Boston, MA – After the teams traded lopsided wins, the third installment of this four-game set between Boston and Cleveland was a much tighter affair.
The Red Sox rallied with four two-out runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Indians, 7-4, on a rainy day at Fenway Park.
Cleveland reliever Vinnie Pestano (1-1) gave up three doubles in the decisive frame, with a pinch-hitting Mike Carp tying the game and scoring the go-ahead run on Dustin Pedroia's shot off the Green Monster.
After the next two batters were walked, one intentionally, the Red Sox scored two more runs when the Indians misplayed a Daniel Nava pop up to shallow left field.
Andrew Bailey closed the door in the ninth for his sixth save of the season. Boston's comeback made a winner out of Junichi Tazawa (4-2), who was flawless in the top of the eighth.
The Red Sox's No. 8 and 9 hitters, Jose Iglesias and Pedro Ciriaco, each collected three hits. Ciriaco had one RBI and scored the tying run in the eighth.
Boston dropped Thursday's series opener by a 12-3 score, but rebounded with an 8-1 triumph Friday night.
All of Boston's first three runs were aided by Cleveland gaffes. A balk by Indians starter Scott Kazmir enabled Iglesias, who singled with two outs in the second inning, to advance to second base and score on a Ciriaco base hit.
Cleveland had grabbed a 1-0 lead in the opening frame as Boston starter Jon Lester encountered more two-out trouble. Asdrubal Cabrera kept the first alive with a single, pilfered second and came home on a Nick Swisher double.
Lester permitted six runs with two outs in his previous outing, a loss to the White Sox in Chicago on Monday.
"I thought he was very powerful," said Boston manager John Farrell about Lester. "He wasn't as sharp in the first three innings, but from the fourth inning on he really settled in and pitched a very efficient game."
The Indians pushed two runs across to go up 3-1 in the third.
Drew Stubbs led off with a walk and scored when, two batters later, Cabrera drove a Lester pitch off the Green Monster for an RBI double. Cabrera then tried to score on a Swisher single, but he was thrown out at home by left fielder Jonny Gomes. After Mark Reynolds was hit by a pitch, Carlos Santana ripped an RBI single to center field.
Boston got a run back in the fourth, then tied things up two innings later.
Nava walked to begin the fourth and Iglesias sent a double the opposite way down the first-base line. A costly bobble right fielder Ryan Raburn allowed Nava to score.
Bryan Shaw relieved Kazmir to open the sixth and gave up a one-out single to Iglesias, who was nearly robbed by a diving Raburn. The ball popped out of Raburn's glove when he hit the ground. Ciriaco then bunted toward the third- base side and both runners moved into scoring position on a Reynolds throwing error. Following an intentional walk to Jacoby Ellsbury, Gomes pulled the Red Sox even with a sacrifice fly to center.
The Indians went back in front in the seventh when Mike Aviles raced home on Lester's wild pitch.
Game Notes
Boston improved to 11-5 in day games this year ... The Indians had gone a season-high nine straight games without committing an error ... Lester was tagged for a season-worst 10 hits in seven innings of work ... Kazmir gave up five hits and walked four over five frames.
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