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CLEVELAND -- The Red Sox come home buoyed by victory, sobered by tragedy and inspired to do their part to help a city heal.

The Sox won their sixth straight game Thursday night, completing a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians with a 6-3 win behind yet another virtuoso performance by a Sox starting pitcher, Jon Lester holding the Indians to four hits and both runs in seven innings.

They come home in first place in the AL East with an 11-4 record, their best start since 2006, a performance made even more impressive by the fact that they have been without their best hitter, David Ortiz.

Awaiting them upon their return to Boston will be Ortiz, who wrapped up a week-long rehab assignment in Pawtucket with a home run Thursday afternoon.

But they also will be reconnecting with a fan base badly scarred by Monday’s bombings at the Boston Marathon, the bombs exploding less than a mile from Fenway Park just after the Sox celebrated a walk-off win there the same afternoon. A reminder of that terrorist attack already has been affixed on the Green Monster in left: The team’s “B” logo, with the word “strong” underneath, an avatar that has exploded in use across cyberspace.

“I know one thing,’’ manager John Farrell said before the Sox applied another beating to former manager Terry Francona and his Indians, who were outscored, 19-8, in the series. “Just in talking to guys, I think we’re all looking very much forward to getting back home.

“I’m sure there will be some low-key tribute to those who responded first to the situation. I think, based on the example of the jersey hung in the dugout, I think we feel a sense that we can contribute to the communal spirit and hopefully create a little bit of diversion for those affected directly ... that we have a way of helping [the city] get back to some sense of normalcy.’’

Farrell was referring to the Boston visitors jersey created by equipment manager Tom McLaughlin in concert with Jonny Gomes and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, the players he said directed him to write “Boston Strong” with the number 617, the city’s area code, on the back.

The Sox will follow the example of the Bruins on Wednesday night and have organist Josh Kantor provide accompaniment for a collective singing of the anthem before Friday’s game against the Kansas City Royals. The Sox will be starting a 10-game homestand, their longest of the season.

Farrell said he watched highlights of the Bruins’ ceremony, and also watched Thursday’s interfaith service attended by President Obama.

“It was great to see what took place with the anthem, and then at the end of the game last night, the tribute to the crowd by both the Bruins and Sabres,’’ Farrell said. “To see the passion come out in the singing of the national anthem, I think it strikes everyone in a positive way to see that patriotism play out at a sporting event.’’

Outside of Ortiz, second baseman Dustin Pedroia has been with the team longer than any current player; a native Californian, he and his wife, Kelli, and their two children have maintained their in-season home in the Fenway neighborhood for years.

“I don’t think it matters where you grew up or anything,’’ Pedroia said in an interview he did for ESPNBoston.com's “State of the Nation.” “I think everybody in the country and everywhere is just wishing everybody the best. It’s just horrible what happened, and everybody here, since we’re right down the street, we’re thinking about them every minute.

“It’ll be nice to get home, see everybody there, play baseball and try to put a positive thing in their minds in the worst of times.’’

The Sox scored single runs in three innings, then tacked on three more in the seventh. Mike Napoli tripled and scored on Daniel Nava’s single in the second. Jarrod Saltalamacchia lined a home run over the fence in right in the fourth, his third homer of the season. Jacoby Ellsbury doubled and came around to score on singles by Shane Victorino and Pedroia.

Napoli drove in his team-leading 17th run with a base hit in the seventh, and Mike Carp, who had three extra-base hits in three trips Wednesday, hit a pinch, two-run single.

The Indians scored in the eighth off Andrew Miller and Koji Uehara, but Andrew Bailey breezed through a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save in two nights.

Manny Acta and John Kruk discuss the impact David Ortiz's return will have on the Red Sox's lineup. Ortiz is expected to be back for this weekend's series with the Royals.

CLEVELAND -- Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, who hit a home run for Triple-A Pawtucket on Thursday afternoon, is headed for Boston and is expected to be activated for Friday night's game against the Kansas City Royals.

"He feels good about where he's at," Red Sox manager John Farrell said Thursday, "and all things point to his return tomorrow when we get home from this trip."

Ortiz was on the disabled list when the Red Sox opened the season in New York and flew to the team's training facility after that series to continue his rehab. He joined Pawtucket on a rehab assignment that began last Thursday.

He played in five games while in Pawtucket, and had 18 at-bats, just short of the 20 to 30 that Farrell had estimated Ortiz would need before joining the club. Ortiz had four hits for a .222 batting average. Thursday's home run was his only extra-base hit. He struck out in his other two at-bats.

"Having his presence in the middle of the order certainly speaks for itself, for the number of years and success he's had," Farrell said, "but I think he gives us the potential to lengthen our lineup even more, and we're certainly looking forward to seeing him in the clubhouse tomorrow."

Ortiz will have missed the team's first 15 games while he was on the DL. The Red Sox were 10-4 entering Thursday night's game against the Indians, with Farrell rotating the DH spot among Jonny Gomes (7 starts), Daniel Nava (5), and Mike Napoli (2).

"It's been great," Farrell said of how the team has played without Ortiz. "I can't say enough about the way we've played defense, the way we've pitched. We've scored runs in bunches at times, and yet we've scored some timely runs to lop a couple games off as we get guys back to us.

"We have weathered some of that uncertainty. It will be good to get everybody back and be at full strength."

