Justin Masterson goes five innings to beat Boston for the second time this season.
UPDATED: 11:23 p.m.
Jayson Nix was welcomed warmly back to the Indians' dugout after his solo homer in the sixth inning of Wednesday night's 9-1 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Indians have won two of three so far in the four-game series.• Brantley is next of Tribe's kids to return: Insider
BOSTON -- The benches didn't empty Wednesday night at Fenway Park as they did Tuesday. No heated words were exchanged between the Indians and Red Sox.
The only entity driven by bad intent was the Indians' offense. They scored five times in the seventh inning, highlighted by Andy Marte's three-run homer, to beat left-hander Jon Lester and Boston, 9-1, at Fenway Park.
The Tribe is 2-1 in this four-game series against the powerful, but wounded, Red Sox. They are 12-8 since the All-Star break against Detroit, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, the Yankees, Toronto and Boston. All six teams are in contention for the postseason.
"This is our toughest stretch of the season," said manager Manny Acta. "You have to like the way our kids have stepped up. They're hungry."
Justin Masterson beat his old club for the second time this season. Wednesday'svictory wasn't as impressive as his two-hit shutout on June 9 at Progressive Field, but for a guy who has lost 10 games, he's not going to quibble over details.
Masterson (4-10, 5.40) allowed one run in five innings. He struck out three and walked four. Half of Masterson's victories have come against the team that traded him to the Indians for Victor Martinez last year.
"This is an exciting place to pitch," said Masterson. "I was able to get some big outs when I had to, but this game goes to the bullpen and the offense. We just kept piling on the runs."
Masterson is 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA (one run in 14 innings) against Boston this year.
Lester (11-7, 3.07), battling a cramp in his left hamstring, lost his first game ever against the Tribe. He allowed four runs, two earned, on seven hits in five innings and fell to 3-1 lifetime against Cleveland.
"We've faced three front-of-the-rotation starters in this series," said Acta, referring to John Lackey, Josh Beckett and Lester. "Tonight we just asked our kids to have good at-bats against Lester and try to run up his pitch count."
The Indians led, 4-1, entering the seventh against Scott Atchinson. Jason Donald opened with a single and went to third when Victor Martinez couldn't handle Asdrubal Casbrera's bouncer over first base for the first of two Boston errors in the inning. Atchinson intentionally walked Shin-Soo Choo to load the bases.
Shelley Duncan sent a double-play ball to Marco Scutaro at short, but Scutaro's throw home pulled catcher Kevin Cash off the plate as Donald scored and the bases remained loaded. Matt LaPorta set up another double play with an identical grounder to short.
Scutaro made the throw home to force Cabrera, but before Cash could throw to first to complete the double play, Cabrera took out Cash's legs with a slide at the plate.
Jayson Nix followed with a sacrifice fly and Marte sent a wall-scraper over The Green Monster for a three-run homer and a 9-1 lead. All five runs were unearned.
"Huge home run by Marte," said Acta.
The Indians built a 4-0 lead against Lester. They scored twice in the fifth to make it 3-0. Lou Marson and Donald started the inning with singles, Marson going from first to third when Donald's single glanced off third baseman Adrian Beltre's glove. Cabrera's sacrifice fly to the track in left made it 2-0.
Donald took second on a passed ball and moved to third on Choo's groundout to second. He scored when Duncan doubled into the right-field corner. That's when manager Terry Francona and a trainer visited Lester, who seemed to be cramping up.
The Indians stretched the lead to 4-0 on Nix's leadoff homer in the sixth. The homer was Nix's first since July 9. He has eight for the season, seven with the Tribe since being claimed on waivers on June 24.
Masterson threw scoreless ball through five innings, but other than first, he didn't have an easy inning. David Ortiz, after a long battle to start the sixth, homered into the center field bleachers on a 3-2 pitch to make it 4-1. When Masterson walked Martinez, Tony Sipp relieved and struck out J.D. Drew and Beltre.
Acta said the Indians have been playing better ball since the All-Star break "because we're hitting better with runners in scoring position and our pitching has been a little better."