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BOSTON -- After answering a handful of questions about his own performance Friday night following an 8-1 win over the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox right-hander John Lackey made a point to compliment first baseman Mike Napoli for his solid defensive play.

"I was coming in on a lot of left-handers," Lackey said. "He had a lot of action, made some great plays for me. Good team effort."

Indeed, while Napoli deserves loads of credit for his stellar play with the glove, the entire infield was on its game. And it had to be, for Lackey was getting the Cleveland hitters to pound everything into the ground. In addition to eight strikeouts, he recorded 12 outs on the ground and just one through the air in seven stellar innings.

Lackey himself made a nice sliding stop on his knees of a ball that was dying to the right of the mound. Other gems stood out.

There was Dustin Pedroia's remarkable backhand stab and glove-flip to start an inning-ending double play in the second. Napoli made a diving stab with a man on for the second out of the sixth. And brand-new third baseman Jose Iglesias made his only two chances, neither of which were routine, look easy.

While Lackey was on the mound, Napoli himself handled five balls, taking three of them to the bag on his own and feeding Lackey for two others.

"Nap played a great game at first," Lackey said.

BOSTON -- With Shane Victorino finally going on the disabled list Friday after a handful of injuries had him in and out of the lineup and Will Middlebrooks joining him on the DL, the Boston Red Sox bench was going to be tested.

One of the key players who will determine if the team passes that test or not is Mike Carp, who figures to see plenty of action while Victorino sits and opponents start right-handers. While playing time has been limited of late for Carp, he showed Friday he was ready to step back into a more prominent role.

Carp hammered a Justin Masterson slider for a three-run homer, the first blow in Boston's 8-1 victory. It snapped an 0-for-21 slide for Carp, a swoon that spanned more than three weeks due to limited at-bats.

The left fielder said he was patient during the difficult stretch, knowing that someday soon his bat would be needed, and on that day someone like Masterson might hang a slider with two men on.

"I knew my role coming in," he said. "I knew it was going to be a bench role and at-bats would be scarce, and I gotta be ready when I do get opportunities."

Carp's homer, his 10th extra-base hit in 14 hits this season, was a no-doubter to right. He might sit again Saturday when Cleveland starts left-hander Scott Kazmir but said he was able to regain some confidence with one big swing.

BOSTON -- John Lackey's first two years with the Red Sox offered a study in body language. Often noted as a pitcher who is not shy about exhibiting his frustrations on the mound, Lackey had many such moments.

The John Lackey of 2013 presents the observer with a different test subject. Not only has he taken to manager John Farrell's recommendation that pitchers throw with greater pace, but there is a sense of purpose with Lackey's game, almost as if he's intent on making up for lost time.

Coming off what was his best start of the season Sunday in Minnesota, Lackey kept rolling with seven strong innings in an 8-1 drubbing of the Cleveland Indians on Friday. He yielded just two singles and tied a season high with eight strikeouts while dropping his ERA through seven starts to 2.72.

And through it all, he had the look of a guy in complete control of the situation, which has allowed him to put forth one of the more enjoyable stretches of his spotty Red Sox career.

"It's been fun getting out there with the guys, a great group of guys to compete with, and have success and be healthy," he said. "Not fighting a whole lot of old things, just being able to execute pitches."

Between that win over the Twins and his dismantling of the high-powered Cleveland offense, Lackey has yielded three hits in 13 innings while striking out 13. That sparkling ERA is now lower than that of presumed staff leader Jon Lester, and Lackey has allowed only three earned runs in 20 innings at Fenway Park this year. The big righty has 40 strikeouts against 11 walks in 39 2/3 innings, good enough for the best strikeout rate (9.1 per nine innings) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.64) of his career to this point. Most other stats are in line with the norms he established in his eight years as a stalwart of the rotation in Anaheim.