Ortiz said it works in his favor that the team has played so well without him.

"That's less pressure for me," he told the Providence Journal. "Now I know I can take my time to do my thing and work into that good funk, not trying to do too much or trying to carry the team on my back. The team is playing well. Hopefully it continues. That would make it easier on me."

Farrell indicated it would be unrealistic to expect Ortiz, whose condition has been diagnosed as Achilles tendinopathy, to be able to play every day upon his return.

"We'll certainly work off David on this," Farrell said. "To say we have 'X' days and 'X' games, we'll use him as our guide. We're going to have balance getting him back into full shape as well as monitor how much stress that heel can take."

The Red Sox on Thursday tweeted the following photo, which shows a "B Strong" logo on the Green Monster. The Red Sox return to Fenway Park on Friday for their first game since Monday's attacks.

Here's a close-up of the B Strong sign on the Green Monster #BostonStrong twitpic.com/ck9cnd

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) April 18, 2013

CLEVELAND -- Good morning from the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which Thursday night in a ceremony in L.A. is scheduled to induct a new class, one that includes Mission Hill’s Donna Summer, the disco queen who died last year at age 62. Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Hudson are scheduled to perform in her honor.

Meanwhile, no one is rocking the American League these days quite like the Red Sox, who tonight will be going for their sixth straight win against the Indians behind ace Jon Lester, who has a 1.42 ERA in his first three starts. Lester will be looking to improve his record to 3-0 after a no-decision against the Rays in his last start Saturday, in which he allowed a run in seven innings.

The Sox are 10-4, a record eclipsed only by Oakland (12-4) in the AL. Six games over .500 may appear a modest achievement, but it’s a level never reached last season by the Sons of Bobby Valentine, whose high-water mark came on July 1, when they were 42-37, then went 27-56 the rest of the way.

The team’s pitching staff has carried the club so far, a staff ERA of 2.66 is best in the AL. As a staff, Sox pitchers have struck out 141 batters in 125 innings, a league-best ratio of 10.2 K’s per nine. Sox starters have yet to give up more than three runs in any start, and overall, the Sox have held opponents to three runs or fewer nine times, with an 8-1 record.

Sox starters have an AL-best 2.30 ERA, so far cutting by more than half the 5.19 ERA they posted last season. Four other AL teams have a starters’ ERA of 3.50 or better: the Tigers, Rangers, Royals and Yankees. Last season, the Rays, with a major-league best starters’ ERA of 3.34, were the only team in the AL under 3.50.

The Sox are winning even though five batters are hitting .200 or less, and leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury has an on-base percentage of .299. They’ve held their own in low-scoring games, going 3-3 in games in which they’ve scored three runs or fewer.

Here’s some other matters of note:

-- Third baseman Will Middlebrooks has fallen into a horrific slump since his three-homer game in Toronto in the season’s sixth game on April 7. Middlebrooks is 2 for 30 with 12 strikeouts in his last eight games, and since his last hit, a single off Tampa Bay’s Alex Cobb on Sunday, Middlebrooks is hitless in his last 12 at-bats with 7 strikeouts.

Middlebrooks has struck out 18 times in 55 at-bats this season, a 30.5 percent rate, and has drawn just 3 walks. Evidence on fangraphs.com suggests Middlebrooks has expanded his strike zone, swinging at 32 percent of the pitches he sees outside of the zone.

-- Sox starters have allowed just one run in the first inning this season. The Sox, meanwhile, have scored 10 runs in the first inning, including a five-spot against the Jays on April 7 and three Wednesday night.

-- Ellsbury leads the majors in stolen bases with 6 and in triples with 3. This is the most steals Ellsbury has had this early in a season since 2009, when he also stole his sixth base in his 14th game. It was in 2009 that Ellsbury stole a club record 70 bases.

Ellsbury already has four infield hits, including one Wednesday night. Projected over 660 at-bats, the number he had in his last full season, 2011, Ellsbury would finish with 40 infield hits.

-- Stephen Drew has struggled at the plate since returning from the disabled list, with just 2 hits in 19 at-bats.

-- Mike Napoli has 8 RBIs in his last 4 games, which includes a two-run single in the first inning of Wednesday night’s 6-3 win. His 16 RBIs lead the club. Napoli is batting .333 (6 for 18) with runners in scoring position. With no runners on base, Napoli is batting .125 (3 for 24) with 11 strikeouts.

-- While the Sox bullpen has almost as many blown saves (3) as saves (4), they’ve allowed just 2 of 11 inherited runners to score.

-- Koji Uehara has faced 21 batters. Only two have reached, one by hit, one via walk. He is working on a career-best 18 consecutive scoreless innings, dating back to last Sept. 1, when he was with the Rangers. He has thrown a first-pitch strike to 18 of the 21 batters he has faced, an 86 percent rate.

-- Junichi Tazawa has 8 strikeouts, including the last 4 batters he faced Wednesday night, and no walks in 8 innings of work.

-- The Sox infield has yet to commit an error this season. The only errors charged to the club this season were a fielding errors by Ellsbury, who crossed signals with Shane Victorino on a flyball, and by rookie Jackie Bradley Jr.

-- Sox hitters rank second in the league in strikeouts (126) and walks (53). Napoli leads the team with 19 whiffs, with Middlebrooks right behind at 18.

