GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: AL: CLEVELAND (31-19) at BOSTON (36-15)

AL: CLEVELAND at BOSTON

<div class="pre">AL AT BOSTON - PITCHING CHANGE
BOS: JOEL PINEIRO (1-0, 5.40) STARTING THE 9TH
CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 8, BOSTON 4

DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: J PERALTA (.289, 1-FOR-4)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at BOSTON

<div class="pre">AL AT BOSTON - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: J Pineiro relieved J Romero.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 8
BOSTON 4 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: J Peralta (.289, 1-FOR-4)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at BOSTON

<div class="pre">AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
CLEVELAND 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 2 0 8 18 1
BOSTON 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 4 10 0 (BOT 9)

CURRENT PITCHERS: CLE - ROBERTO HERNANDEZ
BOS - JOEL PINEIRO

DUE UP FOR BOSTON: D PEDROIA (.311, 2-FOR-3)
C CRISP (.230, 0-FOR-3, SAC)
K YOUKILIS (.355, 1-FOR-4)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at BOSTON

<div class="pre">CLEVELAND (8) VS BOSTON (4) - MID 9TH - IN PROGRESS

CLEVELAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
G Sizemore cf 5 3 2 2 1 1 2 .269
C Blake 3b 4 0 1 1 1 1 2 .270
T Hafner dh 5 0 3 2 0 0 1 .270
R Garko 1b 4 0 2 0 0 1 1 .333
T Nixon rf 5 1 1 0 0 2 6 .272
J Peralta ss 5 0 1 0 0 1 1 .287
D Dellucci lf 5 1 2 1 0 1 3 .239
J Barfield 2b 5 0 2 1 0 0 3 .237
K Shoppach c 5 3 4 1 0 0 2 .373

Totals 43 8 18 8 2 7 21

BATTING: 2B - R Garko (7, D Matsuzaka); G Sizemore (9, D Matsuzaka); T Hafner 2
(6, J Romero, D Matsuzaka); T Nixon (10, D Matsuzaka); D Dellucci (11, D
Matsuzaka). HR - G Sizemore (9, 6th inning off D Matsuzaka 1 on, 2 Out), K
Shoppach (2, 8th inning off J Romero 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - C Blake (27), T Hafner
2 (36), D Dellucci (10), J Barfield (25), G Sizemore 2 (26), K Shoppach (8).
2-out RBI - T Hafner, G Sizemore 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - T
Nixon 1, D Dellucci 1, J Barfield 1, K Shoppach 1, R Garko 1, G Sizemore 1.
GIDP - T Nixon. Team LOB - 11.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Barfield (6, 2nd base off D Matsuzaka/J Varitek), G
Sizemore (17, 2nd base off J Romero/J Varitek).

FIELDING: E - J Barfield (7, ground ball). DP: 1 (P Byrd-R Garko).


BOSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Crisp cf 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 .230
K Youkilis 1b 4 0 1 0 0 1 4 .355
D Ortiz dh 4 0 1 0 0 0 5 .315
M Ramirez lf 3 1 1 0 1 0 1 .269
J Drew rf 4 2 0 1 0 0 1 .226
M Lowell 3b 4 1 2 2 0 1 0 .330
J Varitek c 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 .277
A Cora ss 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 .316
D Pedroia 2b 3 0 2 0 0 0 1 .311

Totals 33 4 10 4 1 2 17

BATTING: 2B - M Lowell (15, P Byrd); M Ramirez (10, P Byrd); J Varitek (6, P
Byrd). HR - M Lowell (10, 8th inning off R Hernandez 1 on, 1 Out). S - C Crisp.
RBI - J Varitek (26), J Drew (17), M Lowell 2 (41). Runners left in scoring
position, 2 out - A Cora 1, D Ortiz 3, D Pedroia 1. Team LOB - 7.

FIELDING: Outfield assists - M Ramirez (J Barfield at 3rd base). DP: 1 (D
Pedroia-A Cora-K Youkilis).


