Jake At The Jake

So this is what the Indians' grand blueprint for success could look like! A well pitched game (by Jake Westbrook) + a key hit by a young player (a two-run homer by Victor Martinez) + solid relief (by Rick White and Rafael Betancourt) = a 2-1 win over Curt Schilling and the Boston Red Sox at Jacobs Field on Monday night.

Martinez's two-run homer in the first inning off Schilling stood up when Westbrook pitched six shutout innings and Cleveland's bullpen did its job. The young catcher, who had three of the seven hits allowed by Schilling, expressed wide-eyed surprise at what he had done.

"I was rounding the bases and I thought, 'Oh, my God, I just hit a home run off Curt Schilling,' "Martinez said.

Schilling was shocked too -- but more at himself for throwing a belt-high fastball than Martinez for launching it.

"I knew what pitch I wanted to make, and I went away from it," said the veteran right-hander. "The ball to Martinez is the one I want back. It was one pitch that cost us."

Westbrook (2-1) was exceptional for a third consecutive outing, holding the Red Sox to six hits and no runs over six innings. That gave the right-hander a 0.82 ERA over his last three performances, during which he has allowed only two runs and eight hits over 22 innings.

Once again, Westbrook's sinker was superb as he got 13 of 18 outs on the ground, struck out three and walked only two.

"It felt good to go out there and put up six zeroes," said Westbrook, who apparently has secured a place in the rotation after opening the season in long relief.

"Jake obviously deserves to be in the rotation," manager Eric Wedge said.

That's fine with Westbrook, who has been bounced from the bullpen to starting and back again ever since he was acquired four years ago from the New York Yankees.

"I want to start, but I'll pitch wherever they need me," he said.

The emergence of C.C. Sabathia and the continued development of Jason Davis, Cliff Lee and Jason Stanford along with Westbrook's recent work makes the starting staff a strong point.

This time, the bullpen came through, too, though David Riske again struggled.

Riske, who was taken out of the closer's role by Wedge on Friday, walked two in the seventh inning, but White came on and got out of the jam with only one run scoring. He gave up an RBI double to David Ortiz that probably should have been caught by Alex Escobar on the warning track in center, walked Manny Ramirez to load the bases, but struck out Brian Daubach and Jason Varitek to keep it at 2-1.

"That was fun," said White, who struck out two more in the eighth.

Betancourt yielded a leadoff single in the ninth to Johnny Damon, who stole second on a strikeout and went to third on catcher Martinez's throwing error.

With Cleveland's infield playing in, Betancourt got Ortiz to hit a hard grounder right at second baseman Ronnie Belliard for the second out. He then walked Ramirez -- for his first walk of the season against 17 strikeouts -- but got Daubach to fly to left for his first save.

"We had the guy up there we wanted in that situation," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "David hit it hard, but right at somebody." Schilling credited Westbrook and blamed himself for putting pressure on the Red Sox hitters, who are in a slump with runners on base.

"Jake pitched a great game, but we've got to win games like this," he said. "It was one of those where if you score two, I've got to give up one. You score three, I've got to give up two. "Sometimes it is not how many you give up, but when. I wanted to go out there in the first inning and put up a zero. Instead, I put our guys behind."

The Red Sox stranded 13 runners and have lost four straight for the first time this season.

"Anytime this team loses four in a row there is something terribly wrong," Damon said. "We have the pitching to stop streaks, but great pitching needs hitting, too."