Red Sox 4 - 2 Guardians
Final
  for this game

Indians resume home set with Red Sox

May 24, 2011 - 2:59 PM

Video

(Sports Network) - The amazing Cleveland Indians go after a fifth straight win this evening when they continue their three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field.

The Indians picked up their 30th win of the season on Monday, as Asdrubal Cabrera's eighth-inning double plated the go-ahead run to help Cleveland to a 3-2 victory. Cabrera finished 3-for-4 and added a solo homer for the Indians, who claimed their 11th win of the season in their final at-bat.

Cleveland, which lost 93 games a year ago, didn't pick up its 30th win last season until June 30.

Michael Brantley posted an RBI single and Joe Smith (2-1) picked up the win by recording the final out of the eighth. Chris Perez hung on in the ninth to record his 13th save.

Cabrera, meanwhile, is 8-for-9 with three home runs over his last two games and has driven in seven runs.

Carl Crawford homered for the Red Sox, who have dropped two of three. Daniel Bard (1-4) took the loss and a blown save, as he was charged with the winning run on two hits in one-third of an inning.

"You have to expect things like this as a reliever," said Bard. "It will all even out eventually, just doesn't feel too good right now."

Trying to get the Red Sox back on track tonight will be righty Josh Beckett, who was forced to leave his last start with a sore neck. Beckett had given up just one run and five hits in six innings to the Detroit Tigers on Thursday before exiting.

"Yeah, it was pretty tough to get loose," Beckett said. "I battled through the first few innings. I actually went down in the third and the fifth and was actually throwing between innings, because I was just trying to get it loose. Like I said, it would never loosen up. I think it was just a little muscle spasm in there. I don't think it's anything serious at all, but it was better to be cautious, especially in the situation that we're in right now with our starters."

After an injury-plagued 2010 that saw him go just 6-6 with a 5.78 ERA, Beckett has bounced back so far this season, going 3-1 with a 1.73 ERA.

Beckett's lone loss, though, came at the hands of the Indians on April 5. He is 3-5 lifetime against them with a 5.55 ERA in eight starts.

Cleveland will counter with right-hander Fausto Carmona, who is 3-4 with a 4.76 ERA. Carmona lost for the first time in five starts on Thursday in Chicago, as the White Sox hammered him for eight runs and seven hits in five innings.

"I don't know what happened," Carmona said.

Carmona was terrific against the Red Sox earlier in the year, giving up two hits over seven scoreless innings. For his career, though, he is just 2-3 against them with a 3.44 ERA in eight games (six starts).

Cleveland swept a three-game set from the Red Sox earlier in the year at Progressive Field and has won five of the last six overall and the last six at home in the series.






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