----------------------------------------------------
CLEVELAND - 000 024 020 -- 8
BOSTON - 010 100 02 -- 4
----------------------------------------------------

CLEVELAND ip h r er bb so hr era
P Byrd 6 9 2 1 0 1 0 3.57
T Mastny 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.86
A Fultz 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.88
R Hernandez 1 1 2 2 1 0 1 6.20

BOSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
D Matsuzaka 5 2/3 12 6 6 0 4 1 4.83
K Snyder 1 1/3 2 0 0 1 2 0 1.53
J Romero 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 3.86
J Pineiro 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 5.14

P Byrd pitched to 3 batters in the 7th.

WP - P Byrd. HBP - R Garko (by D Matsuzaka). Pitches-strikes: P Byrd 77-61; T
Mastny 7-4; A Fultz 9-7; R Hernandez 23-11; D Matsuzaka 106-73; K Snyder 25-16;
J Romero 17-9; J Pineiro 18-14. Ground balls-fly balls: P Byrd 5-11; T Mastny
0-1; A Fultz 0-1; R Hernandez 1-2; D Matsuzaka 5-7; K Snyder 1-1; J Romero 2-0;
J Pineiro 2-1. Batters faced: P Byrd 27; T Mastny 2; A Fultz 1; R Hernandez 5;
D Matsuzaka 28; K Snyder 7; J Romero 6; J Pineiro 5.

UMPIRES: HP--Alfonso Marquez. 1B--Tim Timmons. 2B--Rick Reed. 3B--Chuck
Meriwether.

Weather: 77 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 7 mph, out to left.</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at BOSTON

<div class="pre">AL AT BOSTON - PITCHING CHANGE
CLE: RAFAEL BETANCOURT (0-0, 1.74) STARTING THE 9TH
CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 8, BOSTON 4

DUE UP FOR BOSTON: D PEDROIA (.311, 2-FOR-3)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at BOSTON

<div class="pre">AL AT BOSTON - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: R Betancourt relieved R Hernandez.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 8
BOSTON 4 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR BOSTON: D Pedroia (.311, 2-FOR-3)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at BOSTON

<div class="pre">AL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
CLEVELAND 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 2 0 8 18 1
BOSTON 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 4 10 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: CLE - PAUL BYRD, TOM MASTNY (7TH), AARON FULTZ (7TH), ROBERTO
HERNANDEZ (8TH), RAFAEL BETANCOURT (9TH) AND KELLY SHOPPACH

BOS - DAISUKE MATSUZAKA, KYLE SNYDER (6TH), J.C. ROMERO
(8TH), JOEL PINEIRO (9TH) AND JASON VARITEK

HOME RUNS: CLE - GRADY SIZEMORE (9) OFF DAISUKE MATSUZAKA IN THE 6TH, 1 ON
KELLY SHOPPACH (2) OFF J.C. ROMERO IN THE 8TH, 0 ON

BOS - MIKE LOWELL (10) OFF ROBERTO HERNANDEZ IN THE 8TH, 1 ON</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at BOSTON

<div class="pre">AL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
CLEVELAND 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 2 0 8 18 1
BOSTON 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 4 10 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: CLE - PAUL BYRD, TOM MASTNY (7TH), AARON FULTZ (7TH), ROBERTO
HERNANDEZ (8TH), RAFAEL BETANCOURT (9TH) AND KELLY SHOPPACH

BOS - DAISUKE MATSUZAKA, KYLE SNYDER (6TH), J.C. ROMERO
(8TH), JOEL PINEIRO (9TH) AND JASON VARITEK


WP - PAUL BYRD (6-1)
LP - DAISUKE MATSUZAKA (7-3)
SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS: CLE - GRADY SIZEMORE (9) OFF DAISUKE MATSUZAKA IN THE 6TH, 1 ON
KELLY SHOPPACH (2) OFF J.C. ROMERO IN THE 8TH, 0 ON

BOS - MIKE LOWELL (10) OFF ROBERTO HERNANDEZ IN THE 8TH, 1 ON


TIME: 3:34 ATT: 37,091

PROBABLES: NYY - CHIEN-MING WANG (3-4, 4.13)
BOS - TIM WAKEFIELD (5-5, 3.36)

PROBABLES: DET - JUSTIN VERLANDER (5-1, 2.71)
CLE - C.C. SABATHIA (7-1, 3.54)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at BOSTON

