the game. He played CF and batted leadoff. It was just his 10th game of the season. ... Boston 2B Dustin Pedroia, who has been on the DL since June 26 with a broken left foot, will test it before Friday's game against the New York Yankees. ... The Red Sox had a message on the video board wishing "Coach Farnell" a happy 75th birthday. Pitching coach John Farrell is actually 48. ... Indians RHP Josh Tomlin makes his third major-league start on Thursday. He defeated the New York Yankees in his debut on July 27. ... Red Sox 1B/3B Kevin Youkilis is going to Cleveland to have his right thumb examined.
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