CLEVELAND — Danny Salazar pitched into the sixth inning, and five Cleveland relievers combined to pitch 3 2/3 scoreless innings as the Indians completed a three-game sweep by beating the Boston Red Sox 3-1 Sunday at Progressive Field.
The right-hander Salazar (14-10) got the win and right-hander Cody Allen pitched the ninth to pick up his 34th save. Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello (9-15) pitched seven innings and took the loss.
Boston took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after Salazar retired the first two batters of the game. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts doubled to right field. Designated hitter David Ortiz doubled to center field, scoring Bogaerts with the first run of the game. The inning then ended when Ortiz was thrown out trying to steal third base.
The Indians got a run back in the second inning. Porcello retired the first two batters of the inning before catcher Roberto Perez doubled to left field. Third baseman Giovanny Urshela singled to center field, scoring Perez with the tying run.
The Indians took the lead in the third inning by scoring two runs, one of which was unearned. Left fielder Michael Martinez led off the inning by driving a double into the gap in left-center field.
Right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall singled, moving Martinez to third. Martinez then scored and Chisenhall went to second when Porcello threw wildly to first base on a pickoff attempt.
Designated hitter Carlos Santana struck out and second baseman Jose Ramirez grounded out to second. But first baseman Jesus Aguilar singled to left field, scoring Chisenhall to give Cleveland a 3-1 lead.
After the first inning Salazar held Boston scoreless on two hits over the next four innings. In 5 1/3 innings he gave up one run on four hits, with six strikeouts and one walk.
The Red Sox had a chance to score in the sixth inning, when a walk and a single put runners at first and second with one out. But right-hander Zach McAllister came out of the bullpen and retired left fielder Rusney Castillo and catcher Sandy Leon to end the inning.
Boston had another chance to score in the eighth inning against right-hander Bryan Shaw. Third baseman Jeff Rutledge led off with an infield single and went to second on a single by designated hitter Allen Craig.
But Shaw pitched out of that jam by retiring first baseman Travis Shaw on a fly out, striking out Castillo, and getting Leon to hit a line drive back to the mound that Shaw caught for the third out.
Porcello pitched seven innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on 10 hits. He struck out seven and walked one.
NOTES: The Red Sox announced that John Farrell will return as manager in 2016, and acting manager Torey Lovullo will return to his duties as bench coach. Farrell has been on medical leave since Aug.14 while undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. … The Indians and Red Sox concluded the 2015 season with a three-game series at Progressive Field and they will open the 2016 season with a three-game series at Progressive Field. … Indians RHP Corey Kluber and RHP Carlos Carrasco are the first Indians teammates to reach 200 or more strikeouts in a season since Sam McDowell and Luis Tiant did it in 1967 and 1968. … Indians SS Francisco Lindor, who leads all AL rookies with a .316 batting average, is a strong candidate to become the first Indians player win the AL Rookie of the Year Award since Sandy Alomar Jr. in 1990.