<div class="pre">CLEVELAND (8) VS BOSTON (4) - FINAL

CLEVELAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
G Sizemore cf 5 3 2 2 1 1 2 .269
C Blake 3b 4 0 1 1 1 1 2 .270
T Hafner dh 5 0 3 2 0 0 1 .270
R Garko 1b 4 0 2 0 0 1 1 .333
T Nixon rf 5 1 1 0 0 2 6 .272
J Peralta ss 5 0 1 0 0 1 1 .287
D Dellucci lf 5 1 2 1 0 1 3 .239
J Barfield 2b 5 0 2 1 0 0 3 .237
K Shoppach c 5 3 4 1 0 0 2 .373

Totals 43 8 18 8 2 7 21

BATTING: 2B - R Garko (7, D Matsuzaka); G Sizemore (9, D Matsuzaka); T Hafner 2
(6, J Romero, D Matsuzaka); T Nixon (10, D Matsuzaka); D Dellucci (11, D
Matsuzaka). HR - G Sizemore (9, 6th inning off D Matsuzaka 1 on, 2 Out), K
Shoppach (2, 8th inning off J Romero 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - C Blake (27), T Hafner
2 (36), D Dellucci (10), J Barfield (25), G Sizemore 2 (26), K Shoppach (8).
2-out RBI - T Hafner, G Sizemore 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - T
Nixon 1, D Dellucci 1, J Barfield 1, K Shoppach 1, R Garko 1, G Sizemore 1.
GIDP - T Nixon. Team LOB - 11.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Barfield (6, 2nd base off D Matsuzaka/J Varitek), G
Sizemore (17, 2nd base off J Romero/J Varitek).

FIELDING: E - J Barfield (7, ground ball). DP: 1 (P Byrd-R Garko).


BOSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Crisp cf 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 .229
K Youkilis 1b 5 0 1 0 0 2 4 .354
D Ortiz dh 4 0 1 0 0 0 5 .315
M Ramirez lf 3 1 1 0 1 0 1 .269
J Drew rf 4 2 0 1 0 0 1 .226
M Lowell 3b 4 1 2 2 0 1 0 .330
J Varitek c 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 .277
A Cora ss 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 .316
D Pedroia 2b 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 .308

Totals 36 4 10 4 1 3 17

BATTING: 2B - M Lowell (15, P Byrd); M Ramirez (10, P Byrd); J Varitek (6, P
Byrd). HR - M Lowell (10, 8th inning off R Hernandez 1 on, 1 Out). S - C Crisp.
RBI - J Varitek (26), J Drew (17), M Lowell 2 (41). Runners left in scoring
position, 2 out - A Cora 1, D Ortiz 3, D Pedroia 1. Team LOB - 7.

FIELDING: Outfield assists - M Ramirez (J Barfield at 3rd base). DP: 1 (D
Pedroia-A Cora-K Youkilis).


----------------------------------------------------
CLEVELAND - 000 024 020 -- 8
BOSTON - 010 100 020 -- 4
----------------------------------------------------

CLEVELAND ip h r er bb so hr era
P Byrd (W, 6-1) 6 9 2 1 0 1 0 3.57
T Mastny (H, 5) 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.86
A Fultz (H, 11) 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.88
R Hernandez 1 1 2 2 1 0 1 6.20
R Betancourt 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.66

BOSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
D Matsuzaka (L, 7-3) 5 2/3 12 6 6 0 4 1 4.83
K Snyder 1 1/3 2 0 0 1 2 0 1.53
J Romero 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 3.86
J Pineiro 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 5.14

P Byrd pitched to 3 batters in the 7th.

WP - P Byrd. HBP - R Garko (by D Matsuzaka). Pitches-strikes: P Byrd 77-61; T
Mastny 7-4; A Fultz 9-7; R Hernandez 23-11; R Betancourt 13-11; D Matsuzaka
106-73; K Snyder 25-16; J Romero 17-9; J Pineiro 18-14. Ground balls-fly balls:
P Byrd 5-11; T Mastny 0-1; A Fultz 0-1; R Hernandez 1-2; R Betancourt 2-0; D
Matsuzaka 5-7; K Snyder 1-1; J Romero 2-0; J Pineiro 2-1. Batters faced: P Byrd
27; T Mastny 2; A Fultz 1; R Hernandez 5; R Betancourt 3; D Matsuzaka 28; K
Snyder 7; J Romero 6; J Pineiro 5.

