Boston, Pedroia beat Indians

Associated Press

BOSTON

Dustin Pedroia had three hits and three RBIs to back a solid outing by Clay Buchholz, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 7-5 Friday night to snap a three-game skid.

Will Middlebrooks hit a two-run double off Ubaldo Jimenez and Daniel Nava, called up from the minors Thursday, made a pair of outstanding defensive plays to help the last-place Red Sox (13-19) win for only the second time this month.

Boston had lost 11 of its last 12 home games and eight of nine overall.

David Ortiz went 1 for 3 and scored a run but left in the seventh due to a sore left heel. Ortiz was involved in a minor car accident on his way to Fenway Park but said before the game that he was uninjured.

Buchholz (4-1) allowed four runs — three earned — and eight hits over 61/3 innings. He walked three and did not have a strikeout.

Five relievers followed, with Alfredo Aceves earning his sixth save in eight chances.

Buchholz, who had given up five or more earned runs in each of his first six starts this season, got off to a shaky start. He retired his first two batters but allowed a walk and consecutive base hits by Travis Hafner and Carlos Santana to give the Indians a 1-0 lead.

Buchholz toyed with trouble in the second and third, but Nava made two excellent plays in the outfield. In the second, he came up firing after Jason Kipnis’ single to cut down Jack Hannahan at the plate. Nava was aided by catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who blocked the plate and tagged out Hannahan after he missed it.

Leading 1-0 after Santana’s RBI in the first, Jimenez (3-3) walked Pedroia and Ortiz and hit Adrian Gonzalez with a pitch to load the bases. Middlebrooks drilled a double into left field to give the Red Sox a 2-1 advantage.

Jimenez, who has struggled with control problems this season, walked five, hit a batter with a pitch and allowed nine hits over 4 1/3 innings. He has walked 30 batters in 40 innings this season.

Santana had two RBIs and Hafner was 2 for 3 with an RBI for the Indians, who dropped to 10-4 on the road this season.