Mitch Talbot returns to the mound today with his team trying to win the series at Progressive Field.
View full sizeMitch Talbot is coming off the DL today to make the start against Boston.(AP) -- The Cleveland Indians have been the class of the American League so far this season as a whole, but the Boston Red Sox are staking their claim as flavor of the month.
Facing Jon Lester in May usually leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of opposing hitters.
Lester and the Red Sox seek to continue their May supremacy and take two of three in Cleveland as the teams play the deciding game of their set Wednesday afternoon.
The Indians (30-16) won the first four games of the season series with Boston - all at home - including a 3-2 victory Monday. The Red Sox (26-22) finally broke through against the club with the majors' best record Tuesday, prevailing 4-2 behind 6 2-3 solid innings from Josh Beckett, a two-run homer from Jason Varitek and a pair of doubles by David Ortiz.
"The timing of it was nice," said Varitek, who entered Tuesday batting .197 and hadn't homered since last May 30. "We needed a couple more runs. I've been putting up some quality ABs, but I couldn't have started out any worse. I was like 1 for 40 or something."
The victory improved Boston to an AL-best 15-7 in May, as the club has stormed back from an 0-6 start to within one-half game of the Yankees for the East lead. Cleveland is 12-8 for the month and had a four-game winning streak snapped Tuesday, but leads second-place Detroit by six games in the Central.
Success in the season's second month is nothing new for Lester (6-1, 3.68 ERA), who is 8-0 with a 3.16 ERA in 10 May starts over the past two seasons. The left-hander was far from his sharpest Friday against the Chicago Cubs, giving up five runs and a career-high 12 hits over six innings, but benefited from generous support and got credit for Boston's 15-5 victory.
Lester is 3-1 with a 3.93 ERA in nine career starts versus the Indians. He limited them to three hits and three walks while striking out nine over seven scoreless innings April 7, but Fausto Carmona matched zeroes with him in a game Cleveland eventually won 1-0.
Indians third baseman Jack Hannahan went 0 for 3 on Tuesday to drop his May average to .190, but manager Manny Acta may want to keep him in the lineup to face Lester. Hannahan is 6 for 12 in their matchups.
Mitch Talbot (1-0, 1.46), who has been on the disabled list since April 17 due to a strained throwing elbow, will likely be activated to start this contest, though Acta has stopped short of making it official.
"Talbot has a very good chance of starting (Wednesday)," Acta told the Indians' official website. "There's probably a better chance of him starting tomorrow than the world ending like somebody predicted a couple days ago."
Talbot's season debut came against the Red Sox on April 6, when he allowed two runs, five hits and three walks over 4 1-3 innings of Cleveland's 8-4 victory. The right-hander has failed to make it through the fifth inning of either of his career starts versus Boston, but the Indians have won both times.
Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia is expected back in the lineup for the series finale. He sat out Tuesday after hurting his left foot stumbling over second base during Monday's loss.
Pedroia is 3 for 7 off Talbot.
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2011/05/indians_and_red_sox_wrap_up_se.html
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