The Red Sox and Indians are set to kick off their four-game set as Felix Doubront takes on Ubaldo Jimenez.
We'll keep you up-to-date on all the action as it goes down in Progressive Field.
Indians 5, Red Sox 3, End 8th -- The Indians grab some insurance in the ninth against Junichi Tazawa and Craig Breslow. A pair of singles are all Tazawa sees before being pulled without an out recorded. Breslow comes in, and while he manages to get three outs without giving up another hit, the Indians push a run across on a sacrifice bunt and a ground ball, giving them a two-run cushion headed to the ninth.
Indians 4, Red Sox 3, Mid 8th -- Adrian Gonzalez' single may be the worst possible thing to happen to the Sox in this game, as it gets Bobby Valentine to send Nick Punto out to pinch run for him. Punto manages to get into scoring position on a Cody Ross single, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia strikes out and Will Middlebrooks hits a fly ball to end the inning. Should the order get back to Gonzalez' spot, he won't be there to take the AB now.
Indians 4, Red Sox 3, End 7th -- The Sox call on Junichi Tazawa for the seventh, and while the young reliever surrenders a single and a walk, they come with two outs, and Michael Brantley grounds out to end the inning without any damage.
Indians 4, Red Sox 3, Mid 7th -- The Sox get a leadoff double from Pedro Ciriaco, chasing Ubaldo Jimenez from the game, but some little league baserunning costs them the opportunity. A hard ground ball is backhanded on two quick hopes by Asdrubal Cabrera, catching Ciriaco between bases. As he tries to avoid the tag, Crawford takes of for second. The out is recorded too quickly, however, and Cabrera fires to Jason Donald at second to catch Crawford as he comes sliding in, ending the inning.
Indians 4, Red Sox 3, End 6th -- Andrew Miller keeps the score close, recording three quick ground ball outs to get the Sox into the seventh inning trailing by just one.
Indians 4, Red Sox 3, Mid 6th -- Rather than respond in the sixth, the Sox give Ubaldo Jimenez another inning full of Ks, as the middle of the order goes down 1-2-3 on strikes.
Indians 4, Red Sox 3, End 5th -- And, in what may be the most predictable thing ever, Felix Doubront fades late. With more innings on his arm then he's used to, and quite a few more than he had last year (when he was partially a reliever), Doubront has had plenty of this sort of trouble, and it's come back to get him again. After a leadoff ground ball out, Doubront surrenders a single, walk, and double to bring a run in and put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. Another walk to Shin-Soo Choo loads the bases, a Michael Brantley single ties the game, and only when Andrew Miller enters and allows the go-ahead run to come in on a sacrifice fly do the Sox see the second out of the inning.
Red Sox 3, Indians 1, Mid 5th -- After a month of slow going on the bases, Ellsbury is off like a rocket tonight. Another single leads to the center fielder's third stolen base of the night, and with Dustin Pedroia singling up the middle, it helps the Sox to their third run against Ubaldo Jimenez.
Red Sox 2, Indians 1, End 4th -- Doubront has a fourth much like his third, bunching a strikeout in with a couple of balls to Pedro Ciriaco to keep the Indians down again. He's been very solid since the first.
Red Sox 2, Indians 1, Mid 4th -- After a leadoff single from Dustin Pedroia, all it takes is one pitch up-and-not-in-enough to Adrian Gonzalez and the Red Sox take a 2-1 lead. The first baseman takes a high-planed hack, depositing the ball well into the stands past right field to get the Sox on the board and ahead of the Indians at that. Jimenez is only saved further damage by a questionably close play at second on a two-on, two-out Pedro Ciriaco ground ball.
Indians 1, Red Sox 0, End 3rd -- The Indians' inability to hit left-handed pitching is starting to shine through, as Doubront gets a strikeout and two ground balls against the heart of the order.
Indians 1, Red Sox 0, Mid 3rd -- Pedro Ciriaco singles through the left side of the infield to give the Red Sox their first hit of the night with one out in the third. The top of the lineup then proceeds to strand him there on a fly ball and ground ball.
Indians 1, Red Sox 0, End 2nd -- The Indians get another hit off of Felix Doubront, but this time it's just a one-out single, and with a nice Cody Ross defensive play and a strikeout of Jason Donald, it doesn't amount to anything further.
Indians 1, Red Sox 0, Mid 2nd -- Forget the control problems that led Jimenez to walk Jacoby Ellsbury and fall behind time-and-again. The righty deals in the second, striking out the side in order to make it four strikeouts on the night. An ill omen for the night on the whole.
Indians 1, Red Sox 0, End 1st -- If there was any question as to whether the momentum of the Indians would be that of a team on a 1-11 run, or a 1-0 run, Jason Donald answered it three pitches into the bottom of the first, taking a 93 MPH fastball and depositing it into the stands by the foul pole in right for a leadoff homer.
Doubront would end up giving up a two-out single and double before finally escaping the inning with a strikeout of Shelly Duncan. It's just one run, but it really doesn't look good all things considered.
Red Sox 0, Indians 0, Mid 1st -- The Sox waste no time in wasting a baserunner. Jacoby Ellsbury leads off the game with a walk, turns it into a double by stealing second before Carl Crawford flew out, a triple before Dustin Pedroia struck out, and then a non-issue as Adrian Gonzalez grounded out to end the frame without scoring him from third.