Tomlin strong again as Indians roll past Red Sox, 8-2

CLEVELAND _ The Indians offense peppered the center-field wall in a 8-2 win against the Boston Red Sox Friday night at Progressive Field.tmpplchld Despite a stiff wind blowing in from center field, the Indians had no trouble finding the sweet spot against Red Sox starting pitcher Henry Owens (4-4).tmpplchld In the third inning of a scoreless game, a Mike Aviles single, Jose Ramirez walk and Ryan Raburn single loaded the bases for Carlos Santana, who cleared the bases with a double off the center-field wall, giving the Indians (79-80) a 3-0 lead. Two batters later, Chris Johnson added an RBI single to right field to extend it to 4-0.tmpplchld It was yet another timely hit for Santana, who earlier this season was hitting around .200 with runners in scoring position. He’s been torrid in those situations lately and one of the best in the game, raising that average to .263 with a .394 on-base percentage despite the poor start.tmpplchld Two innings later, Santana walked with one out and Yan Gomes followed with a double off the center-field wall, scoring Santana from first. Johnson then singled and Jerry Sands doubled down the left-field line, making it 6-2. Abraham Almonte kept it going with a bloop single to left to score Johnson and end Owens’ night.tmpplchld Sands, who made a diving catch earlier in the game to rob Dustin Pedroia of a hit, added a solo home run to right field in the seventh inning to make it 8-2, his fourth of the season.tmpplchld It was all to support Josh Tomlin, who turned in another quality outing as he continues to make his case for the 2016 starting rotation.tmpplchld Tomlin (7-2) threw 61/3 innings, allowed two runs on five hits and struck out five. He kept the Red Sox (78-82) at bay with the exception of a monster two-run home run to right field off the bat of David Ortiz in the fourth inning. Tomlin will finish the season with a 3.02 ERA and seven wins in 10 starts for the Indians after missing most of the season following shoulder surgery.tmpplchld Tomlin was thought of as a contender for the No. 5 spot in the rotation this year but never got the chance after getting hurt in the spring. After Cory Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer, Tomlin and Cody Anderson will represent the obvious to choices to vie for a rotation spot next spring.tmpplchld The Indians’ offense gave him plenty of support Friday night, and Tomlin ended his season on a high note.tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)tmpplchld Visit the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) at www.ohio.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld