CLEVELAND -- When Clay Buchholz stumbled out of the chutes to start the season, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said there were more than a few doubting Thomases.

Luckily for Buchholz, Valentine wasn’t one of them.

The manager stuck with the veteran right-hander, and in return he got the top-of-the-rotation starter the Red Sox desperately have needed since last September.

Buchholz pitched a complete-game two-hitter in a 3-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday at Progressive Field.

He registered his second complete game of the season and fifth of his career. Buchholz allowed just two hits (both to Asdrubal Cabrera) and one earned run. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out six.

“I was able to miss the fat part of their bats,” Buchholz said. “I felt good. I was able to throw the cutter where I wanted to. My change-up was down all night. Everything worked well. Hopefully, this will spark us.”

Buchholz was able to persevere early in the season when he struggled. In his last 11 starts, Buchholz is 6-1 with a 2.08 ERA, with 59 strikeouts and 15 walks over 82 1/3 innings. He's lowered his ERA on the season from 7.84 to 4.24 in that span.

“I’m throwing the same pitches,” he said. “The hard line drives hit in the gap are now going right to the outfielder. In my first five starts, if I missed out over the plate, it was hit out of the park. It was a challenge for me, but I had to work through it.”

Buchholtz allowed a solo homer to Cabrera in the first inning, but didn’t allow another earned run.

He pitched out of a jam in the fourth, when Cabrera led off with a double to dead center. He moved to third on a fly out to center, but was stranded there. That was a big moment in the game.

“He was terrific,” Valentine said. “He was in control the whole way.

“He was working with both sides of the plate. He pitched without a terrific curveball. His sinker, cutter and change-up were effective.”

Right fielder Cody Ross sent a jolt through Progressive Field in the top of the sixth, belting a two-run, 420-foot bomb over the center-field wall off losing pitcher Chris Seddon.

Ross, whose 18th homer gave the Sox a 3-1 lead, spurned an offer from the Indians to sign with Boston in the offseason. There’s a good reason why Ross was in the lineup on Friday. Ten of his last 21 hits off lefties have been homers.

“I was just trying to drive the ball in the gap,” Ross said. “I got some air under it.

“It’s definitely a good feeling when you square one up like that. The most important part was it was able to give Clay a little bit of a cushion there. When it truly counts is when the game is on the line. That’s more gratifying.”

Ross said the fielders enjoy working behind Buchholz.

“He was outstanding,” Ross said. “He gets quick outs. He pounds the strike zone. It’s fun to play defense behind him. It’s a pretty good recipe.”

Besides Buchholz’s masterpiece, Valentine was excited about another factor. He didn’t have to use his bullpen.

“That was huge,” he said.