.Leon, who is known for his defense and calling games behind the plate, came in hitting just .167 with one homer and five RBIs.''He can say all he wants about the defense and calling games, that's what he cares about,'' Red Sox manager Cora said. ''But not really, he wants to contribute offensively and today he did.'' Bradley added another RBI double, and Mookie Betts and Bogaerts each had two hits and scored twice for the Red Sox, who have won 18 of 26.Boston held a moment of silence and showed highlights of former player Bill Buckner, who died Monday. He was 69.Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia revealed before the game that he will take an indefinite leave in his long struggle to recover from knee trouble, putting in doubt whether he'll play again in the majors.The Indians have lost seven of eight.Oscar Mercado had two hits and three runs for Cleveland, but he's also likely to end up on blooper reels from Martinez's first home run. The drive banked off the top of the right field wall, hit Mercado in the glove and then fell into the bullpen.Boston starter Rick Porcello (4-4) gave up five runs, three earned, on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings.Cleveland, which won the AL Central the last three seasons, entered the day 10 games behind surprising Minnesota. The Red Sox, who have three straight East crowns, began 6 1/2 behind the first-place Yankees.Brock Holt's RBI single tied it in the fourth before Boston put up its big fifth.''They're a good lineup, they started making their adjustments,'' Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. ''Some things happened.'' Making his seventh career start, Rodriguez was tagged for seven runs, six earned, in 4 1/3 innings, and dropped his third straight start.STANLEY CUP FEVERChants of ''Let's go Bruins!'' and ''We want the Cup!'' broke out late in the game. The Bruins were set to host St. Louis in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night.NICE GRABSRF Betts and Indians CF Leonys Martin each made a diving catch.TRAINER'S ROOMIndians: Francona said RHP Corey Kluber was with the team because he lives in the area during the offseason and was doing ''range of motion'' exercises as he works his way back from a broken forearm suffered at the beginning of the month.Red Sox: Pedroia was transferred from the 10- to 60-day injured list. His surgically repaired left knee has limited him to nine games the last two seasons. ''Time will give me the right answer if my knee can do this,'' he said. ... Holt was activated from the 10-day IL before the game.UP NEXTIndians: RHP Zach Plesac will make his major league debut Tuesday.Red Sox: LHP David Price (2-2, 3.24 ERA) is scheduled to start. He left his previous one Saturday after throwing just 15 pitches due to illness.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Seeking spark, Indians visit Red Sox nextFLMIn desperate need of a spark to avoid falling below .500 for the first time since April 3, the Cleveland Indians visit the Boston Red Sox for a Memorial Day matinee in the first contest of a three-game series Monday.The Indians have lost six of their last seven, scoring more than three runs in just one of those contests, a 6-4 loss to Oakland on May 20. They embark on a seven-game trip through Boston and Chicago after completing their longest homestand of the season at 4-7."Quitting is not an option," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "You have to keep playing. ... Nobody likes to lose. Guys don't like making outs, guys don't like giving up hits, but you have to play through that. I think that kind of can define who you are at the end of the season is how you fight through frustration." Right-hander Jefry Rodriguez (1-4, 4.08 ERA) will take the mound against the Red Sox looking to right the ship. Rick Porcello (3-4, 4.45) gets the nod for Boston.Little went right for the Indians in losing three of four to the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend. In Sunday's 6-3 loss, Cleveland mustered all of its runs in the final two innings -- signs of life for a stagnant offense that ranks near the bottom of the American League in most key categories."It was a winnable game for us as a team, and we just didn't execute well enough to win it," said losing pitcher Trevor Bauer.With the defeat, the Indians dropped to 26-26, 10 games back of the surging Minnesota Twins in the AL Central.Also staring at a sizable division deficit are the Red Sox, who are 6 1/2 games back of the New York Yankees in the AL East. Boston managed to avoid getting swept by the Houston Astros with a 4-1 win Sunday.Third baseman Rafael Devers led the way with a home run off Justin Verlander and is hitting .368 this month. He has four homers in his last six games."The cool thing about it right now is he's taking ownership and he's understanding what he means to our lineup, and he's going to keep getting better," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora.Now 10 games into a stretch of 17 without an off day, Boston will count on Porcello going deep to give its beleaguered bullpen a breather. The right-hander has gone at least six innings in each of his last six outings and is 3-1 with a 2.72 ERA in that span.Last time out, Porcello allowed one run over six innings in a no decision against the Toronto Blue Jays. He is 10-5 with a 3.57 ERA in 24 career starts against the Indians.Rodriguez, meanwhile, will pitch against the Red Sox for the first time in his career. The 25-year-old took the loss in his shortest start of the season his last turn, allowing five runs (four earned) in four innings against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday.The Red Sox are expected to activate utility man Brock Holt for the series opener. Holt has been on the injured list since April 6 with a scratched cornea in his right eye and right shoulder impingement.--Field Level Media
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