While each of those numbers is important in its own way, it still goes back to the attitude and positive vibe emanating from Lackey during his starts. He is working quickly, pounding the zone and not holding back any emotion whenever he gets a big out, whereas in past years that emotion would be notable when he failed to do so. Most importantly, he is working without a care for what occurred in 2011 and 2012, and with no concern for the surgically repaired elbow or any other body part on his 34-year-old frame.

Lackey's defensive gem to start the sixth, which saw him break toward a bleeder to the right of the mound and go into a slide on his knees across the wet grass while throwing to first, was another testament to a guy who is focused on only the task at hand.

"He had some good intensity tonight throughout," Farrell said. "He gets a big strikeout to end the sixth inning; you could see the emotion. More than anything, that says that he's not thinking of anything that's taken place in the past, either performance-wise or injury-wise, and he's going out and competing at a high level right now."

The big strikeout Farrell alluded to came on a fastball he blew past Nick Swisher to strand a runner at second and preserve what was then just a 3-1 lead. Lackey, who got 11 outs on the ground, also finished his night with back-to-back K's in the seventh.

Lackey echoed his manager in stressing that he has no concerns about the elbow or his past performance in Boston. He also said the solid campaign comes as no surprise.

Apparently, his teammates are on board.

"Same old Lack," catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said. "Just goes out there and pounds the zone. When he gets in a hitter's count, he's got great off-speed stuff he can throw for strike. He was great tonight. Everything was coming out crisp, downward angle, he kept them off balance all night."

Saltalamacchia made a point of also commending Lackey for his ability to get ready in a hurry. Heavy rain early in the evening put the game in doubt before officials hastily announced a 7:50 p.m. ET start.

Lackey raced to the field to warm up, took the mound moments later in a cold mist, and proceeded to blow away leadoff hitter Michael Bourn and No. 3 hitter Asdrubal Cabrera with heavy fastballs, part of a 1-2-3 first inning that set the tone.

Lackey insists his arm strength is still not where it needs to be. Same for his endurance. But he threw 109 pitches, his most in a game since Sept. 14, 2011. It was his longest career outing at Fenway Park without allowing an earned run. And he now has gone at least six innings in consecutive starts for the first time since August 2011.

If and when he gets to 100 percent, and if he maintains his effectiveness along the way, Lackey could be setting himself up for a pretty remarkable comeback campaign. Again, it would not come as a surprise to him.

"Had one bad year and needed surgery after it; it's not like I've never been good before," he said in a somewhat defiant tone when asked whether he still thought about his previous struggles in a Red Sox uniform.

Then he smiled, something we didn't see much from Lackey before this season.

BOSTON -- The win-loss record isn't as pretty as Clay Buchholz's and Jon Lester's, and John Lackey has made three fewer starts than the twin Red Sox aces. But if he keeps up his current run, which included seven dominant frames in an 8-1 win over the Cleveland Indians on Friday, Lackey may provide a bit more company atop the rotation.

While Lackey lowered his ERA to 2.72, Mike Carp ripped a three-run blast and Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia both had two-run singles to power the offense as the Sox picked up a timely win. They had dropped six of their past seven at home, including two straight by a combined score of 24-7, and began a cold, rainy night by placing regulars Shane Victorino and Will Middlebrooks on the disabled list. It may not have been the sexiest of their 29 victories, but given all that was surrounding the club before first pitch, it may have more sustained impact than others.

Here's some of what we saw along the way:

A streak ender: Indians starter Justin Masterson had a scoreless streak of 20 innings going until Carp's bomb in the second, which also snapped Carp's 0-for-21 streak and stood up as the decisive blow.

Carp's previous hit came on May 2. He had 10 strikeouts and just one walk during the 0-for-21 slide. If the Sox continue to start him in left field and Daniel Nava in right while Victorino is sidelined and a right-hander is on the mound, they'll want a little more of what they saw Friday as opposed to what they had seen the previous three weeks.