-- Dustin Pedroia struck out three times, only the third time in his career he has whiffed three times in a nine-inning game. [He struck out four times in a 13-inning game against the Angels.]

Pedroia has reached base safely in all 14 games this season, and 24 straight games including the last 10 games in which he played last season, but as manager John Farrell noted, he has yet to get locked in at the plate. Pedroia so far has just two extra-base hits in 63 plate appearances, and his six hits with runners in scoring position have all been singles.

He has struck out five times in his last seven plate appearances, singling to right in the other two, and has 14 K’s in all in 2013. Last season, he had just 60 K’s in 623 plate appearances, a percentage of 9.6. So far this season he has struck out 14 times in 63 plate appearances, a 22.2 percentage. Pedroia has been batting third in the absence of David Ortiz instead of the 2-hole he told Farrell he preferred.

-- Red Sox pitchers have regularly given props to catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, with the team having a 2.67 ERA with him behind the plate. He is 0 for 7, however, in trying to throw out base-runners attempting to steal. David Ross has thrown out 2 of 5.

-- Ortiz went 0 for 4 with a strikeout Wednesday night and is batting .200 (3 for 15) on his rehab stint so far. He is scheduled to play again Thursday afternoon for the PawSox, and is expected to rejoin the Sox Friday night in Fenway Park.

-- Left-hander Franklin Morales, on the DL with a lower back strain, pitched three scoreless innings in a rehab start for the Class A Greenville Drive Wednesday night, allowing a hit and walking two while striking out one.

CLEVELAND -- Can it be that the team whose rallying cry once was “25 players, 25 cabs” has morphed into a team that has adopted the motto, “22 players, 1 dinner reservation?”

And does that 22:1 ratio have anything to do with this number: 10-4, the Sox record through 14 games after their 6-3 win over the Indians on Wednesday night, their fastest start since they opened the 2006 season 10-4? [Only a spoilsport would note the Sox, crippled by a rash of injuries that season, missed the playoffs.]

Manager John Farrell mentioned on his weekly radio show Wednesday that the lads all congregated for a communal meal after landing in Cleveland on Monday night. It was a spontaneous affair, Farrell insisted.

"Much like when you get on the road, guys say, ‘Hey, let’s meet in the lobby for dinner,' " Farrell said. “Twenty-two of them showed up. I don’t want to downplay the events we just left [the Marathon bombing) in Boston, but I think what we’ve quickly come to see, this is a group that likes to be around one another. I think those are all encouraging signs."

Here are a few signs even more important than the fellas all ordering off the same menu the other night:

* Sox relievers Junichi Tazawa, Koji Uehara and Andrew Bailey retired all 12 batters they faced. Tazawa entered in the sixth with the tying run on second and no outs, set down the last three batters in the sixth and three in the seventh, whiffing the last four.

Uehara pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, whiffing the last two.

And Bailey earned his first save of 2013 with a 1-2-3 ninth, whiffing the last two.

* Starter Alfredo Aceves gave the Sox five scoreless innings until allowing three runs in the sixth, on back-to-back home runs by Nick Swisher (two-run shot) and Jason Giambi.

* Right-fielder Shane Victorino had three hits, a sacrifice bunt that led to the final run, was hit by a pitch, scored two runs and threw a man out at second.

* Mike Napoli drove in two more runs with a two-run single in the first.

* Dustin Pedroia extended his streak of reaching in every game with two singles.

* And Daniel Nava bounced back from a four-K game the night before with two run-scoring singles.

Carp (sic) diem: Mike Carp was hands down the 25th man on the Sox roster entering play Wednesday night. It started back in February, when he was designated for assignment by his former team, the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners waited the maximum 10 days before trading him to the Red Sox, who waited until the day before camp broke before informing Carp that he had made the club.

“When they finally told me, it was definitely a weight off my shoulders," he said earlier this month. “I knew it would be an uphill battle for a spot. Fortunately for me, versatility was on my side for once. A defensive first baseman, and with my shoulder healthy, I was able to play the outfield again."

Still, through the team’s first 13 games, Carp had collected just three plate appearances, and might still be buried on the bench if the team’s spring sensation, Jackie Bradley Jr., hadn't been in a 0-for-20 slump with a BA of .097. Wednesday night, manager John Farrell gave Carp his first start, playing first base, and Carp responded with doubles in his first two-at bats and an RBI triple in his third before being excused for the night, Farrell lifting him for pinch-hitter Jonny Gomes in the seventh.

The three extra-base hits in a game were a career high for Carp, who made a successful debut for the Mariners in 2011 (AL Rookie of the Month in August) but sent his career into a downward spiral on Opening Night in Japan last year, when he dove for a fly ball by Kurt Suzuki and sprained his right shoulder.

He returned a month later, but the shoulder quickly weakened again and he returned to the DL twice more during the summer. By June, his throwing arm was so weak that Seattle was able to use him only at first base, and his hitting suffered, as he finished the season batting .223.

Over the winter, the Mariners added Kendry Morales, Raul Ibanez and Mike Morse, leaving Carp a man without a position. But the important thing for him, as he decamped in Florida with the Red Sox, was that his shoulder was finally healthy again after a winter of rest.

