Hot-hitting Devers keys Red Sox victory

CLEVELAND — Rafael Devers homered and singled to cap a hit streak of eight straight at-bats, and Xander Bogaerts connected twice to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 5-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians in American League baseball action Wednesday.

Devers went 6-for-6 with four doubles Tuesday night in Boston’s 7-6, 10-inning win. A day later, 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 Major League Baseball record for consecutive hits is 12, last accomplished by Detroit’s Walt Dropo in 1952. Pinky Higgins got 12 straight for the Red Sox in 1938.

Bogaerts hit a solo drive in the third — his 100th career homer — and had a three-run shot in the seventh as Boston kept its modest post-season hopes alive. The Red Sox entered the day 8 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay for the second AL wild-card spot.

Devers and Bogaerts opened the scoring in the third with consecutive home runs off Shane Bieber (12-5). Bogaerts’ drive off Nick Goody gave him his fourth multihomer game of the season.

Boston used seven pitchers, with right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (1-0) working two innings for his first win since Sept. 24. Left-hander Brian Johnson started and allowed an unearned run in 2 2/3 innings.

Cleveland scored its only run in the third when Francisco Lindor singled, advanced on errors by Bogaerts and Devers, and scored on a Johnson wild pitch. The Indians continue to lead the AL wild-card race.

Bieber allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings, losing for the second time in 10 starts.