Back in the bigs: Jose Iglesias got his first career big league start at third base. He fielded his first chance as a third baseman on the first ball hit into play, which saw Iglesias range well to his left and cut off shortstop Stephen Drew. Iglesias was actually close to second base by the time he made the throw on the run.

That was the only chance Iglesias had until the final out of the game and he spent good portions of the contest on the right side of the infield in a variety of defensive shifts. For all the discussion of how he would handle the hot corner, Iglesias saw almost no action there.

Iglesias looked extremely overmatched in his first two at-bats, striking out twice on a total of eight pitches against Masterson. He singled against reliever Rich Hill in the seventh to load the bases ahead of Ellsbury's two-run single.

Hello, old friend: One problem with having Terry Francona in the other dugout is that you're facing a guy who knows how to exploit your weaknesses. A major one for Boston is the ability, or lack thereof, of catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to limit the running game.

Francona used to always say that Saltalamacchia looked so good when he put everything together and nailed a would-be base stealer. And he's right. It just doesn't happen all that often, and Saltalamacchia's attempt to nab Mark Reynolds stealing third in the third looked so, so bad.

The throw sailed several feet wide and high, so much so that Iglesias watched it go by like an outfielder who knows a fly ball is long gone, barely even flinching. After hesitation, Reynolds came home to score Cleveland's only run and Saltalamacchia had his fourth error of the season. There was another steal of second base on that same play and a third swipe later in the inning, which dropped Saltalamacchia's caught stealing percentage to 12 percent, well below the league norm of 25 percent.

Interestingly enough, Saltalamacchia threw out 31 percent of runners in 2011, his one full season playing for Francona.

Aces not wild: Nearly a month to the day after he gave up eight runs on seven hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings during which he sometimes seemed not to care, Alfredo Aceves was back on the mound at Fenway Park, this time in mop-up duty. Aceves worked around a leadoff hit to finish things off. With the Sox carrying 13 pitchers, his time in the majors may be short.

Not quite like old times: Francona made two pitching changes during Boston's two-run seventh, calling on former Red Sox relievers Hill and then Matt Albers. It still seems odd to see Francona emerge from the visitors' dugout to make such moves. The fans, at least the few who chose to sit through a constant mist, certainly took note by giving Francona a hearty applause each time he returned to the dugout.

Rain, rain go away: There was a 42-minute rain delay before first pitch of this one, a pretty short wait considering it was coming down in droves less than an hour before the scheduled start. Those of you coming to Saturday's game should expect more wet stuff, and may want to make alternate plans in the event the game is called. Maybe there will be a hockey game on or something.

BOSTON -- The first time Jose Iglesias played third base in his life, according to him, was Tuesday for Triple-A Pawtucket. Weather permitting, the second will be under the bright lights Friday night at Fenway Park.

It's enough to cause some butterflies for the man with perhaps the best glove in the organization.

"Absolutely, everything is new," he said Friday afternoon when asked if he had any nerves. "I didn't even know the little things like where I should throw, where I should be, but I'll feel more comfortable tonight."

The one-time "shortstop of the future" for the Red Sox has been rushed into hot-corner duty after the team placed Will Middlebrooks on the 15-day disabled list with a lower-back strain as part of a handful of roster moves Friday afternoon.

Pedro Ciriaco was the only backup candidate on the major league roster, but has struggled in limited duty this year. In addition, Iglesias showed enough in his one game and four days of practice to give the organization some confidence in his ability to hold down the fort.

"Talking with [Pawtucket manager] Gary DiSarcina, he's an instinctual reactionary type of player," manager John Farrell said. "He'll need some guidance in games as far as positioning. [Third-base coach Brian Butterfield] obviously has got a system in place to handle that. He was the guy to fill in."

Iglesias' return to the majors is notable not only because of the position change. He was recently sat down for a few days by DiSarcina in order to get a mental break. The organization felt as if Iglesias, who was not entirely pleased with being sent down prior to a solid start with Boston, needed to regain a hold of his priorities.