UMPIRES: HP--Alfonso Marquez. 1B--Tim Timmons. 2B--Rick Reed. 3B--Chuck
Meriwether.

T--3:34. Att--37,091.
Weather: 77 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 7 mph, out to
left.</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at BOSTON

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
AL
CLEVELAND 8
BOSTON 4 FINAL</div>

 

Hafner, Sizemore help Indians avoid sweep

<h3>CLEVELAND 8, BOSTON 4</h3>BOSTON (Ticker) -- It took three games but Grady Sizemore andTravis Hafner finally heated up, helping the Cleveland Indianssalvage the finale of their three-game series with an 8-4victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.

Sizemore and Hafner, two of the premiere hitters in a vauntedIndians lineup, were a combined 1-for-15 in the first two games.

Sizemore doubled, homered and scored twice while Hafner doubledtwice, singled and drove in two runs to lead the offensivecharge against Red Sox starter and loser Daisuke Matsuzaka.

It was Sizemore who drove Matsuzaka (7-3) from the game bybelting a two-run homer just beyond the reach of Red Sox rightfielder J.D. Drew and into the Indians bullpen with two outs inthe sixth. Despite working out of a bases-loaded jam in thefirst and being staked to a 2-0 lead after four innings, theBoston righthander could never find his rhythm. Matsuzakaallowed six runs and a season-high 12 hits. He had not alloweddouble-figure hits in his first 10 starts.

Boston built its two-run lead on RBI groundouts by Jason Varitekin the second and Drew in the fourth.

Cleveland broke through against Matsuzaka in the fifth. CaseyBlake's groundout scored Kelly Shoppach while Hafner's doubleplated Sizemore with the tying run.

The loss also ended Matsuzaka's personal six-game winningstreak, absorbing a loss for the first time since a 2-1 defeatin Toronto on April 17.

Paul Byrd (6-1) earned the win, allowing two runs and nine hitsover six-plus innings. The veteran continued his dominatingcommand, throwing first-pitch strikes to 25 of the 27 batters hefaced while running his streak of consecutive innings without awalk to 43.

Byrd left the game after loading the bases with none out in theseventh. But Tom Mastny came on to retire Coco Crisp on a foulpop and Kevin Youkilis on strikes. Lefthander Aaron Fultz wascalled on to face David Ortiz. After missing foul by justinches from a game-tying grand slam down the right field line,Ortiz lined out softly to third to end the threat.

Youkilis extended his career-high hitting streak to 22 gameswith a one-out, clean single to left-center in the third. RedSox third baseman Mike Lowell doubled in the second and homeredin the eighth and has now hit in his last 22 games at FenwayPark.

 

AL: CLEVELAND at BOSTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CLEVELAND (8) AT BOSTON (4) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOSTON 2ND: J Drew safe at first on error by second baseman J Barfield.
M Lowell doubled to left, J Drew to third. J Varitek grounded out to first,
J Drew scored, M Lowell to third. A Cora flied out to left. D Pedroia popped
out to shortstop. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 1 Error) CLEVELAND 0, BOSTON 1.

BOSTON 4TH: M Ramirez doubled to deep right. M Ramirez to third on wild
pitch by P Byrd. J Drew grounded out to shortstop, M Ramirez scored. M Lowell
popped out to shortstop. J Varitek hit a ground rule double to deep right.
A Cora lined out to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0, BOSTON 2.

CLEVELAND 5TH: J Barfield grounded out to second. K Shoppach singled to
center. G Sizemore doubled to left, K Shoppach to third. C Blake grounded out
to shortstop, K Shoppach scored. T Hafner doubled to left center, G Sizemore
scored. R Garko struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 2,
BOSTON 2.

CLEVELAND 6TH: T Nixon hit a ground rule double to right. J Peralta flied
out to center, T Nixon to third. D Dellucci doubled to left, T Nixon scored.
J Barfield singled to left, D Dellucci scored. K Shoppach singled to left,
J Barfield out at third. G Sizemore homered to right, K Shoppach scored.
K Snyder relieved D Matsuzaka. C Blake walked. T Hafner flied out to center.
(4 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 6, BOSTON 2.

CLEVELAND 8TH: J Romero relieved K Snyder. K Shoppach homered to left.
G Sizemore walked. C Blake struck out swinging, G Sizemore stole second.
T Hafner hit a ground rule double to left, G Sizemore scored. R Garko grounded
out to second, T Hafner to third. T Nixon grounded out to first. (2 Runs,
2 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 8, BOSTON 2.

