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Martinez Hits Grand Slam In 11-6 Boston Win

Victor Martinez hit a grand slam against his former team and the Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 11-6 on Saturday night despite a shaky outing by Josh Beckett.

After missing his previously scheduled start with back spasms, Beckett (17-6) allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings in his final postseason tuneup. But he's 6-0 in his last eight postseason starts and is in line to start Game 2 of the AL division series Friday at the Los Angeles Angels.

Martinez's homer in a seven-run second was his 23rd of the season and one of four by Boston, which can complete a four-game series sweep in Sunday's regular-season finale. Dustin Pedroia, Brian Anderson and Dusty Brown, with his first major league hit, had the others.

The Indians jumped out to a 4-1 lead over Beckett after 1 1-2 innings but extended their club record for consecutive road losses to 14.

Aaron Laffey (7-9) got battered in the second after striking out the last three batters in the first and dropped to 0-6 in his last six starts. He gave up eight runs and seven hits in two innings.

The Red Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the second on a double by David Ortiz, a walk to Jed Lowrie and a single by Casey Kotchman. One run scored on Anderson's single and another on a balk.

Boston reloaded the bases on an intentional walk to Pedroia before Jason Bay singled in a run. Martinez then hit his first career grand slam into the Red Sox bullpen in right-center field for an 8-4 lead.

Martinez has been a major offensive force since being acquired at the July 31 trade deadline for pitcher Justin Masterson and two minor-league pitchers. In 55 games with Boston, he's batting .338 with eight homers and 41 RBIs.

Kotchman led off the third against Jensen Lewis with a single and Anderson followed with his fourth homer, making it 10-4.

Paul Byrd relieved Beckett after five innings then gave up a two-run homer in the seventh to Shin-Soo Choo, his 20th.

Brown, who replaced Martinez in the sixth, hit a solo shot in the eighth three nights after making his major-league pitching debut in the ninth inning of a 12-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cleveland scored twice in the first off Beckett on a single by Michael Brantley, a double by Asdrubal Cabrera, an RBI groundout by Choo and a run-scoring single by Travis Hafner.

Pedroia led off the bottom of the first with his 14th homer, but the Indians added two runs in the second that came in on Brantley's single and Hafner's forceout at second.

This program aired on October 4, 2009. The audio for this program is not available.

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