The 23-year-old feels as if he is in a better place, even if he is not at the position he has mastered.

"I think that helped me a lot," he said of the benching. "I was not in a good situation at that time, emotional, whatever it was. I think Gary and the coaches, they do the right thing. To put my mind in the right place again. That's where I am."

Iglesias hinted that there is much to learn moving 50 feet to the right and manning a more reactionary position than his customary shortstop. At times, however, he knows it comes down to the basics.

"See the ball, catch the ball, make the throw," he said.

Ever the tactician, Farrell took a broader approach when discussing the transition.

"The best candidate internally and a guy that we feel confident will come up and play, and play well enough at the position," he said of Iglesias, who hit .450 in six games for the Red Sox out of the gate. "There's going to be different angles we know he'll take on balls at third base vs. the middle of the diamond at shortstop. He had three and a half, four days of work prior to his first game [at third] with Pawtucket. He's an infielder. He's got great instincts and reactions. He's not going to have the benefit of the third hop at third base. It's going to be more that one hop or that reaction play than it would be at shortstop. That's where we feel like his instincts and his reactionary ability play there."

Iglesias hit just .202 in 33 games for the PawSox after being sent down, but had a notable spike in power with four homers, one more than his career total entering the season. He said that while the overall production was not there, he felt as if he was having positive at-bats.

Iglesias was penciled into the ninth spot in the lineup against Cleveland's Justin Masterson on Friday.

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox made a slew of roster moves on Friday afternoon, putting outfielder Shane Victorino and third baseman Will Middlebrooks on the disabled list, activating catcher David Ross, promoting pitcher Alfredo Aceves and infielder Jose Iglesias and demoting Ryan Lavarnway.

The rash of transactions comes a day after Middlebrooks left a 12-3 loss to Cleveland after just four innings due to a lower back strain, Victorino sat out his third straight game with a hamstring issue and the bullpen was forced to eat up six innings after a poor start by Ryan Dempster.

Manager John Farrell had been hoping to keep Victorino off the DL. His DL stint is retroactive to May 21. The move became necessary when an MRI on Middlebrooks' back showed inflammation in the muscles surrounding the spine, leaving Farrell with two regulars nursing injuries that would require at least a couple more days.

Extended time off might be necessary anyway for Victorino, who has nursed back injuries and also hurt his side slamming into the short wall in right field at Fenway Park during the last homestand. His first two months in a Red Sox uniform have seen multiple interruptions.

"The thing that was frustrating for us, coming off that seven days [with the back injury], running into the wall probably didn't help. But coming back and taking two days off, coming back for a game and a half and something else resurfacing," Victorino said. "I think that's the part that frustrated not only myself but I think the training staff. I don't want to be that guy and play half a game and have something resurface and somebody else has to go in for me. That's not the kind of player I am. That kind of stuff frustrates me."

Victorino said that he understood that with Middlebrooks hurt there was a need for more reinforcements for a bench that was already playing thin. Waiting was no longer an option.

Farrell recognizes the reality of the situation as well. While Aceves, who was in the rotation for Triple-A Pawtucket, provides some immediate support in the bullpen, the roster shuffle keeps the bench a man short. That should change soon.

"Given the short start last night we needed a pitcher in the short term," Farrell said. "We're carrying an extra reliever, obviously, right now. At some point we'd like to get back to the balance of carrying 12 pitchers and 13 position players."

Speculation has arisen that Jackie Bradley Jr. could be a candidate if and when another position player is needed.

In the middle of a season-long slump, Middlebrooks (0 for his last 11 and hitting .201) left Thursday's game with spasms in his lower back. He had previously been playing through bruised ribs as well, but that did not contribute to the spasms, Farrell said.

Farrell added that it would take 3-5 days "just to get ahead" of the injury to Middlebrooks. The location of the injury also played a part in the decision-making process.

