Final, Red Sox 12-1: The Red Sox' bats came alive in this one. The biggest surprise was Jarrod Saltalamacchia's hot bat.
The catcher went 3-for-4 with a homer and five RBIs. Daniel Nava continued to ignite the Red Sox with a 2-for-2 performance with three RBIs.
Although Daniel Bard got himself in some jams, he constantly escaped them and only allowed one run through six innings.
End 8th, Red Sox 12-1: With all the second string players in, the Red Sox are in cruise control.
Mauro Gomez went up for his first career at-bat and struck out swinging for the fences. That is occasionally his Achilles' Heel, according to Ben Crockett.
Kelly Shoppach also entered the game with a bright pink bat on Mother's Day.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 12-1: The Red Sox made a flurry of defensive changes in this inning.
Bobby Valentine inserted Marlon Byrd into the lineup in center field while Mauro Gomez made his major league debut by taking over first base for Adrian Gonzalez.
In the hours before the game, Gomez wasn't sure if he'd end up being called up. He was nervous and hoping for a chance. Now, he has it.
End 7th, Red Sox 12-1: And the hitting streak is alive. With a leadoff double, Dustin Pedroia extended the streak to 14 games, which is the highest in the majors.
It set up David Ortiz to unload an RBI single and a subsequent offensive barrage. Daniel Nava added a two-run double to keep ballooning the gap.
Then Jarrod Saltalamacchia came with the power, blasting a two-run shot over the center-field wall. He's tallied five RBIs thus far.
And they did it against a familiar face in former Red Sox reliever Dan Wheeler. He'd like to forget that one.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 6-1: Rich Hill came in to relieve Daniel Bard in the seventh and tossed a scoreless innin with two strikeouts.
With the outing over, Bard tossed six frames, allowing six hits and one run while walking four batters and striking out two.
He tossed 97 pitches, 58 of them were strikes.
End 6th, Red Sox 6-1: Daniel Nava just keeps getting on base. He's been hit by pitches twice and although it hurts — a lot — it has raised his OBP to .733.
Nava also recorded his first steal since 2010, his last appearance with the Red Sox.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia maintained his hot-hitting ways, driving in Nava to add to the comfortable cushion.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 5-1: Well, Daniel Bard was able to make it past the sixth inning, after all.
He still needs to avoid getting into those jams. After getting the first two outs, he allowed Shin-Soo Choo and Michael Brantley to single and get on base.
And Bard has only tallied two strikeouts so far. He said after his last start that the low totals weren't by design. He's simply inducing more contact.
End 5th, Red Sox 5-1: Masterson cruised through that inning, retiring David Ortiz, Adrian Gonzalez and Will Middlebrooks.
For those watching television, I'm sure you can see that players are sporting pink attire for breast cancer awareness on Mother's Day.
I've noticed that Cody Ross and Jack Hannahan from the Indians are using some hot pink bats. I feel like that's new because the last few years, the pink bats weren't as bright.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 5-1: That was exactly the type of inning that Daniel Bard needed. He made quick work of the Indians lineup, using just eight pitches.
Also, it's still clear the Red Sox fans still love Johnny Damon with a passion. He just popped up, but earlier in the game, the Red Sox videoboard zoomed in on him. The Fenway Faithful responded with a standing ovation and Damon tipped his cap back to the fans. It was a pro move.
End 4th, Red Sox 5-1: Ryan Sweeney continues to boost his average with a single.
Justin Masterson tossed a wild pitch that allowed Sweeney to capitalize, but he was stranded.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 5-1: Daniel Bard has been very lucky. As Bobby Valentine likes to say, he "backed up the bases" pretty well in that one.
His pitch count is relatively high and Bard is in danger of being pulled sometime in the next inning or in the sixth.
I would've never expected this after his six-pitch inning in the first. But that's baseball for you and he escaped the jam in the end.
End 3rd, Red Sox 5-1: Watch out for Will Middlebrooks. The rookie crushed a shot into the seats of the Green Monster.
Earlier, Bobby Valentine said Kevin Youkilis was progressing well and started to take grounders and incorporate hitting into his routine.
His return will provide quite the quandry for Valentine and the rest of the Red Sox staff.
Mid 3rd, Red Sox 4-1: Daniel Bard is misfiring with his pitches and walked three batters in the third.
He struggled to hit his spots, having walked in Asdrubal Cabrera for a run. He was fortunate to induce a grounder that resulted in a double play.
But Scott Atchison was warming up in the bullpen and we could see an early exit for Bard.
End 2nd, Red Sox 4-0: The sinker was working for Justin Masterson in that inning.
He got Ryan Sweeney, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz on consecutive ground outs.
It's a very ironic matchup with Masterson and Bard going at it on the mound. Over the offseason, Bard consulted Masterson for advice on making the transition from reliever to starter.
Mid 2nd, Red Sox 4-0: From my vantage point, it looked like Daniel Bard was struggling to get a feel for his changeup in that inning.
The majority of his changeups went for balls in at-bats versus Travis Hafner and Brantley.
When that pitch is on, Bard can be very effective. That has always been the difference-maker.
End 1st, Red Sox 4-0: The Red Sox didn't waste any time giving Daniel Bard some run support.
Will Middlebrooks and Daniel Nava added RBI hits while Jarrod Saltalamacchia propelled the surge with a two-run single of his own.
For the record, Middlebrooks told me that he may be changing his at-bat music and no longer will have rapper Rick Ross. I disagree with that choice.
Mid 1st, 0-0: That has to be the quickest inning for a Red Sox pitcher this season.
It only took six pitches for Daniel Bard to retire Damon, Kipnis and Cabrera. You have to give Damon credit for extending his career.
That's longevity and he seems like a guy that could really contribute as a key reserve.
11:40 a.m.: Here are the lineups.
Red Sox
Ryan Sweeney, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Daniel Nava, LF
Cody Ross, RF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Mike Aviles, SS
Daniel Bard, P
Indians
Johnny Damon, LF
Jason Kipnis, 2B
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
Travis Hafner, DH
Carlos Santana, C
Shin-Soo Choo, RF
Michael Brantley, CF
Casey Kotchman, 1B
Jack Hannahan, 3B
Justin Masterson, P
11:15 a.m.: Here are some pregame stories for your viewing pleasure.
Vicente Padilla, Marlon Byrd hash out their differences from Texas times
Mauro Gomez has earned rave reviews from Director of Player Development Ben Crockett
8 a.m. ET: Daniel Bard will be toeing the rubber for the Red Sox (14-19) as they attempt to claim three out of four victories in their home series against the Indians (18-15). In his last start, in Kansas City, Bard tossed his longest outing of the season but struggled in the eighth inning and took the loss. Bard is 0-2 with a 3.75 ERA at home this season.
He'll be going up against a familiar face in Indians starter Justin Masterson. Like Bard, Masterson made the notable conversion from reliever to starter and even offered advice to the 26-year-old during the offseason. Now, they'll be squaring off as Masterson looks to get his second win of the year. Masterson, who was with the Red Sox organization until he was traded in the Victor Martinez deal, is 1-2 with a 4.89 ERA this season.
For more details and analysis from Fenway Park, follow NESN.com's live blog. Tune into NESN's pregame show at noon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m.
