BOSTON (AP) - About the only hit the Cleveland Indians didn’t get was the single Carlos Santana needed to complete the cycle.
Santana homered and smacked Cleveland’s first triple of the season as the Indians pounded out a season-high 18 hits in a 14-9 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.
“We swung the bats very well today. It’s a good thing because man, they just kept coming,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said.
Santana was 3 for 4 with five RBIs as Cleveland matched its season best for runs. Greg Allen added a pair of triples and drove in two runs for the Indians, who had a season-high nine extra-base hits.
Jose Ramirez had two doubles and two RBIs and Kevin Plawecki also drove in two runs for the Indians, who won two of three against the World Series champions in Boston.
Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Andrew Benintendi and Xander Bogaerts homered for the Red Sox.
“You don’t want to lose these kind of games. But it’s just part of it. It’s a long season and we’ve got a long way to go,” Betts said. “It’s there. It’s just a matter of putting it together. You never know when it’s going to come.”
The Indians, shut out over the first seven innings Tuesday night before rallying with seven runs over the last two for a 7-5 victory, scored at least once in each of the first seven innings Wednesday.
The Red Sox scored three in the eighth, two on Bogaerts’ 10th home run of the season, to pull to 14-9. They loaded the bases with one out in the ninth before the Indians called on Brad Hand to close it out for his 15th save.
“It was a tough one all around,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We put together some good at-bats and we got closer, but it wasn’t enough.”
Shane Bieber (4-2) got the win despite allowing six runs and eight hits in five innings. He struck out six.
Plawecki’s RBI double in the fifth made it 8-6. Ramirez broke it open in the sixth with a two-run double and the Indians added four more in the seventh, two on a double by Santana.
Betts pulled Boston to 2-1 in the first on his ninth homer, but in the top of the second couldn’t quite reach a sinking liner by Plawecki that dropped for an RBI single.
Santana hit a two-out homer, his 10th, to make it 7-3, but Boston got three runs in the fourth on Bradley’s solo homer and a two-run shot by Benintendi.
Ryan Weber (1-1) gave up seven runs and eight hits in four innings.
“It wasn’t a good one for him - or for us,” Cora said.
TAKE THREE
The Indians entered without a triple through the first 54 games of the season but had two before the end of the third inning. Santana got the first, putting Cleveland up 1-0 in the first on a drive off the base of the wall in center.
Allen drove in two more in the third on a line drive to the corner in right for another triple that gave the Indians a 6-3 lead.
“You hit the ball in the right place here and you’ve got a lot of room to run,” Allen said.
Allen got his second triple of the night when he led off the seventh with another drive to the right field corner. He scored on a single by Francisco Lindor to make it 11-6, and Santana added a two-run double.
NOT QUITE
Needing just a single for the cycle, Santana struck out in the ninth.
“It’s tough. Everybody waits for that, and I’m thinking (about it), too,” Santana said. “I tried, but I’m thanking God for giving me a special day today.”
HITMEN
Cleveland’s previous season high for hits was 14, which the Indians had done three times before Wednesday’s outburst. They got at least one hit from every player in the lineup except Leonys Martin, who went 0 for 4 but did reach on a walk.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Indians: Martin, in center field, and 2B Jason Kipnis were back in the lineup after getting a night off Tuesday.
Red Sox: Placed 1B Mitch Moreland (lower back strain) on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Sunday. … Optioned RHP Travis Lakins to Triple-A Pawtucket and recalled RHP Colten Brewer and LHP Josh Taylor from Pawtucket. Taylor started the fifth, making his major league debut, and allowed one run on two hits in his only inning of work.
UP NEXT
Indians: Carlos Carrasco (4-5, 4.60 ERA) starts Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series at Chicago against White Sox LHP Manny Banuelos (2-4, 7.71).
Red Sox: LHP Chris Sale (1-6, 4.19) faces New York LHP J.A. Happ (4-3, 5.09) as Boston begins a four-game set Thursday night against the first-place Yankees in the Bronx.
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