"Given where we are with the roster position, player-wise, we had to make a move, and really precautionary for Will," Farrell said. "Lower-back issues, we talked about with Shane, same thing here with Will. We don't want to be taking anything too risky that could prolong."

Shortstop Iglesias was given a start at third base earlier in the week at Pawtucket and will start there Friday night for the Red Sox against the Cleveland Indians. He will hit ninth.

Activated from the seven-day concussion disabled list, Ross had missed the past 11 games after being struck in the catcher's mask by two straight foul balls in the ninth inning of a game May 11 against the Blue Jays.

Ross discussed a previous concussion that led to some memory loss after a blow to the back of the head. This one was a bit different.

"Talked with my wife about normal stuff, got real emotional, started crying at the drop of a hat," he said. "I'm not really a crier. My wife was like, 'You're messed up, you need to see a doctor.'"

Ross said the trainers told him the symptoms sometimes take time to set in, and that's why he did not feel as much initially. They then set in motion the 7-day concussion stint that required a little extra time before Ross was ready.

Aceves was demoted April 24 after a meeting with Farrell, pitching coach Juan Nieves and general manager Ben Cherington after Boston's 6-5 win over Oakland at Fenway Park. Prior to his demotion, Aceves had made three starts in place of John Lackey, who was on the DL. Aceves surrendered a total of 12 earned runs over 13 1/3 innings before being sent down.

In four starts with the PawSox, Aceves was 2-1 with a 3.13 ERA. He last pitched May 17 and will be utilized in long relief for Boston.

The Boston Red Sox made a slew of roster moves on Friday afternoon, putting outfielder Shane Victorino (left hamstring strain) and third baseman Will Middlebrooks (low back strain) on the disabled list, and activating catcher David Ross (while demoting Ryan Lavarnway), pitcher Alfredo Aceves and infielder Jose Iglesias.

Victorino missed the past three games with the hamstring strain. Manager John Farrell had been hoping to keep him off the DL but decided put him on the shelf. Victorino’s DL stint is retroactive to May 21.

In the middle of a season-long slump, Middlebrooks (0 for his last 11 and hitting .201) left Thursday’s game with spasms in his lower back. He had previously been playing through bruised ribs as well, but that did not contribute to the spasms, Farrell said.

“In his last at-bat last night in Chicago, I think he slipped coming out of the box a little bit," Farrell said Thursday. “He didn’t mention any complaint prior to the game tonight, but as things unfolded, the stiffness was there. He’s day-to-day right now."

The shortstop Iglesias was given a start at third base earlier in the week at Triple-A Pawtucket and will start there Friday night for the Red Sox against the Cleveland Indians. He will hit ninth.

Activated from the seven-day concussion disabled list, Ross had missed the past 11 games after being struck in the catcher’s mask by two straight foul balls in the ninth inning of a game May 11 against the Blue Jays.

Aceves was demoted April 24 after a meeting with Farrell, pitching coach Juan Nieves and general manager Ben Cherington in Farrell's office after Boston's 6-5 win over Oakland at Fenway Park. Prior to his demotion, Aceves had made three starts in place of John Lackey, who was on the DL. Aceves surrendered a total of 12 earned runs over 13 1/3 innings before being sent down.

BOSTON -- This has been a trying spring for Will Middlebrooks in his first full season with the Red Sox. He endured the worst slump of his professional career, one in which he batted .093 (5-for-54) over a span of two weeks and 14 games. On May 7 in Fenway Park, he collided with catcher David Ross and slid into the box-seat retaining wall, bruising his ribs, a condition he has played through.

Then Thursday night, after looking at called third strikes in each of his first two at-bats, extending a current hitless streak to 0-for-11 and dropping his average to .201, Middlebrooks did not come out for the fifth inning, replaced at third base by Pedro Ciriaco.