BOSTON 8TH: R Hernandez relieved A Fultz. M Ramirez walked. J Drew
grounded into fielder's choice to first, M Ramirez out at second. M Lowell
homered to left, J Drew scored. J Varitek popped out to second. A Cora popped
out to third. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 8, BOSTON 4.</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at BOSTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CLEVELAND (8) AT BOSTON (4) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cleveland Starting Lineups -- G Sizemore CF, C Blake 3B, T Hafner DH,
R Garko 1B, T Nixon RF, J Peralta SS, D Dellucci LF, J Barfield 2B, K Shoppach C,
P Byrd RHP.

Boston Starting Lineups -- C Crisp CF, K Youkilis 1B, D Ortiz DH, M Ramirez LF,
J Drew RF, M Lowell 3B, J Varitek C, A Cora SS, D Pedroia 2B, D Matsuzaka RHP.

Umpires -- Alfonso Marquez (HP), Tim Timmons (1B), Rick Reed (2B), Chuck
Meriwether (3B).

Gametime Weather: 77 degrees, Cloudy, wind out to left at 7 mph.


CLEVELAND 1ST: G Sizemore flied out to left. C Blake singled to right.
T Hafner singled to right, C Blake to second. R Garko hit by pitch, C Blake to
third, T Hafner to second. T Nixon grounded into double play, second to
shortstop to first, R Garko out at second.(0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0,
BOSTON 0.

BOSTON 1ST: C Crisp grounded out to second. K Youkilis flied out to
center. D Ortiz singled to center. M Ramirez grounded out to second. (0 Runs,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0, BOSTON 0.

CLEVELAND 2ND: J Peralta flied out to center. D Dellucci flied out to
center. J Barfield singled to right. J Barfield stole second. K Shoppach
flied out to right. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0, BOSTON 0.

BOSTON 2ND: J Drew safe at first on error by second baseman J Barfield.
M Lowell doubled to left, J Drew to third. J Varitek grounded out to first,
J Drew scored, M Lowell to third. A Cora flied out to left. D Pedroia popped
out to shortstop. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 1 Error) CLEVELAND 0, BOSTON 1.

CLEVELAND 3RD: G Sizemore struck out swinging. C Blake popped out to
second. T Hafner grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CLEVELAND 0, BOSTON 1.

BOSTON 3RD: C Crisp flied out to left. K Youkilis singled to center.
D Ortiz lined into double play, pitcher to first, K Youkilis out at first.
(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0, BOSTON 1.

CLEVELAND 4TH: R Garko doubled to center. T Nixon struck out looking.
J Peralta struck out swinging. D Dellucci flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0, BOSTON 1.

BOSTON 4TH: M Ramirez doubled to deep right. M Ramirez to third on wild
pitch by P Byrd. J Drew grounded out to shortstop, M Ramirez scored. M Lowell
popped out to shortstop. J Varitek hit a ground rule double to deep right.
A Cora lined out to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0, BOSTON 2.

CLEVELAND 5TH: J Barfield grounded out to second. K Shoppach singled to
center. G Sizemore doubled to left, K Shoppach to third. C Blake grounded out
to shortstop, K Shoppach scored. T Hafner doubled to left center, G Sizemore
scored. R Garko struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 2,
BOSTON 2.

BOSTON 5TH: D Pedroia singled to center. C Crisp sacrificed to catcher,
D Pedroia to second. K Youkilis flied out to center. D Ortiz flied out to left.
(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 2, BOSTON 2.

CLEVELAND 6TH: T Nixon hit a ground rule double to right. J Peralta flied
out to center, T Nixon to third. D Dellucci doubled to left, T Nixon scored.
J Barfield singled to left, D Dellucci scored. K Shoppach singled to left,
J Barfield out at third. G Sizemore homered to right, K Shoppach scored.
K Snyder relieved D Matsuzaka. C Blake walked. T Hafner flied out to center.
(4 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 6, BOSTON 2.

BOSTON 6TH: M Ramirez flied out to right. J Drew popped out to shortstop.
M Lowell struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 6, BOSTON 2.