“You take away your throwing shoulder, it definitely limits you as far as what you can do as part of a team, where you fit in, what your strengths are going to be," Carp said, “because you don’t know how your body is going to feel.

“To come in with that peace of mind -- ‘Hey, I’m back where I used to be, let’s go out and have fun and try to win a job -- that made it a good transition. I had a lot of fun with it.

“I didn’t have the greatest spring, but I worked on things I needed to, I got healthy in the outfield, I was able to play there again, I bounced around at first, did a little DHing. By the end I felt locked in."

Fish tales: Carp’s big night, of course, gives us an excuse to run baseball’s All-Fish team, which ESPN.com’s David Schoenfield [“Sweet Spot”] zealously researched a couple of years ago, with a buddy of his, Ted Bishop. Carp, of course, cracks the roster.

Take it away, Sweet Spot:

C -- Steve Lake. [Hey, you gotta catch the fish somewhere.]
1B -- Randy Bass.
2B -- Cod Myers. [The Adam Kennedy of the 1880s.]
3B -- Neal Finn. Nicknamed Mickey, he hailed from Brooklyn and played for the Dodgers and Phillies.
SS -- Lip Pike. A star in the National Association, the first professional league, leading the circuit in home runs and RBIs in 1872.
IF -- Bobby Sturgeon. A shortstop and second baseman with the Cubs in the '40s, hit one career home run in 420 games.
OF -- Tim Salmon. Hit 299 career home runs, all with the Angels.
OF -- Kevin Bass. An NL All-Star with the Astros in 1986.
OF -- George Haddock. Played from 1888 to 1894.
OF -- Johnny Gill. Had 3,141 hits in 23 minor league seasons and 79 in the majors.
OF/1B -- Mike Carp.
P -- Catfish Hunter.
P -- Dizzy Trout.
P -- Mudcat Grant.
P -- Steve Trout.
P -- Jay Hook.
P -- Marlin Stuart.
P -- Art Herring. Also known as "Red."
P -- Brandon Puffer. Had 5.09 ERA over four seasons [2002-2005].
P -- Chris Ray.

CLEVELAND -- Some quick hits after manager John Farrell’s media session Wednesday afternoon:

* David Ortiz is scheduled to play in Pawtucket on Wednesday and Thursday, and if "all things go accordingly," Farrell said, Ortiz will rejoin the Red Sox on Friday night at Fenway Park against the Royals. The Pawsox are in Rochester on Friday for the start of a weeklong road trip, and while Ortiz has had just 11 at-bats to date on his rehab assignment, by Friday he should be close to the low end of the 20-to-30 at-bats that Farrell expected he would need.

Ortiz has a compelling financial incentive to be back by Friday. Under the terms of the two-year deal he signed with the Sox last winter, Ortiz’s 2014 salary will be reduced from $15 million to $13 million if he is on the DL for more than 20 days this season while recovering from his Achilles condition. Friday would be Day 20.

* Farrell said players spontaneously decided to go out to dinner collectively upon their arrival in Cleveland on Monday night. How did that happen?

"Much like when you get on the road, guys say, ‘Hey, let’s meet in the lobby for dinner." Twenty-two of them showed up. I don’t want to downplay the events we just left [the Marathon bombing) in Boston, but I think what we’ve quickly come to see, this is a group that likes to be around one another. I think those are all encouraging signs."

* Left-handed pitcher Franklin Morales [lower-back strain] is projected to throw around three innings or 50 pitches in a start Wednesday night for Class A Greenville.

* Left-handed reliever Craig Breslow [shoulder] threw an inning in extended spring Tuesday, is expected to throw another Friday, will throw a bullpen for the Sox on Sunday, and if all goes well will begin a rehab assignment with Portland on Tuesday. Farrell said he expected Breslow, who missed all of spring training, will need about five to seven appearances before he is activated.

* Right-hander John Lackey [biceps strain] is progressing nicely, Farrell said. He threw at a distance of 130 feet Wednesday, is scheduled to throw lightly off the mound Thursday, then throw a bullpen for the Sox this weekend. Barring a setback, Farrell said, he would then be ready for some game activity. It has yet to be determined, the manager said, whether that would be on a rehab assignment or a simulated game.

* Joel Hanrahan (hamstring) did some light throwing both Tuesday and Wednesday but probably will need to go out on a rehab assignment before returning, according to Farrell. Asked whether Hanrahan would reclaim his closing job upon his return, Farrell was cryptic in his response.

“I don’t think we’re sitting here today ready to make that claim," Farrell said. “I think we’ve got to get through some things first, particularly how he responds with the hamstring. He’s going to need a couple of rehab appearances just to get himself going again. This is a bigger-bodied guy who is a power pitcher and we want to be sure he feels comfortable physically before we bring him back to us. We’ll work through that at that time."

* Mike Carp, who has just three plate appearances in the team’s first 13 games, was in the starting lineup at first base, batting ninth. First baseman Mike Napoli, the first Red Sox player to have 14 RBIs in his first 13 games with the Sox since Carl Everett in 2000, was serving as DH and Jackie Bradley was spending another night on the bench. It is the third time in the last five games that Bradley has been out of the starting lineup; he served as a ninth-inning replacement in Tuesday’s 7-2 win here.

Farrell, as he did Monday, reiterated that Bradley is frustrated but handling his slump well. The manager said he had a "recent sitdown -- not the first one, nor the last one" -- with Bradley, and is satisfied that the player is coping with his 0-for-20 slump.

