Cleveland Indians defeat Boston Red Sox, 8-7

CLEVELAND — With no Jonathan Papelbon in the bullpen, the call went out to the closer-in-training.

Daniel Bard walked to the mound in the bottom of the ninth after Adrian Beltre’s two-run homer in the top of the inning had put the Red Sox on top, 7-6. It was a chance for Bard to work his magic.

He couldn’t. It started with a walk to Trevor Crowe and got worse with a double to left by Shin-Soo Choo and a walk to Austin Kearns. Up came Travis Hafner with the bases loaded....

CLEVELAND — Pitchers of Jon Lester’s generation have been taught not to dwell on the result. Throw the best pitch you can, sports psychologists have counseled them. What happens after that is out of your control.

“That’s what they tell you,’’ Josh Beckett said in a quiet Red Sox clubhouse after an 8-7 loss to the Indians last night. “But there are some nights when that is hard to remember. The big leagues can frustrate the heck out of you.’’

Lester had one of those g...

CLEVELAND — Jacoby Ellsbury was on his way to Phoenix yesterday, a day after being examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum at the Kerlan-Jobe clinic in Los Angeles, and isn’t likely to be in Boston any time soon. The center fielder will spend at least two weeks at Athletes’ Performance resting and rehabbing after doctors found a new fracture in his ribs.

“An MRI of Jacoby’s thoracic spine and posterior rib area, recommended by us jointly, revealed a non-displaced rib fracture and e...