Cleveland, OH - Daisuke Matsuzaka scattered four hits over seven shutout innings and Mike Lowell drove in the only run of the game as Boston edged Cleveland, 1-0, in the second installment of a four-game set at Jacobs Field.
Matsuzaka (12-7) struck out five and walked three, and did not allow a runner past second base, improving to 5-2 in his last eight starts. He exacted a measure of revenge on the Tribe, who battered him for 12 hits at Fenway on May 30.
Kevin Youkilis and Manny Ramirez had two hits each for the Red Sox, winners of five in a row and owners of a major-league best 61-39 record.
C.C. Sabathia (13-5) was the hard-luck loser but lived up to his ace billing, allowing just one run and five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in seven innings. Grady Sizemore finished 2-for-4 for the Indians, who have dropped three of four.
Back-to-back one-out singles by Youkilis and Ramirez fueled the Boston fourth, and after Coco Crisp fanned on a check swing, Lowell dropped a ball just in front of Ben Francisco in left for an RBI single.
Ryan Garko began the home half with a double to extend his hit career-high hit streak to 17 games, and two batters later Trot Nixon drew a walk, but Matsuzaka worked his way through by fanning Francisco and Josh Barfield.
In the eighth, Julio Lugo doubled off the wall in left with one out, but Rafael Betancourt sent down the next two Sox in order to keep it a one-run game.
Hideki Okajima retired the side in order in the bottom half, then Jonathan Papelbon did the same in the ninth with a pair of strikeouts to record his 23rd save of the season and second in three games.
Game Notes
Matsuzaka became the first Sox rookie pitcher to win 12 games since Mike Nagy in 1969…Sabathia was the current major-league leader in wins for pitchers under the age of 28 with 94 wins coming into the contest…Cleveland is 1-3 this season in 1-0 games, and were shut out for the fifth time in 2007…Boston recorded its ninth shutout of the season…Ramirez came into the game with a scorching .571 lifetime average against Sabathia…Lugo extended his hit streak to 14 games…Okajima lowered his ERA to 0.91…Boston has converted all 15 of its save opportunities on the road this season…Attendance was 39,339.
