CLEVELAND -- Their bats suddenly as cold as the autumn weather and their pitching perhaps run down, the Red Sox have, with two losses in as many nights, assured themselves of a losing record.
In windy, frigid Midwest, playing before a sparse crowd, the Red Sox were thumped by the Cleveland Indians, 8-2, losing for the 82nd time, assuring that they will finish under .500.
Making his final start of the season, Henry Owens was belted around for 10 hits and seven runs in just 4 1/3 innings. The seven runs tied a career/season high for Owens, who last allowed that many runs exactly a month ago in a start against the Yankees.
The Indians erupted for four runs in the third off the lefty, with three coming on a bases-clearing double to center by Carlos Santana.
After rebounding in the fourth, Owens got back into trouble in the fifth when a walk and four straight hits by the Indians pushed the lead to 7-2. Owens left after 107 pitches while recording just 17 outs.
For the second night in a row, the Red Sox offense couldn't generate much.
Three of their five hits were bunched together after two outs in the fourth. David Ortiz's rocketed a ball to the seats in right for his 37th homer, scoring Xander Bogaerts (single) ahead of him.
Boston Red Sox
Also for the second straight night, the Boston lineup was silenced from the mid-point of the game until the end. The Red Sox mustered just one hit -- a two-out single from Blake Swihart -- from the fifth through the ninth.