CLEVELAND (AP) — Their minds more at ease after two harrowing days, the Red Sox won again.
Converted closer Alfredo Aceves coasted through five innings, Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava drove in two runs apiece and the Red Sox, bonded by the tragedy in Boston, struck quickly against Justin Masterson and beat the Cleveland Indians 6-3 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight win.
“A good all-around game,” manager John Farrell said. “A very good game.”
Aceves (1-0) took a shutout into the sixth before giving up three runs. Andrew Bailey, filling in for injured closer Joel Hanrahan, worked the ninth for his first save.
Napoli had an RBI single in the first when the Red Sox scored three off Masterson (3- 1), who has already beaten two Cy Young Award winners this season and came in without allowing a run in 19 straight innings.
Nick Swisher and Jason Giambi homered for the Indians, who dropped their third in a row.
Shane Victorino, Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Carp had three hits apiece as the Red Sox built Aceves a 5-0 lead.
Boston’s bullpen did its job, retiring all 12 Cleveland batters in a row with eight strikeouts. Junichi Tazawa struck out four in two innings, Koji Uehara worked a perfect eighth and Bailey had a 1-2-3 ninth.
• Who: Boston Red Sox at
Cleveland Indians.
• Where: Progressive Field.
• When: 7:05 p.m. tonight.
• Starting pitchers: Boston
(Jon Lester 2-0) vs. Cleveland (Zach McAllister 1-1).
• TV: NESN.
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