CLEVELAND — Rafael Devers homered and singled and Xander Bogaerts connected twice to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 5-1 victory over the Indians.
Devers extended his robust hit streak to eight straight at-bats after going 6 for 6 with four doubles Tuesday night in Boston’s 7-6, 10-inning win. Last night, he singled in the first inning and hit a solo home run in the third before being retired on a comebacker in the fifth.
The back-to-back-losses to the Red Sox have slowed the Indians’ impressive late-season surge.
After scuffling for two months, they’ve been baseball’s best team since early June and have overcome a huge deficit in the AL Central to catch the Minnesota Twins, trailing the division leaders by a half-game.
The Indians have dealt with numerous injuries and a serious slump by two-time All-Star Jose Ramirez to get in position for the postseason and just maybe end a 71-year World Series title drought.
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Outfielder Yasiel Puig has become a U.S. citizen.
The Cuban-born Puig posted a photo on social media showing him waving a small American flag.
A team spokesman says Puig’s naturalization ceremony took place in Miami. He defected from Cuba in 2012 after several failed attempts.