BoSox Rout Tribe in Game 1 of ALCS

Oct 13, 01:15 AM

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Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Josh Beckett threw six solid innings and the Red Sox scored four times in the third off C.C. Sabathia, on the way to a 10-3 win over the Cleveland Indians in the opener of their American League Championship Series.

Manny Ramirez walked twice with the bases loaded and drove in three runs for the Red Sox, who are trying to get back to the World Series for the second time in four years. They swept the Angels in the Division Series and have won eight of their last 10 home playoff games.

Mike Lowell knocked in three runs for the Red Sox, who took advantage of eight walks from Cleveland pitchers. Also, Ramirez and David Ortiz reached base all 10 times they came to the plate. Ortiz has reached base safely in 16 of 18 plate appearances in four games this postseason.

"Basically I told him that we know that they're going to pitch kind of carefully," Ortiz told Ramirez. "That's been the talk, night in and night out before this series. So we keep that in mind and we stick with whatever they give us. We still have another seven players that got to take advantage of it because in the playoffs when you walk somebody, sometimes you've got to pay for that later."

Beckett (2-0) allowed four hits and two runs, and struck out seven without walking a batter. The right-hander, who retired 19 straight batters at one point in blanking the Angels, 4-0 in the opener of the ALDS, saw his career postseason ERA increase to a marginal 1.87. He has 15 strikeouts and no walks so far in this postseason.

Travis Hafner homered in the first inning and Asdrubal Cabrera drove in two runs for the Indians, who were stymied in the opener, four nights after knocking out the New York Yankees in four games in the first round.

The Indians, who haven't been to the World Series since 1997, last winning the title in 1948, went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

Sabathia (1-1) was charged with seven hits, eight runs and five walks over 4 1/3 innings. The lefty also fanned three.

"He didn't have it tonight," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "His command was off. He was off a little bit with his fastball, having trouble getting his breaking ball where he needed to. He was running away from his change-up a little bit. He just never really got in sync."

Game 2 of the best-of-seven set is slated for Saturday night at Fenway Park. Fausto Carmona will pitch for the Indians, while Curt Schilling takes the mound for Boston.

Beckett fanned the first two batters of the game before Hafner belted a 1-0 offering over the wall in right field. The homer snapped Beckett's postseason scoreless streak ended at 18 innings.

Victor Martinez was sent down looking at a called third strike to end the first, and Beckett retired the side in order in the next three innings before hitting Ryan Garko with a pitch to start the fifth. The righty immediately got Jhonny Peralta to hit into a double play, and after Kenny Lofton doubled, Beckett fanned Franklin Gutierrez.

Meanwhile, consecutive singles by Kevin Youkilis, Ortiz and Ramirez with one out in the bottom of the first tied the game, and Boston went ahead for good with a four-run third.

Julio Lugo hit a ground-rule double to right and went to third on Dustin Pedroia's sacrifice bunt. Youkilis walked and Ortiz was hit by a pitch. Sabathia then got ahead of Ramirez 0-2 in the count, before issuing four straight balls and giving Boston the lead. Lowell then laced a hit down the right field line and the ball caromed off the glove of Gutierrez and into the stands for a ground-rule double, moving the Red Sox to a 4-1 lead.

"Those pitches weren't really anywhere near the zone," Sabathia said of his facing Ramirez. "I knew he is a good hitter and I knew he would be patient and I think I really should have challenged him a little bit more. That's something where I have to look at the video and watch and the next time I get a chance to face him, I'll come after him."

After Bobby Kielty was intentionally walked, Jason Varitek's RBI groundout allowed Ramirez to score.

"We just had to lay off pitches," Youkilis said. "He's (Sabathia) going to try and make you chase his pitches, fastballs in, fastballs away. A lot of us laid off pitches and made him work."

Beckett was certainly appreciative of the early offensive support against Sabathia.

"Whenever you get a couple runs off a guy as tough as him, I think it becomes a little more important to get your guys back in the dugout, particularly on a cold night," Beckett said. "You don't want them sitting out there walking a couple guys or something, and they're not getting any plays. I think it was huge."

The Red Sox padded their lead to 8-1 in the fifth. They loaded the bases with nobody out after walks to Ortiz and Lowell, sandwiched by a Ramirez single. Kielty then hit a two-run single to right, and Jensen Lewis surrendered an RBI double to Varitek.

Cabrera singled in Casey Blake in the sixth, but the Red Sox got two in the bottom of the frame as Ramirez walked again with the bases loaded despite falling behind 0-2 in the count against Aaron Fultz. Lowell then lifted a sacrifice fly to center off Tom Mastny.

Cabrera's sacrifice fly, on a shoestring catch by Ramirez in left, scored Blake to account for the final margin.

Eric Gagne pitched the ninth inning, loading the bases before striking out Grady Sizemore to end the game.

Game Notes

These teams are no stranger to one another in the postseason, having met three times before in the divisional round. The Indians won two of those series, but the Red Sox got the best of them in five games the last time they squared off in 1999...Ramirez went 2-for-2 and walked three times, while Ortiz also was 2- for-2 with a pair of walks and was hit by a pitch...Boston outhit the Indians, 12-8...Boston's eight walks established a club LCS record for most in one game, besting the six against New York on October 18, 1999.

10/13 00:49:47 ET