Middlebrooks was forced out of the game by spasms in his lower back, manager John Farrell said after Thursday’s 12-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians. The condition was not brought on by his rib injury, the manager said.

“In his last at-bat last night in Chicago, I think he slipped coming out of the box a little bit," Farrell said. “He didn’t mention any complaint prior to the game tonight, but as things unfolded, the stiffness was there. He’s day-to-day right now."

The Sox already have played shorthanded the last three games because of Shane Victorino’s strained left hamstring. Just this week, the Sox gave shortstop Jose Iglesias a start at third base in Triple-A Pawtucket, preparing him to be more versatile in case they need another infielder.

BOSTON -- There is no mystery to why Ryan Dempster lasted just three innings Thursday night.

“My command’s been terrible," he said.

Dempster walked six batters in just 4 2/3 innings in his last start, Saturday in Minnesota, when he threw 127 pitches.

Thursday night against the Cleveland Indians, he walked four in three innings, three of those walks coming in the third, when the Indians scored three times to take a 4-0 lead. Dempster threw 30 pitches in the second inning, 40 in the third. Those pitch counts alone dictated there would be no coming out for a fourth, even after David Ortiz’s three-run homer in the bottom of the third drew the Sox to within a run.

In his last two starts, in a span of 7 2/3 innings, Dempster has thrown 212 pitches, about the number a pitcher who has his stuff together would throw in twice as many innings.

“Unnecessary walks," he said. “I just have to try to fix that."

The command issues have surfaced since Dempster gave up home runs in three consecutive innings against the Blue Jays on May 12, his only start where there may have been a noticeable dip in his fastball velocity, manager John Farrell said. Otherwise, he said, Dempster, who just turned 36 nearly three weeks ago, has shown consistent arm strength.

“Even in his first seven starts or so, there was no unwillingness to use the entire count and not give in to hitters,’’ Farrell said. “But when he’s needed to go to a slider or split for a strike, that’s where the command of secondary stuff has been elusive for him.

“When he executes the release point of his slider and split, they have the same action. It’s just the consistency to repeat it, pitch to pitch. The walks are what they are. They’re high.’’

Thursday, according to brooksbaseball.net, Dempster threw just slightly more than half of his splitters for strikes (8 of 15), and only 4 of 10 cutters for strikes. In his 40-pitch third inning, he threw just over half (23) of his pitches for strikes.

“I threw it all over the place," he said.

What to do? Make the adjustments required to make better pitches, he said.

“Not hard," he said. “I’ve been doing this a long time."

And while the Cleveland Indians mashed the ball Thursday, collecting 16 hits in all, Dempster offered this: “They’re a lot better when you don’t throw quality pitches."

BOSTON -- Tito-palooza, indeed.

If first impressions mean anything, a sellout crowd of 35,254 at Fenway Park went home convinced that Terry Francona, the man who introduced the duck boat parade to Boston, will soon have city planners in Cleveland scrambling for a comparable celebration down Euclid Avenue.

Just as was the case in Boston when Francona arrived for the 2004 season, the Cleveland Indians are woefully out of practice when it comes to winning World Series. The last time it happened was 65 years ago, in 1948. The time before that? It was 1920. That’s it. Two. The same number Francona won in his first four seasons with the Red Sox.

If Tito pulls that off in Cleveland, and the pigeons in Public Square will soon have a new statue to call home.

Granted, it’s only May, and a year ago on this date, the Indians also were in first place, 3 1/2 games ahead of the field. That team went a Valentinian 21-49 slump from mid-July on, wound up with 94 losses, and fired its manager, Manny Acta.

So let’s not lose our heads just yet.

Still, the Sons of the Wahoo made Francona’s return as manager here a smashing success, scorching the Red Sox 12-3. The Indians handed Ryan Dempster his head after just three innings comprised of an excruciating 85 pitches, then piled on against the Boston bullpen, especially in a six-run sixth inning in which seven of the first eight Indians batters reached safely.