“That’s where those sitdown conversations become important," Farrell said, “just to get a sense of where he’s at mentally, what he’s feeling at the plate, have the give and take of what you see versus what he feels. I think, most importantly, to know that we’re here with him, working with him and supporting him. That’s the overall tone of that."

Asked if he had yet alerted Bradley about a possible demotion when Ortiz is activated, Farrell said no.

“We haven’t said, 'When A happens, this is B, this is going to happen,' " Farrell said. “That’s like inviting him to a place then asking, 'When are you leaving?' "

CLEVELAND -- Good afternoon from Progressive Field, a.k.a. Terry Francona’s place of work, one he can now find without assistance while walking from his apartment, a couple of blocks away.

One initial impression from our first visit here this season is that no matter how many clever ads Tito does for the Tribe, and they have been genuine originals, that by itself will not be enough to draw crowds on a lousy night in April at the stadium hard by the Oil Can Boyd Sea.

Tuesday night, the Red Sox and Indians played before a crowd of 9,143, the most intimate gathering to see the Sox play since they drew 9,025 and 9,523 in Cleveland on back-to-back April games (April 5-6) in 2011. Those are the smallest crowds the Sox have drawn this millennium. You have to go back to consecutive games in Minnesota’s Metrodome on July 4-5, 2000, to find the last time the Sox have played before a crowd under 10,000 (9,209 and 8,488, respectively).

The Red Sox, in part because of the diaspora of Sox fans across the major leagues, are one of baseball’s best draws on the road. Last season, they drew 2.51 million away from home, second behind the Yankees in the American League, averaging 31,038 per road game. They’ve drawn over 2 million on the road in every season since 1986 (not counting the 1994 and ’95 seasons, shortened by work stoppage), and have gone over 3 million three times (2005, 2007 and 2008).

Francona is in the first year of a four-year deal with the Tribe, and while the standings will be the ultimate determinant of his success here, he’s off to a promising start, at least in terms of the positive atmosphere he has created. Sports Illustrated, for example, featured Francona prominently in a recent issue that tabbed the Indians as a potential playoff team.

Francona did his usual riff at the expense of Sox TV play-by-play man Don Orsillo. “Have you done anything to make the announcing better?’’ he asked the Globe’s Nick Cafardo at his press conference Tuesday night.

Francona used to joke that when he had trouble sleeping, he would listen to tapes of Orsillo’s home run calls. Worked every time, he claimed.

“I miss that,’’ he said, finding Orsillo in the crowd. “Would you do that for me? That’s the only reason I hope somebody with the Red Sox hits a home run, so I can get a tape of that, so I can go to bed. National media, please get that.’’

Francona was then relayed a comment made earlier this week by Dustin Pedroia when asked about seeing his former cribbage partner again. “The only thing I got,’’ Pedroia said, “is that I was able to watch ‘ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, and for the first time in over a year, I was able to unmute it. Got to listen to Orel Hershiser and [John] Kruk.’’

Francona, of course, served as analyst on the telecasts last year. He thought at first it was a jab at Orsillo. “That’s funny,’’ he said, before it dawned on him. “He’s talking about me!

“I agree with him,’’ he added. “I think I’m where I belong.’’

Indians president Mark Shapiro showed up to watch Francona’s media conference, and in the hallway outside, was asked how Francona had met his expectations.

“He’s exceeded them,’’ Shapiro said. “The one thing you know is what a great baseball guy he is. You know what a good friend he is, what a good person he is, how positive and energetic he is. If there is anything I may have underestimated, is how competitive he is. He’s been great to work with.

“I’m most happy for Chris (GM Chris Antonetti). He’s got that guy with him in the trenches every day and they’re starting out together, but I love my time with him and enjoy visiting with him and I know we’ve got a guy who’s getting every ounce out of our team, which is what you want.’’

The Indians president has deep Boston connections. His father is the noted sports attorney and agent, Ron Shapiro, who just turned 70 last month and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1967. His son Mark was born in Boston, and Mark’s brother, David, lives in Jamaica Plain and runs Mass. Mentoring partnership.

Mark was in his office Monday afternoon when he found out about the Marathon bombings and turned on his TV.

“You’re a generation of having these things occasionally pop up and you see them,’’ he said, “but obviously my links to Boston are strong and your first reaction is how many people is this impacting, is it impacting anyone close to me, and then you send out text messages to the people you know. A friend of mine ran in the marathon, my brother, he’s got runners sponsored in the marathon, he’s got volunteers working the race, so you start thinking of them.

“Thank God everybody was all right. You think about the broader issues, the broader concerns of the city, and then you think about the people that are close to you, and I’ve got a lot of personal ties there. I’ve always made the trip with the team there, I feel like it’s a city I’m close to. The Sox are an organization that I have a ton of close friends at, so it’s not hard to envision the places where those things occurred. It’s impossible to envision the horror of those scenes.’’

CLEVELAND -- No arguing that Red Sox hearts were in the right place Tuesday night in Cleveland, where players hung a uniform jersey that read “Boston Strong 617”, referencing Boston's area code, on the back.

And in their first game since Monday’s bombings at the Boston Marathon, the Sox produced the desired outcome: a 7-2 victory over the Indians that gave them their fourth straight win.

