Boston, MA – Jacoby Ellsbury capped a four-run ninth-inning comeback with a two-run double off the Green Monster, as the Boston Red Sox rallied for a 6-5 victory over the Cleveland Indians Sunday at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox manufactured two runs before an ineffective and eventually injured Chris Perez (2-1) loaded the bases for Ellsbury.
Perez had to be taken out in middle of Ellsbury's at-bat and was charged with all four runs on two hits and three walks. Joe Smith surrendered the winning hit on the first pitch he threw.
"We just have that no-quit attitude," Ellsbury said. "We saw the opportunity and I was just happy to come up big for our team."
It was Boston's second straight comeback victory over Cleveland, and it took three of four in the set overall. The Red Sox used a four-run eighth inning to capture a 7-4 win on Saturday.
Jose Iglesias hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth of Sunday's game and worked a full-count walk in the final frame to bring up Ellsbury. Mike Napoli and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each drove in a run with a groundout during the comeback, which spoiled a dominant outing from Cleveland's Corey Kluber.
On the strength of his breaking pitches, Kluber retired 10 batters via strikeout, notching a new career-high. He fanned eight in his last start, but topped that mark while allowing one run on three hits over 6 2/3 innings in Sunday's outing.
Nick Swisher homered and had two RBI, Carlos Santana also knocked in a pair of runs and Jason Kipnis contributed a solo shot in defeat, the Indians' fifth in six games.
A laboring Perez, who blew his second straight save opportunity, may have bigger issues to worry about, as the righty was seen clutching his arm with every close pitch home plate umpire Chris Guccione called a ball.
Cleveland manager Terry Francona came out in middle of Ellsbury's at-bat to see if Perez was all right. When he threw a warm-up pitch, it veered far off to the left, well away from his catcher and Francona pulled him from the game.
"The 1-1 pitch (to Ellsbury), he felt a pinch," said Francona. "He wanted to keep throwing, but I asked him to throw a pitch for me. We saw the results."
Felix Doubront struck out eight over six innings for Boston and allowed four runs -- two earned -- on five hits. Craig Breslow (2-0) worked two innings and picked up the win despite allowing a run in the eighth.
The Indians got on the board in the first, but eventually ran themselves out of the inning.
With the bases loaded, Santana sprayed a base hit into left center to give Cleveland a 2-0 edge. He got greedy, though, and tried to advance to second on Ellsbury's throw to third. Boston caught Santana in a rundown and tagged him out to end the inning.
Ellsbury grounded into a double play after the Red Sox put their first two batters on to start the third, but Daniel Nava salvaged the inning by driving home Stephen Drew, who led off with a double.
Nava, though, was thrown out trying to stretch his single into a double, and Kluber went on to retire 11 of the final 12 batters he faced -- six by strikeout.
Kipnis restored Cleveland's two-run edge in the fifth, lifting a two-out offering from Doubront just far enough to clear the wall in right. The homer landed in the first row and just inside Pesky's Pole to supply the Indians with a 3-1 lead.
Swisher began the sixth with a shot over the Green Monster and added a sac fly in the eighth for a four-run cushion, but Iglesias got the Red Sox within 5-2 in the bottom half with a sacrifice fly that brought home Drew, who had tripled.
Game Notes
Drew went 3-for-4 with three runs scored ... It was Ellsbury's fourth career walk-off hit and third against the Indians ... Boston's Clay Buchholz, who was scheduled to start Monday against the Phillies, has been scratched with collarbone and AC joint irritation. Alfredo Aceves will take the mound instead ... The Red Sox claimed their 10th series victory of the season ... Doubront has at least seven strikeouts in five of his eight starts.
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