CLEVELAND 7TH: R Garko singled to left. T Nixon struck out swinging.
J Peralta singled to left, R Garko to second. D Dellucci struck out looking.
J Barfield grounded into fielder's choice to third, R Garko out at third,
J Peralta to second. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 6, BOSTON 2.

BOSTON 7TH: J Varitek singled to right. A Cora singled to left, J Varitek
to second. D Pedroia singled to left, J Varitek to third, A Cora to second.
T Mastny relieved P Byrd. C Crisp fouled out to third. K Youkilis struck out
swinging. A Fultz relieved T Mastny. D Ortiz lined out to third. (0 Runs,
3 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 6, BOSTON 2.

CLEVELAND 8TH: J Romero relieved K Snyder. K Shoppach homered to left.
G Sizemore walked. C Blake struck out swinging, G Sizemore stole second.
T Hafner hit a ground rule double to left, G Sizemore scored. R Garko grounded
out to second, T Hafner to third. T Nixon grounded out to first. (2 Runs,
2 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 8, BOSTON 2.

BOSTON 8TH: R Hernandez relieved A Fultz. M Ramirez walked. J Drew
grounded into fielder's choice to first, M Ramirez out at second. M Lowell
homered to left, J Drew scored. J Varitek popped out to second. A Cora popped
out to third. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 8, BOSTON 4.

CLEVELAND 9TH: J Pineiro relieved J Romero. J Peralta grounded out to
pitcher. D Dellucci singled to right. J Barfield popped out to second.
K Shoppach singled to left, D Dellucci to second. G Sizemore grounded out
to pitcher. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 8, BOSTON 4.

BOSTON 9TH: R Betancourt relieved R Hernandez. D Pedroia grounded out to
first. C Crisp grounded out to third. K Youkilis struck out swinging.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 8, BOSTON 4.</div>

 

Hafner, Sizemore help Indians avoid sweep

<h3>CLEVELAND 8, BOSTON 4</h3>BOSTON (Ticker) -- It took three games but Grady Sizemore andTravis Hafner finally heated up, helping the Cleveland Indianssalvage the finale of their three-game series with an 8-4victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.

Sizemore and Hafner, two of the premier hitters in a vauntedIndians lineup, were a combined 1-for-15 in the first two games.

Sizemore doubled, homered and scored twice while Hafner doubledtwice, singled and drove in two runs to lead the offensivecharge against Red Sox starter and loser Daisuke Matsuzaka.

It was Sizemore who drove Matsuzaka (7-3) from the game bybelting a two-run homer just beyond the reach of Red Sox rightfielder J.D. Drew and into the Indians bullpen with two outs inthe sixth. Despite working out of a bases-loaded jam in thefirst and being staked to a 2-0 lead after four innings, theBoston righthander could never find his rhythm. Matsuzakaallowed six runs and a season-high 12 hits. He had not alloweddouble-figure hits in his first 10 starts.

Boston built its two-run lead on RBI groundouts by Jason Varitekin the second and Drew in the fourth.

Cleveland broke through against Matsuzaka in the fifth. CaseyBlake's groundout scored Kelly Shoppach while Hafner's doubleplated Sizemore with the tying run.

The loss also ended Matsuzaka's personal six-game winningstreak, absorbing a loss for the first time since a 2-1 defeatin Toronto on April 17.

Paul Byrd (6-1) earned the win, allowing two runs and nine hitsover six-plus innings. The veteran continued his dominatingcommand, throwing first-pitch strikes to 25 of the 27 batters hefaced while running his streak of consecutive innings without awalk to 43.

Byrd left the game after loading the bases with none out in theseventh. But Tom Mastny came on to retire Coco Crisp on a foulpop and Kevin Youkilis on strikes. Lefthander Aaron Fultz wascalled on to face David Ortiz. After missing foul by justinches from a game-tying grand slam down the right field line,Ortiz lined out softly to third to end the threat.

Youkilis extended his career-high hitting streak to 22 gameswith a one-out, clean single to left-center in the third. RedSox third baseman Mike Lowell doubled in the second and homeredin the eighth and has now hit in his last 22 games at FenwayPark.

 

Hafner, Sizemore help Indians avoid sweep

<h3>CLEVELAND 8, BOSTON 4</h3>BOSTON (Ticker) -- It took three games but Grady Sizemore andTravis Hafner finally heated up, helping the Cleveland Indianssalvage the finale of their three-game series with an 8-4victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.

