Finally the Cleveland Indians lineup (32-19) that the Boston Red Sox (36-16) prepared for in this three game series showed their true colors in a 8-4 win that halted the Sox sweep and their sixth consecutive win.
Doubles were abound in this one and Daisuke Matsuzaka (7-3) gave up five of the six doubles in his third loss this season.
Matsuzaka went five and two-thirds’ innings pitched, 12 hits, six runs that were all earned, zero walks, four strikeouts, and gave up one homerun.
Paul Byrd (6-1) won his fifth straight decision throwing for six innings, on nine hits, two runs, one earned, zero walks, and one strikeout.
Matsuzaka kept the Indians scoreless until the fifth inning when Kelly Shoppach scored on a Casey Blake groundout to short and Travis Hafner knocked in an RBI double to left center that scored Grady Sizemore putting the score at 2-2.
The Sox could not muster any runs in the bottom of the fifth leaving the score tied at 2-2. Dice-K, much like every start this season, had one bad inning that did him in.
David Delluci doubled to score Trot Nixon, Josh Barfield added an RBI single, and Sizemore hit a Matsuzaka offering over J.D. Drew’s head in right field into the Indians bullpen running up the score to 6-2.
The last runs for the Sox were scored in the bottom of eighth but by then the Red Sox were out of it 8-4.
Rafael Betancourt closed the ninth and also closed the door on Kevin Youkilis’ bid for his 10th consecutive multi hit game ending his streak at nine games. Youkilis did extend his hitting streak to 22 by hitting a single to left field off of Byrd in the third.
