Pavano has another strong performance for Cleveland

BOSTON (AP) — Carl Pavano endured four injury-plagued years in which he gave the New York Yankees very little for their $39.95 million.

So far he’s been a big bargain for the Cleveland Indians.

Pavano pitched his third strong game in three weeks, Victor Martinez homered and drove in four runs, and the Indians ended the Boston Red Sox’s nine-game home winning streak with a 9-2 victory Wednesday night.

“The things I’ve been through the last few years with the injuries, I was able to put it behind me,” said Pavano, who signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract as a free agent.

He allowed two runs in six innings and lowered his ERA in his last four games to 3.75. It was 16.71 after his other two starts. In his previous start on May 1, he allowed two runs in 7 1/3 innings at Detroit.

Pavano (2-3) had spent most of the previous four seasons on the disabled list with shoulder and elbow problems, making only 26 starts and missing the entire 2006 season.

“We felt like he finished last year healthy and he came into spring training in great shape,” Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. “He built himself like a veteran starting pitcher would.”

Cleveland’s beleaguered bullpen got a boost from its newest member, Aaron Laffey. He had been scheduled to start tonight, but the Indians moved him to a relief role and he allowed two hits in three scoreless innings for his first career save. He is 2-0 this year and all 29 of his previous major league appearances were as a starter.

“Old-school save, three innings,” Wedge said. “It was good that we could get him out there right away.”

Pavano allowed both runs in the second.

“We had chances to add on and then, kind of like Pavano did [in his] last outing, he got comfortable,” Boston manager Terry Francona said.

Cleveland pulled to 2-1 on Asdrubal Cabrera’s RBI single in the third before scoring three in the fifth on Martinez’s two-run double and Shin-Soo Choo’s RBI single.

In the seventh, Martinez singled in a run and Mark DeRosa hit a two-run homer. Martinez added a leadoff homer in the ninth before Ben Francisco singled home the final run.

Justin Masterson (2-2) got his first loss at Fenway Park after going 7-0.

“Just disappointed ... that it’s a loss,” he said. “Whatever the record was coming in and having the one loss now, it was bound to happen some time.”

Pavano retired eight of his last nine batters and finished with four strikeouts and three walks. He was helped by double play grounders in the first and second and gave up just two hits in his last four innings.

“The elbow hasn’t been an issue,” he said.