Sizemore and Hafner, two of the premier hitters in a vauntedIndians lineup, were a combined 1-for-15 in the first two games.

Sizemore doubled, homered and scored twice while Hafner doubledtwice, singled and drove in two runs to lead the offensivecharge against Red Sox starter and loser Daisuke Matsuzaka.

"They were huge tonight," Indians manager Eric Wedge said ofSizemore and Hafner. "They are the kind of players that know,especially with a guy like Victor Martinez getting the nightoff, that they need to step up and they did. It was great tosee. David Dellucci had a big hit, too and what a great nightfor Kelly (Shoppach)."

It was Sizemore who drove Matsuzaka (7-3) from the game bybelting a two-run homer just beyond the reach of Red Sox rightfielder J.D. Drew and into the Indians' bullpen with two outs inthe sixth.

"Not only my fastball, but overall, I think I had problems withmy control," Matsuzaka said through an interpreter.

Despite working out of a bases-loaded jam in the first and beingstaked to a 2-0 lead after four innings, the Boston righthandercould never find his rhythm.

"I feel like my control is worse than usual when I see thathappen," Matsuzaka said of his bases-loaded jam in the first. "Itry to make the adjustments within the game but today I wasn'table to make those adjustments too effectively."

Matsuzaka allowed six runs and a season-high 12 hits. He hadnot allowed double-figure hits in his first 10 starts.

"I didn't think he located his fastball like he has and like youneed to against a team like Cleveland with that lineup," RedSox manager Terry Francona said. "Against a lineup like that, ifyou don't consistently make pitches, they have the chance tohurt you."

Boston built its two-run lead on RBI groundouts by Jason Varitekin the second and Drew in the fourth.

Cleveland broke through against Matsuzaka in the fifth. CaseyBlake's groundout scored Kelly Shoppach while Hafner's doubleplated Sizemore with the tying run.

Shoppach, a catcher who came up in the Red Sox organization andstruggled in his early days in Boston, earned some redemptionwith a career-best four hits, including a solo home run, whilescoring three times.

"I'm over that," Shoppach said. "It's a little different playingagainst than playing for. It's not my job to come in here andbe a world-beater, just do the best I can. Tonight, four hits,it's nice."

The loss also ended Matsuzaka's personal six-game winningstreak, absorbing a loss for the first time since a 2-1 defeatin Toronto on April 17.

Paul Byrd (6-1) earned the win, allowing two runs and nine hitsover six-plus innings. The veteran continued his dominatingcommand, throwing first-pitch strikes to 25 of the 27 batters hefaced while running his streak of consecutive innings without awalk to 43.

"First-pitch strikes are the key for me because you never wantto go 1-0 or 2-0 on a batter," Byrd said. "I was able to getahead for the most part tonight and make the pitches I wanted tomake as opposed to the other way around."

"I thought Paul pitched the ball very well today," Wedge added."He commanded the ballgame again. He made pitches when he hadto and kept away from the big inning. Obviously, we didn't domuch against their guy early on and (Byrd) did a great job ofkeeping us right there."

Byrd left the game after loading the bases with none out in theseventh. But Tom Mastny came on to retire Coco Crisp on a foulpop and Kevin Youkilis on strikes. Lefthander Aaron Fultz wascalled on to face David Ortiz. After missing foul by justinches from a game-tying grand slam down the right field line,Ortiz lined out softly to third to end the threat.

"That was big, needless to say," Wedge said. "(Byrd) went outthere in the seventh inning. I think they did a heckuva job ofgetting the barrel of the bat to the ball. Mastny did a greatjob and then you knew we were going to have a battle betweenFultz and Ortiz and Aaron did a great job. David (Ortiz) isnever an easy out."

Youkilis extended his career-high hitting streak to 22 gameswith a one-out, clean single to left-center in the third. RedSox third baseman Mike Lowell doubled in the second and homeredin the eighth and has now hit in his last 22 games at FenwayPark.

 

Hafner, Sizemore help Indians avoid sweep*
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CLEVELAND 8, BOSTON 4
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BOSTON (Ticker) -- It took three games but Grady Sizemore and
Travis Hafner finally heated up, helping the Cleveland