Where they might have come up a bit short was in providing an entertaining diversion to Monday’s tragic events, which is something numerous players had said they hoped they could do, in their view one small way of easing a region’s pain.

It might have been diverting, but it was hardly entertaining. According to Elias, it was the first nine-inning game in modern baseball history (since 1900) in which the teams combined for 25 or more strikeouts and 15 or more walks. Sox batters struck out 16 times while drawing nine walks, the first time they’d had so many whiffs and walks in a game since at least 1916, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

The teams wore black armbands and lined up on the baselines for a moment of silence before the game, which was played with the flag flying at half-staff.

The Sox scored all of their runs in the second inning, which featured five walks by wayward Indians starter Ubaldo Jimenez and two doubles by Mike Napoli, who began the inning with a double and scored, then knocked in three with a bases-loaded double off Indians reliever Cody Allen.

Red Sox starter Felix Doubront staggered through five innings -- four hits, four walks, 104 pitches -- to make his first win of the season a tougher task than it needed to be. Clayton Mortensen and Alex Wilson pitched two scoreless innings apiece to finish off the Tribe.

The game was the first the Sox have played against former manager Terry Francona, a storyline that was considerably more attractive before Monday’s tragic events robbed it of its light-heartedness.

Napoli’s doubles gave him three in as many at-bats. He had doubled home Dustin Pedroia in Boston’s 3-2 walk-off win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.

Pedroia, who walked and singled, kept alive his streak of reaching base in all 13 games the Sox have played this season, the only Boston player to do so.

On the other side of the ledger, Daniel Nava was the team’s ultimate whiffer Tuesday night, striking out all four times he went to the plate. He was spared a fifth whiff when manager John Farrell hit for him in the ninth; his replacement, pinch hitter Mike Carp, struck out on three pitches.

Nava salvaged some dignity with a nice sliding catch to take a hit away from Michael Brantley in the fourth.

Doubront assured himself of an abbreviated night when he struggled in the fifth, as he walked two and gave up two singles, but he left the bases loaded when he induced Mark Reynolds to pop out to Pedroia to end the inning with a yield of one run. The run scored on a passed ball charged to David Ross.

Although he went just five innings, Doubront kept alive the streak by Sox starters of giving up three runs or fewer in all 13 games this season. Alfredo Aceves will attempt to extend that streak Wednesday night.

The Sox played without shortstop Stephen Drew, whose absence was a scheduled night off, according to Farrell, and minus Jackie Bradley Jr., who is hitless in his past 20 at-bats and batting .097 overall. Bradley made a ninth-inning appearance as a defensive replacement.

CLEVELAND -- Red Sox closer Joel Hanrahan had hinted Monday afternoon that this might be coming, that a trip to the disabled list could not be avoided.

“It’s a possibility, if I go out there and try to throw,’’ he said. “The last two days all I’ve done is treatment. It’s kind of a wait-and-see deal.’’

The waiting ended Tuesday, when the Sox placed Hanrahan on the disabled list, retroactive to Sunday, with what the team is calling a strained right hamstring. He will be eligible to come off for Boston’s game in Toronto on April 30.

“He needs five to seven days to have the hamstring discomfort subside,’’ manager John Farrell said Tuesday. “We look for him to start a throwing program at that point. That’s where we’re at.’’

To take Hanrahan's place on the roster, the Red Sox called up knuckleballer Steven Wright from Pawtucket. Wright had been in the starting rotation for the PawSox, holding opposing hitters to a .167 average (6-for-36) in three starts, but he’ll be used as a long man out of the pen by the Sox.

Andrew Bailey, who gave up the game-tying run in the ninth on Monday, the first time he has been scored upon this season, but was credited with the win when Mike Napoli hit a walk-off double in the bottom of the inning, will continue as closer in the interim.

“Yeah, I’m ready to rock and roll,’’ Bailey said. “It’s what every reliever loves doing, closing. Hopefully we keep playing the way we are. We’re playing good baseball right now and that’s really where the focus is.

“In spring training we said we have a great bullpen, now it’s time to put our money where our mouth is. The way the starters are throwing the baseball is unbelievable. As a bullpen, we've got to keep doing what we’re doing: plugging along, getting outs when we need them.’’

Hanrahan said he first experienced soreness in the hamstring in his second outing of the season, April 3 in New York, when he recorded his first save of 2013. He pitched four more times thereafter, but gave up three ninth-inning home runs over two outings against the Orioles last week, then was yanked after walking the first two batters in the ninth inning Saturday against Tampa Bay.

The day after that appearance, Farrell indicated that the sore hamstring had affected the pitcher’s leg lift and was throwing off his mechanics. The Sox had hoped it would be just a couple of days, but with the hamstring not responding to treatment, the team shut him down.

Hanrahan was an All-Star in each of the last two seasons in Pittsburgh, accumulating 76 saves in that span. But that did not keep at least one Boston-area website and TV station from conducting fan polls asking who Boston’s closer should be. Hanrahan wasn’t surprised.

“They did that before I came, didn’t they?’’ he said. “I’m used to it.

“Every city is like that, believe it or not.’’

Well, Pittsburgh really wasn’t. “When I was first closer there, I ran off like 20 in a row,’’ he said. “They didn’t have a problem there.’’