Dempster allowed as many baserunners (nine) as he recorded outs, allowing five hits and four walks. The Indians went single, walk, walk, single, walk in the third inning, when they scored three times to open a 4-0 lead. David Ortiz brought the Sox back with a three-run home run over the visitors’ bullpen in the bottom of the inning, but the Indians didn’t let up against Clayton Mortensen and Alex Wilson.

The Indians finished with 16 hits, including a triple and two doubles by Drew Stubbs, a double and two singles by Michael Bourn, and three singles by Mark Reynolds.

The Sox, meanwhile, paid dearly for every mistake. Shortstop Stephen Drew dropped a perfect throw from catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia on a stolen base attempt by Mike Aviles, and Bourn singled him home.

Mike Napoli missed a popup, the second time that has happened in a week, and there was no dome to blame for this one. Yan Gomes hit the next pitch for a two-run double.

Jacoby Ellsbury tried to score from second with no outs on Dustin Pedroia’s single, and was cut down at the plate. Ellsbury also came up a half-stride short in trying to flag down Stubbs’ triple over his head.

Mike Carp started in left field with Shane Victorino missing a third straight game and went hitless in four trips, making him 0 for his past 21. Will Middlebrooks left early with back spasms.

BOSTON -- Some quick hits from Thursday night’s Titopalooza at Fenway Park, and for the record, bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. brought the lineup card out to home plate.

-- Terry Francona waved and patted his heart in appreciation when the crowd accorded him a standing ovation at the end of the first inning, when a video tribute was played and the scoreboard flashed, "Welcome Back an Old Friend... Terry Francona."

-- Playing in a game at Portland that had an 11 a.m. start time, catcher David Ross (concussion) tuned up for his return to the Red Sox by doubling in three trips, scoring a run and knocking in another. He is expected to be activated prior to Friday night’s game against the Indians, manager John Farrell said.

Ross has missed 11 games after being struck in the catcher’s mask by two straight foul balls in the ninth inning of a game May 11 against the Blue Jays.

Thursday morning, he caught rehabbing left-hander Franklin Morales, who went five innings in his fifth rehab appearance, allowing an unearned run. Farrell said the club has yet to determine what the next move is for Morales, who got up to 77 pitches Thursday.

Ryan Lavarnway, who made two starts behind the plate in Ross’ absence, is expected to return to Pawtucket when Ross is activated.

-- Shane Victorino missed his third straight game with a left hamstring strain. Farrell said he is improving but still hasn’t ruled out Victorino going on the DL if he isn’t ready to play in the next few days. Mike Carp, who is 0 for his last 17, started in left field Thursday, with Daniel Nava in right. This was just the third start for Carp since May 2.

-- Agawam, the Western Massachusetts hometown of Carl Beane, the Sox PA announcer who died of a heart attack last year at the age of 59, has chosen to honor Beane in a meaningful way. The town recently renamed a Little League field the Carl Beane Baseball Field. A stone and granite marker was placed that reads: "Carl E. Beane 1952-2012. The 'Voice of Fenway Park.' A former Agawam Little League player, coach & hometown hero."

-- The Red Sox had just one save opportunity during their nine-game trip, one reason the work of the bullpen may have gone overlooked. Sox relievers posted a 1.04 ERA (26 innings, 3 earned runs) on the trip, and in one stretch had 16 1/3 straight scoreless innings.

-- Because of rain delays in Cleveland on Wednesday night, the Indians did not arrive at their Boston hotel until 4 a.m.

BOSTON -- David Ortiz’s first-ever steal of third Wednesday was the cause of considerable mirth in the Sox clubhouse, with Ortiz the first to have fun with it. Asked what he thought when third-base coach Brian Butterfield flashed the “steal” sign, Ortiz said: “I was like, 'Are you sure?' "

“Caught me off-guard," deadpanned Mike Napoli.

Green light from here on out?

