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Red Sox rip Indians, take series

May 25, 2011 - 9:21 PM Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a three-run homer and Dustin Pedroia added a two-run shot and drove in three, as the Boston Red Sox demolished the Indians, 14-2, in the rubber match of a three-game set at Progressive Field.

Carl Crawford had a big game, finishing 4-for-4 with a solo homer, two doubles and three runs scored, while David Ortiz also hit a solo shot for Boston, which banged out 20 hits and has won 10 of its last 12 games.

Jon Lester (7-1) worked six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk with seven strikeouts. He improved to 4-1 lifetime against Cleveland.

"Obviously it's good. Takes a lot of pressure off of not only me, but the defense," Lester said about working with a big lead. "You don't have to be perfect."

Shelley Duncan accounted for the only offense with a two-run single for the Indians, who dropped the final two games in the series after winning four in a row.

Mitch Talbot (1-1), who had been sidelined with an elbow strain in his pitching arm, returned to the mound for the first time since April 11 and was shelled for eight runs -- seven in the first inning alone -- on 12 hits and two walks.

"I wasn't making my pitches first off," Talbot said. "I wasn't hitting my spots. It was almost like even if I was, they were going to find a hole somewhere. It was just kind of one of those days."

Boston gave Talbot a rude welcome back to the mound, scoring seven runs in the first and sending 12 men to the plate.

Jacoby Ellsbury got the inning started with a base hit and Pedroia followed with a two-run shot into the left-field stands. Adrian Gonzalez and Ortiz both reached on base hits, and two batters later Crawford joined the hit parade with an RBI single to center.

Saltalamacchia chased in another with a base hit and Mike Cameron's sacrifice fly made it a 5-0 game. Ellsbury and Pedroia added an RBI single apiece to close out the scoring in the first.

Gonzalez's run-scoring single in the third and a solo blast by Crawford in the fourth put Boston ahead 9-0.

The Red Sox tacked on five more in the sixth on a solo homer by Ortiz, a three-run shot from Saltalamacchia and Ellsbury's RBI double.

Meanwhile, Lester retired 15 batters in a row before allowing a pair of two- out runners in the sixth.

Dan Wheeler came on for Lester and worked a scoreless seventh and Franklin Morales surrendered a two-run single to Duncan in the eighth to make it a 14-2 game.

Scott Atchison threw a scoreless ninth to close out the victory.

Game Notes

Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis and outfielder J.D. Drew both missed the game. Youkilis sat out with a sore left hand, while Drew is nursing a right hamstring strain...Talbot was activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to the game and right-hander Josh Judy was optioned to Triple-A Columbus...Cleveland swept a three-game set from the Red Sox earlier in the year at Progressive Field and despite the loss has still won five of the last eighth matchups overall.