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Less than an hour after completing his third minor league rehab game with the Pawtucket Red Sox, Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz sat down to have lunch in the home clubhouse at McCoy Stadium.

He crossed his hands, put his head down and prayed.

Ortiz prayed for all those affected by the tragic events Monday on Boylston Street in Boston, where two explosions crippled the city in the midst of Marathon Monday.

“I always thank God for everything,” Ortiz said. “I pray for a lot of things, but at this moment everybody’s got to keep their prayers for those families that struggle, and it’s going to take them a long time to recover for that, and for all those people who are injured to get back to normal, and to our country to stay together.

“Worldwide, yesterday, all eyes were on Boston and that’s what makes this country the best country in the world, how people stay together when times of struggle show up.”

Ortiz hasn’t played in a big league game since Aug. 24, 2012 due to right Achilles tendinopathy. He is on track to possibly return to the lineup Friday, but on Monday his rehab became secondary.

“Horrible, man. Horrible,” he said. “It’s the kind of situation, it hurts. It hurts. This is a beautiful nation right here, especially Patriots Day and we have that beautiful marathon every year. I’ve been in Boston for the past 11, 12 years and there’s not one human being in Boston on a day like yesterday that doesn’t get related to the marathon. Everybody wants to do something that connects you to something that can help with the marathon. Because we all know what everybody’s trying to do -- raise money for charities to help out people. Seeing what went down yesterday in Boston just hurts.

“Last night I had problems sleeping just thinking about it. This morning I woke up and was watching the news and I heard about this 8-year-old kid at the finish line dying. That devastates me.”

Ortiz is talking about Martin Richard, the 8-year-old boy from Dorchester, Mass., who died in the explosion while watching the race with his parents and siblings. His mother and sister were also badly injured.

Ortiz’s 8-year-old son, D'Angelo, is a fixture at Fenway Park during the season. He’s a well-respected boy in the clubhouse and is always at his father’s side. Since it’s school vacation, DeAngelo is in Cape Cod with a family friend. Ortiz’s wife, Tiffany, and their daughter, Alex, are both away on a UNICEF mission.

“Last night, when I was watching the news, I definitely called all of them,” Ortiz said. “I heard my son’s voice on the phone, and man, just thinking about how that went down, listening about this 8-year-old kid. My son is eight right now, it was just devastating. I got very emotional.”

Since he’s been home by himself and focused on his rehab, Ortiz had plenty of time to think about his family.

“It’s something that I put myself in the same place and it’s horrible, horrible. This is a beautiful nation and our president needs to get to the bottom of this and make sure this country goes back to what it’s always been, a safe place to be and where everybody wants to be and a happy place just like all of us know.”

Even though his son is 8, Ortiz explained the situation to him.

“Yeah, he knows and he was concerned,” Ortiz said. “They know and they get concerned about it, especially when they hear somebody their age gets hurt.”

Ortiz, who became a U.S. citizen in 2008 and lives year round in Boston, received a number of calls and texts from family and friends in his native Dominican Republic, asking him about the events.

“My phone didn’t stop yesterday,” he said.

Ortiz was in downtown Boston on Monday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. before he drove to McCoy Stadium to prepare for another minor-league rehab game. He was sitting in the PawSox’s clubhouse when the bombs exploded on Boylston Street.

“Once the news starts kicking in, and you start seeing how everything was going down, everybody was in shock,” Ortiz said.

“It was pretty bad. It’s going to take us some time to recover from that. But the one thing that I want to tell everyone is to just stay together. This is a tough time that everybody needs to stay together. Yesterday, it was, a big example of what this country is all about. That thing went off and you see nothing but everybody helping out each other. That’s why God bless America.”

Pretty touching gesture by the Red Sox here ...

Boston you're OUR home #BostonStrong twitpic.com/cjupur

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) April 16, 2013

CLEVELAND -- Boston Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli lives in an apartment complex in Copley Square, the same place in which former manager Bobby Valentine lived last season, and a short walk from the site of Monday’s explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

On Patriots Day last year, when he was still playing for the Texas Rangers, Napoli had an off-day in Boston. “I walked by the race last year, checking it out,’’ he said. “I walked around the city.

“Just a weird feeling, you know? Helpless feeling, too. Nothing we can do about it, you know what I’m saying? Innocent people get killed, doing something they love. Evil people out there, who don’t value life.’’

The Red Sox were just minutes away from boarding their bus to Logan Airport on Monday afternoon when security chief Charles Cellucci, who among other duties in a 34-year career with the Boston Police Department served as the department’s liaison with Homeland Security, called traveling secretary Jack McCormick. There had been two explosions on Boylston Street.

Moments later, the police escort assigned to accompany the team bus sped off. “That’s when we started asking questions,’’ pitcher Jon Lester said, “from the front of the bus to the back of the bus.’’

The bus driver was having trouble closing the baggage compartment on the bus, but McCormick, concerned that air space might be shut down over the city, told him not to worry about it, and head for the airport.

“We’re driving this way,’’ Jonny Gomes said, “and police cars, ambulances, fire trucks are driving the other way.’’

Throughout their flight to Cleveland, players were glued to their televisions, watching the news reports from a tragic scene less than a mile from Fenway Park.

Lester is among the players whose in-season home is in the city.

