Tribe, Masterson top Bosox

Associated Press

BOSTON

Justin Masterson struck out nine and again beat his former team, Carlos Santana hit a go-ahead home run and the Cleveland Indians topped the Boston Red Sox 7-3 Thursday night.

The loss dropped Boston into a tie with the Yankees for the AL East lead. New York visits Fenway Park for a three-game series starting tonight.

The Indians won for only the fourth time in 15 games. The four-game split prevented Cleveland from falling below .500 for the first time since three games into the season.

Erik Bedard, making his Red Sox debut after being acquired from Seattle, gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings. In his second start since coming off the disabled list, he was on a pitch count and came out after 70 with the score 3-all.

Masterson (9-7) allowed three runs and five hits in six innings. He improved to 3-0 overall against Boston, which traded him to the Indians to get Victor Martinez in 2009.

Masterson also tied a major league record with four strikeouts in the third inning. He is the sixth Indians pitcher, the first since Chuck Finley in 2000, to fan four in an inning. Masterson’s wild pitch prolonged the inning.

The Cleveland right-hander gave up two first-inning runs and a solo homer to Josh Reddick in the fourth, leaving after throwing 118 pitches. Three relievers finished up, with Chris Perez working the ninth in a non-save situation.

Santana hit a two-run homer in the sixth for a 5-3 lead. Travis Hafner, who had three hits, led off with a long double against reliever Franklin Morales (0-1) and on the next pitch, Santana, already 2 for 2 with an RBI, hit his 16th home run to dead center field.

The Red Sox took a 2-0 lead in the first on an RBI double by Adrian Gonzalez and run-scoring single by David Ortiz. Gonzalez extended his season-high hitting streak to 14 games with his major-league-leading 91st RBI.

The Indians, retired in order by Bedard in the first, tied it in the second. Santana singled and took with on a single by Fukudome, who moved up when Reddick’s throw from right field hit Santana. Matt LaPorta drove in a run with an infield single.