“That would have to be a pretty big light," manager John Farrell said.

But beyond the novelty, there is a more significant takeaway: The Sox wouldn’t be asking Ortiz to run, and the big man wouldn’t be on the move, unless all parties were satisfied by the progress he has made in recovering from the Achilles tendon injury that cost him the second half of last season, all of spring training, and the first 15 games of this season.

"I’ve been running well," Ortiz said. “Every day I feel better. You guys know me, if I feel well I’m going to run. Not steal bases, but take advantage of whatever is happening."

Farrell said that with a full count, the Sox like to put their runners in motion, which is why Ortiz was given the steal sign. Daniel Nava was called out on strikes, and Ortiz took third without drawing a throw.

“With his speed, he outright stole it,’’ Farrell said as straight-faced as Napoli.

Ortiz came out swinging from the day he was activated, reeling off a career-best 15-game hitting streak, but Farrell said that Ortiz has held up physically better than the club anticipated. He has played in all but two games this month.

“Once he got past that first 10 days, the consistency of his daily activity probably exceeded our initial thoughts," Farrell said. “He’s responded physically in a good way after every game. And he’s not just jogging to the dugout. He’s been running the bases quite a bit and he’s in a good place physically. Overall, his durability has been better than anticipated."

Napoli, another player also not known for his speed, made a notable contribution to Wednesday's 6-2 win, scoring on a passed ball.

"For me, it's about anticipation," Napoli said, "being ready for something to happen. There are guys that aren’t as fast but have good anticipation. Sometimes they get better reads and jumps on balls.

"You can't be scared. You have to want to make plays. I'm not scared to do it."

BOSTON -- The Cleveland Indians’ charter flight from Detroit landed in Boston at 5 a.m. After a few hours of sleep, Terry Francona woke up at 8 a.m. and began his day. Of course, it wasn’t just another game day for the former Red Sox manager, who was about to face his former club for the first time in Boston.

Despite being bleary-eyed and worn down by travel, muscle memory took over for Francona when stepping into Fenway Park. His manner of arrival at the ballpark was slightly off, piling into the back of a taxi cab instead of driving in, but once there, it was all too familiar.

“Whether you go left or right, the people are still the same,” Francona said before Thursday night’s game.

Mobbed by reporters in the visitors’ dugout before the Indians’ batting practice session, Francona reflected on his time in Boston.

“I don’t know if it will be difficult, maybe emotional,” he said.

It’s not the first time the Red Sox and Indians have met this season, but Thursday marked Francona’s return to Fenway. The much-anticipated first meeting between Francona and the Red Sox took on a much different tone, as it was one day after the April 15 attack on the Boston Marathon. In a difficult time in Boston history, Francona sought to detach himself from the storyline.

“When Boston was playing us in Cleveland, the city was going through the Marathon thing, and I was trying to be very respectful,” he said. “It’s different coming here for sure.”

When asked to gauge what the fan reaction would be to his return, Francona balked at each turn, separating emotion from the business of the day.

“I don’t spend any time thinking about things like that. It’s just not the way I’m built," he said. "These were some very special years [in Boston], but sometimes they were tough.”

Francona did acknowledge having a conversation with longtime friend -- and now adversary -- John Farrell. He had not talked to any members of the Red Sox ownership group, adding that he was unaware if they were in town.

Still, many things remained the same -- except, perhaps, for the less-than-spacious confines of Fenway’s visitors' clubhouse.

“It’s a lot smaller than I remembered,” chuckled Francona, who last was there while managing the Philadelphia Phillies.

Throughout Francona’s carwash tour of Boston media in the lead up to the series opener, he talked about the rigors of managing in a baseball-mad environment such as Boston. But, all things considered, he was happy to be back.

“If you like baseball, this is a good place to be,” he said.

Gordon Edes previews the four-game set between the Indians and Red Sox, including Terry Francona's return to Fenway Park.