Boston is limited by three Cleveland pitchers to only three hits at Fenway Park for the first time since August 28, 2002.

09:28 AM EDT on Tuesday, June 28, 2005

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- If the last week has taught the Red Sox anything, it's this: you can't win if you don't score.

AP photo

Second baseman Mark Bellhorn watches the ball roll into the outfield after he botched a relay from Bill Mueller in the fourth inning last night. Sliding into second is Cleveland's Ben Broussard.

Bookending the team's season-high, seven-game winning streak, the Red Sox have lost twice. In each case, they were shut out -- 10 days ago by the Pittsburgh Pirates and again last night by the Cleveland Indians.

The Sox, who had collected at least 10 hits in each of their seven victories while averaging more than eight runs, managed just three hits last night and were blanked, 7-0.

The last time the Sox had as few as three hits in a game at Fenway was some 208 games ago on Aug. 28, 2002.

Bronson Arroyo became the first Red Sox starter to be saddled with a loss since Wade Miller was defeated at Wrigley Field better than two weeks ago. But Arroyo got no help from his offense and not much more from his defense. Six of the seven runs were tainted and two of them were officially unearned.

"It was just one of those messy nights," concluded Johnny Damon.

With the bases loaded and one out, Arroyo seemed on the verge of getting out of a jam in the third inning when Ronnie Belliard hit a tailor-made double-play ball to third baseman Bill Mueller.

But Mueller's throw to second to force Ben Broussard ticked off Mark Bellhorn's glove and sailed into right field, enabling Travis Hafner to score from third and Victor Martinez to come in from second.

"It was just a hard-hit ball, and sometimes on those plays you don't get to the bag as early as you want," said Bellhorn. "I missed the ball; I should have made the play.

"He looked away a little bit," manager Terry Francona said of Bellhorn, "whether it was (to see) the runner or where he's going to go to first. If it tails at all and he doesn't look it into his glove, you saw what happened. That's very uncharacteristic."

On an infield out by Jody Gerut, Broussard scored the third run of the inning, all of which could have been avoided had Bellhorn caught Mueller's feed and thrown to first to get the third out on Belliard.

In the fifth, with Coco Crisp on first, Travis Hafner banged a ball high off The Wall. Manny Ramirez' overthrew the cutoff man and the ball got past Bellhorn at second as Crisp rounded the bases. In fairness to Ramirez, Crisp likely would have scored anyway, but a better throw might have made a closer play.

Finally, in the seventh with Jhonny Peralta on first with a walk, Grady Sizemore drove a ball deep to right. Trot Nixon got tangled up while in pursuit and when he reached up to catch the ball, it caromed off his glove and into the bullpen for a gift homer.

The outfielder, known for his on-field intensity, slammed his glove on the bullpen wall in frustration and bent over for a minute to compose himself further.

"I jumped too early," said Nixon. "That should have been an out. It could have been a good play that I made and turned into a (highlight) blooper."

Two batters later, Hafner absolutely crushed a pitch deep into the right field bleachers, ending Arroyo's evening.

"Two funny plays, you know?" said Arroyo recounting his tough-luck evening. "But I felt strong, I felt good. I felt like I was commanding again. Even after the three runs I thought they hadn't hit the ball hard. I felt like I still commanded the game even though they scored seven runs."

"We didn't help him out," added Damon of the Sox starter. "You can't give a team extra outs and we gave them a couple."

Meanwhile, Cleveland starter Kevin Millwood dominated the Sox lineup that had batted him around for six runs in six innings last week in Cleveland.

The best chance the Sox had may have come in the first when Damon singled, stole second, and after Edgar Renteria walked, took third on a flyout by David Ortiz.

But Millwood dug in and got Manny Ramirez and Nixon on groundouts, stranding two.

"Once we got through that first inning," Francona said, "we didn't do anything."

The only other threat came in the third on a two-out single from Renteria and a walk to Ortiz. But once more, Millwood refused to bend, fanning Ramirez for his third strikeout of the inning.

"His fastball was just explosive," said Damon, "and we just couldn't catch up to it."

Two former Red Sox relievers -- Bobby Howry and Scott Sauerbeck -- combined to pitch three perfect innings in relief.