Boston, MA – The Cleveland Indians' bats made Terry Francona's return to Fenway Park as an opposing manager a resounding success.
Mark Reynolds and Drew Stubbs each had three hits with three RBI in Cleveland's 12-3 rout of the Boston Red Sox.
Francona led the Red Sox to two World Series titles during his eight-year stint as the club's skipper. He was let go after Boston's late-season collapse in 2011 left them out of the playoffs, but ended his tenure with a 744-552 record.
The Indians pounded out 16 hits in the opener of a four-game series. Michael Bourn and Yan Gomes knocked in two runs apiece, while Carlos Santana drew a career-high four walks and scored three times.
Cleveland starter Zach McAllister (4-3) held the Red Sox to five hits. The only blemish over his five-inning outing was a three-run homer by David Ortiz.
Ryan Dempster (2-5) lasted just three innings in the start for Boston. He allowed four runs on five hits and four walks.
The Indians scored at least one run in five consecutive innings from the second through the sixth. They pushed three across in the third to go up 4-0.
Cleveland loaded the bases with one out and Reynolds drove a pitch to the gap in left-center for a two-run single. After a walk to Gomes filled the sacks once more, a fielder's choice groundout from Mike Aviles plated another run.
Ortiz took McAllister deep to right field in the home half, but the Indians produced a run in each of the next two frames before a six-spot in the sixth turned the game into a lopsided affair.
Cleveland sent 10 men to the plate in the inning, with the first five reaching against Boston's Clayton Mortensen and Alex Wilson.
The Indians loaded the bases with no outs on two walks sandwiched around a Michael Brantley single, and Reynolds greeted Wilson with an RBI base hit before Gomes followed with a two-run double down the left-field line. The hit came one pitch after Boston first baseman Mike Napoli dropped a pop up in foul territory.
Two batters later, Stubbs tripled home a pair and scored on a Bourn base hit to cap the barrage.
Game Notes
The Indians snapped a two-game losing streak and won for the sixth time in their last eight tilts ... Boston third baseman Will Middlebrooks left after the fourth inning with lower-back spasms ... The Red Sox returned home after a 6-3 road trip ... Dempster was 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA in his four previous career starts against the Indians ... The Red Sox swept a three-game series in Cleveland from April 16-18.
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