G2: Cleveland 7, Red Sox 6

Red Sox   - 020 004 000 - 6 10  1
Cleveland - 410 001 10x - 7  9  0

Although Clay Buchholz (4-6-5-3-4, 94) put the Red Sox in an early, deep hole, they clawed back and took the lead in the sixth inning, thanks in part to back-to-back home runs from David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez. However, Cleveland tied the game against Noe Ramirez in the bottom half of the inning and Mike Napoli homered off Junichi Tazawa in the seventh for the home team's margin of victory.

Buchholz struck out the first batter he faced, but then allowed seven of the next 11 batters to reach base. Carlos Santana's three-run dong was the big blow in the first. Boston halved its deficit when Brock Holt lined a two-run shot to right, but Cleveland tacked on another run to lead 5-2.

That's the way things stayed until Ortiz led off the sixth with his second long ball in two days. It was regular season HR #505, moving Big Papi into 26th place all-time. Four pitches later, Ramirez went deep to roughly the same spot in right-center, ending starter Carlos Carrasco's night. Chris Young pinch-hit against Ross Detwiler and lifted a fly to left center. Tyler Naquin, who made his MLB debut yesterday, came over from center, but did not take charge of the play. The ball fell unmolested to the grass between Naquin and Jose Ramirez for a double. Detwiler then walked Holt and Blake Swihart, loading the bases. Jackie Bradley's sacrifice fly to center tied the game and, after another pitching change, Mookie Betts's groundout to third scored Holt.

But Boston's 6-5 lead was short-lived. Noe Ramirez walked leadoff batter Yan Gomes, who raced to third when Marlon Byrd's looping, opposite-field single landed near the right field foul line. Juan Uribe's sac fly re-tied the game.

In the top of the seventh, Hanley Ramirez singled with two outs, stole second, and took third on a wild pitch. Pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval could not bring him in, however, as he lined out to center. Cleveland retook the lead when Napoli crushed a hanging breaking ball from Tazawa in the bottom of the inning.

Bradley singled with two out in the eighth, but Betts struck out. In the ninth, facing Cody Allen, Dustin Pedroia flied out to right, Xander Bogaerts struck out, and Ortiz flied to deep left, with Jose Ramirez making a snow-cone catch at the wall.

Clay Buchholz / Carlos Carrasco

Betts, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Ramirez, 1B
Shaw, 3B
Holt, LF
Swihart, C
Bradley, CF

Buchholz posted a 2.02 ERA in his final 11 starts last year.

David Ortiz, on his Opening Day home run: "When the light goes on, Papi goes on."