“Obviously it hit real home,’’ Lester said. “Boston is my home, just like everybody else in this clubhouse. Obviously, it’s not a good situation., Hopefully just like 9/11, we come together, not only as a city again but as a nation. Whoever did this is going to realize we don’t take kindly to things like this.

“I know a lot of guys live fairly close to the ballpark. Obviously, that’s the first thing that goes through your mind, people’s families. Luckily nobody [from their immediate families] was down there. Everybody was safe.’’

Gomes was reminded of the dramatic impact felt by New York City in the aftermath of 9/11, when baseball resumed after a brief interruption, and Mike Piazza of the Mets hit a game-winning home run. For that moment, at least, joy, an emotion rarely felt in the days immediately after the attacks on the World Trade Center, was allowed to be given full rein.

“It was not a win-lose situation, more like getting everybody back on track,’’ Gomes said. “This situation is a lifer. You’re not putting this behind you. At the same time, if we can get some people's hopes up, give people a breath of fresh air, we’re in entertainment business. That’s what we can do to help the area.’’

That can only go so far, though, he added.

“We’re not getting anyone out of surgery with a win or a loss,’’ he said. “This is a lifer here, you know? Just the main thing is to show the Boston Red Sox aren’t laying down to this. We’re going to keep trucking, and hopefully set that character, that attitude throughout the city.’’

CLICK HERE for more on the Red Sox's reactions to Monday's bombings.

BOSTON -- John Farrell knows what’s coming.

Even with an early rise Monday for the Patriots’ Day start, the Red Sox manager woke to find his cellphone already buzzing with text messages about Tuesday’s game against Cleveland -- Boston's first against former manager Terry Francona.

“It’s always fun,” Farrell said of the prospect of managing against Francona, “whether it’s the conversation before or the game that takes place inside of it. I know one thing, they’ve got a very good lineup and they’ll be well-prepared.”

Farrell, who served as pitching coach for four seasons under Francona, reflected on their personal history before Monday’s matinee with the Tampa Bay Rays. He chronicled his initial move to Boston, which developed after a late-night, in-person pitch from Francona in a Florida hotel room. Farrell was then the director of player development for the Indians and Francona was intent on bringing him aboard.

“We sat in a hotel room, drank a couple of beers and talked about where it could possibly lead,” Farrell said.

The pitch worked and Farrell joined his former Indians teammate in Boston.

Yet, as persuasive as Francona was in luring Farrell into the fold, he was equally as supportive when Farrell was ready to take the next step in his career. Following the tumult that cost Francona his job in 2010, he remained a source of council and a listening ear to Farrell.

“As opportunities emerged prior to finally making the move, he was always curious as to why, why not now? What are you waiting for?” Farrell recalled. “That to me, not to be over-presumptuous about anything, but that’s what made it a special place to work.”

It was also during that 2010 season that Jon Lester last found All-Star form.

Lester described his working relationship with Francona as good, but the two shared an extra element during Tito’s tenure in Boston. After Lester was on the mound for the deciding Game 4 of the 2007 World Series, Francona characterized his emotions watching Lester -- considering his comeback from lymphoma earlier that year -- as what a father would have for a son.

“If I ever needed anything, just needed a place to talk or vent or whatever, he always had an ear or shoulder to lean on or whatever,” Lester said before Monday’s game. “I think the biggest thing, and you can kind of see it with all the other homegrown guys, I think he had a different, special place for those guys than guys who were free agents who were brought in. Guys like that -- like [Dustin Pedroia], [Jacoby Ellsbury] and me and [Clay Buchholz] -- seems like he had a little extra niche, feeling, whatever it was for us, just because we had been in this organization and come up and succeeded.”

That connection was evident, even to Lester’s teammates. One day after Buchholz nearly spun the second no-hitter of his career, he called to mind the image of Francona looking on proudly as Lester worked his no-no. It not only was a marker of a special player-manager relationship, but a testament to Tito’s connection to his players.

“It made you feel good about the guy who was in charge of your team,” Buchholz added.

Despite the way his tenure in Boston ended, that is very much a part of the legacy Francona imparted on his players and staff.

“He had a knack and such a way to connect with so many different people and bring them all to a common point,” Farrell said. “Players all loved playing for him, they ran through the wall for him. He had a way of making every player know or feel that he was behind them and supported them, and if there were any issues -- which there were -- it was handled in an appropriate way.”

The Red Sox announced Tuesday that they are postponing Wednesday's scheduled Open House at Fenway Park. Here is the release from the Red Sox:

In light of the tragic events that befell our community yesterday, the Boston Red Sox will postpone tomorrow's Open House at Fenway Park. The free event was to provide an opportunity during school vacation week for families and children to wander the concourses, see displays, and stroll on the warning track. It will be rescheduled for later this season.

“We all personally feel the grief of the horrifying tragedy that struck our community on Patriot's Day,” said Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino. “Our hearts are with our fellow Bostonians and visitors from around the world who were here for one of Boston's most spectacular and time-honored events. In the coming days, we will join with others to find ways to show the victims of this heartless, cowardly act our sincere support, and to demonstrate to all, our community's unity, strength, and resilience.

“Fan safety has been and will continue to be of paramount importance. The club's security personnel will continue to work vigorously with Major League Baseball security, and federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities to maintain and reinforce the high level of security already in place at Fenway Park.”