BOSTON Red Sox bury Tribe early, 12-3
Nomar Garciaparra extended his hitting streak to 24 games.
BOSTON (AP) -- The Boston Red Sox are doing all they can to ditch their reputation as comeback kids.
David Ortiz homered to cap a five-run first and lead Boston to a 12-3 victory over the Indians on Saturday, a day after scoring six runs in the first inning to beat Cleveland.
"It makes it a lot easier for a pitching staff," said John Burkett (3-2) who cruised through five innings while allowing two runs on two hits. "I'll take 12 runs every game. I'm pretty good over my career with 12 runs."
Leading early for a change
Nomar Garciaparra homered to extend his hitting streak to 24 games and was one of three Boston batters -- along with Ortiz and Manny Ramirez -- with three hits and a homer. Bill Mueller singled and scored three times.
The Red Sox have 13 come-from-behind wins this season, eight of them in their last at-bat. But lately, they have been jumping on opponents early and often; on Friday night, Boston took a 6-0 lead in the first and coasted to a 9-2 win.
"It certainly is more relaxing than the other way we were doing it," manager Grady Little said. "We'll take them any way we can get them."
Brian Anderson (2-5) took the loss despite two Cleveland errors that accounted for all five first-inning runs. He is winless in his last seven starts, giving up eight runs on Saturday -- just three earned -- on eight hits in five innings.
"We didn't help him out," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "We were out of that inning with no runs. We can't come out and start games like that. It's not acceptable."
How it happened
With one out in the first, Mueller singled and Garciaparra reached when his grounder went through third baseman John McDonald's legs. Ramirez was intentionally walked, then right fielder Shane Spencer dropped Kevin Millar's sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Ortiz followed with a three-run homer. Josh Bard hit a sacrifice fly and McDonald doubled in the second to cut the Boston lead to 6-2.
Garciaparra homered to lead off the third, then Boston made it 8-2 when Mueller and Ramirez singled and scored on Millar's double.
Matt Lawton homered to lead off the sixth for Cleveland to make it 8-3. But Boston got two in the seventh on Ramirez's homer, then added two in the eighth.
Boston third baseman Shea Hillenbrand picked up a throwing error in the sixth after a ground ball pulled him to the foul side of the bag.
When he saw he'd been charged with an error, he threw his glove in the air, put his hands up and made a signal to indicate he thought the official scorer, retired Boston Herald writer Joe Giuliotti, was crazy.
Notes
Red Sox RHP Pedro Martinez threw on the side Saturday and experienced slight discomfort in his right side. He remains day-to-day, but he won't start before Tuesday.
The last time the Red Sox scored five runs in the first inning in consecutive games since June 2-3, 1950, at Fenway Park against the Indians.
Indians LHP C.C. Sabathia threw in the bullpen before the game and his next start has been pushed back to Wednesday from Monday. He sprained his left ankle when he stepped on the foot of Detroit's Dmitri Young during a close play at first base Wednesday night.
Red Sox coach Jerry Narron was back with the team after missing Friday's game to be at his daughter's high school graduation.
Mueller has hit safely in 21 consecutive starts. He was 3-for-5 on Saturday and is averaging .456 in May.
Ramirez was intentionally walked for a 10th time.
The Indians are an AL-worst 6-17 on the road.
CLEVELANDBOSTON
abrhbiabrhbi
Lawton lf5111Damon cf5000
Vizquel ss4000Mueller 2b5330
Burks dh4000Grcprr ss5332
Brdley cf3010MRmrz lf3332
Spncer rf3110Millar 1b3113
Brssrd 1b4110Nixon rf1001
Bard c3011Hlnbrn 3b4011
JMcDld 3b4021DOrtiz dh4133
BPhllps 2b3000Varitek c4000
DJcksn rf4110
Totals33373Totals38121512
Cleveland020001000--3
Boston50102022x--12
E--Spencer (1), JMcDonald (3), Hillenbrand (3). DP--Cleveland 1, Boston 1. LOB--Cleveland 7, Boston 6. 2B--JMcDonald (3), Garciaparra (14), Millar (12), DOrtiz (10). HR--Lawton (7), Garciaparra (10), MRamirez (7), DOrtiz (2). SF--Bard, Millar, Hillenbrand.
IPHRERBBSO
Cleveland
BriAnderson L,2-5588312
JPhillips374411
Boston
Burkett W,3-2522212
Mendoza141100
Timlin210001
Person100011
Mendoza pitched to 2 batters in the 7th. HBP--by Mendoza (Bradley). PB--Varitek. Umpires--Home, Gary Darling; First, Larry Vanover; Second, Chris Guccione; Third, Jerry Meals.
T--2:46. A--32,643.