BOSTON — Jacoby Ellsbury never had a game-winning hit before this week.

Now he has two in as many games.

One night after his ninth-inning single drove in the game-winning run, the Red Sox center fielder homered with two outs in the ninth on Wednesday to give the Boston Red Sox a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Indians.

“The guy’s got us two nights in a row,” said Indians reliever Joe Smith (2-2), who retired the first two batters in the ninth before Ellsbury hit an 0-1 pitch over the wall in straightaway center.

Asked if the pitch was where he wanted it, Smith said: “Four hundred and fifteen away to the middle of center? No.”

Jonathan Papelbon (4-0) pitched a perfect ninth for Boston, which won for the 10th time in 13 games. Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez each had two hits, and Tim Wakefield took a three-hitter into the seventh but could not collect career victory No. 200.

Jason Kipnis homered for the fourth straight day for Cleveland, which lost for the 10th time in 13 games to fall to .500 for the first time since the fourth game of the year. Starter Carlos Carrasco allowed three runs — two earned — and nine hits and three walks while striking out five before leaving with the game tied 3-all in the eighth inning.

Tony Sipp struck out two in a perfect eighth, and then Smith retired pinch-hitter Darnell McDonald and No. 9 hitter Marco Scutaro before Ellsbury, who was 0 for 4 so far in the game, came to the plate. Ellsbury, who hit a one-out single to win it on Tuesday, drove it over the high wall in center.

“I realized it was the ninth inning and I had been 0 for 4 both games. I’m just trying to get on base,” he said. “The last two days have been pretty good.”

Wakefield took a 3-2 lead into the seventh inning with a chance for his 200th win, but he gave up doubles to Lonnie Chisenhall and Ezequiel Carrera to tie it. Red Sox manager Terry Francona headed to the mound, leading Wakefield to pound his fist in frustration and drawing boos from the crowd.

The fans cheered Wakefield as he left the field, but he did not react. He allowed three runs and five hits and two walks in all, striking out six in 6 2-3 innings.

“It’s hard,” Francona said. “I knew what it meant to the fans wanting to see it — and so do I — and to him personally. But you do what you have to do to try and win the game.”

The right-handed knuckleballer, who turned 45 on Tuesday and is the oldest active player in the majors, will have another chance at becoming the 108th pitcher with 200 wins — the 89th since 1900 — is expected to come on Monday or Tuesday night.

Carrasco, who had lost five straight starts, was suspended six games and fined $2,500 for throwing at the head of Kansas City’s Billy Butler on Friday night. He said he would drop his appeal and begin the suspension after Wednesday night’s game.

Notes

• The teams are back for game four of the series on Thursday night, when newly acquired starter Erik Bedard will face former Red Sox pitcher Justin Masterson. Masterson is 3-3 with a 1.76 ERA in his past 11 games (10 starts). He was part of the deal that brought Victor Martinez to Boston at the 2009 trading deadline. In three career starts against his former team, he is 2-0 with a 1.25 ERA.
• Bedard only went 1 1-3 innings and gave up five runs in his previous start, for Seattle against Tampa Bay — his first start since coming off the DL (sprained left knee).
• To make room for Jimenez on the roster, the Indians optioned LHP David Huff to Triple-A Columbus.
• Indians OF Michael Brantley was given the night off to rest his sore right wrist.
• Kipnis is the first Indians rookie to homer in four straight games since Al Rosen in 1950, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
• Pedroia was the AL player of the month for July, with 46 hits in the month.
• Boston SS Marco Scutaro was back in the lineup after sitting out Tuesday’s game with dizziness.
• The Red Sox batter with game-ending hits on consecutive days of the regular season was Butch Hobson in 1978, though David Ortiz did it in the 2004 playoffs against the New York Yankees.

BOSTON — Pinch-runner Jarrod Saltalamacchia dived across home plate to score the winning run on Jacoby Ellsbury’s single in the ninth inning and the Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 3-2 on a rainy Tuesday night.

Boston Red Sox's Jarrod Saltalamacchia dives for home plate to score the winning run as Cleveland Indians catcher Carlos Santana tries to tag him in the ninth inning yesterday. (AP photo.)

Jason Varitek singled with one out in the ninth against Vinnie Pestano (1-1) and Saltalamacchia ran for him. Josh Reddick followed with a single that sent Saltalamacchia to second.

Ellsbury then singled, setting up the play at the plate. Center fielder Eziquiel Carrera threw home and catcher Carlos Santana caught the ball wide of the plate, but Saltalamacchia won the race and scored.

The start of the game was delayed by rain for one hour, 35 minutes.

Jonathan Papelbon (3-0) got the win after shutting down the Indians on just 10 pitches in the ninth. Boston posted its six walk-off win of the season.

Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall hit solo homers for Cleveland’s runs.

Indians starter David Huff gave up one unearned run and three hits in five innings, and tied his career high with six strikeouts. Huff has allowed just one earned run in three starts this season.

Boston scored in the second on a wild pitch that actually struck out Varitek. Huff followed that by striking out Darnell McDonald and Ellsbury.

Huff left with a 2-1 lead on Chisenhall’s homer into the right-field corner in the fourth.

Reliever Rafael Perez took over for the Indians in the sixth and the first batter he faced was Kevin Youkilis, who tied it at 2 with a towering solo shot that hit one of the signs above the Green Monster.

Youkilis was ejected after his next at-bat, when he struck out on a checked swing and argued on his way back to the dugout.

Kipnis, who homered in his last at-bat Monday, drove the first pitch he saw from Josh Beckett into the Boston bullpen in the first to put the Indians up 1-0.

Beckett was pulled after six innings, allowing six hits and striking out seven.

Notable

• Red Sox SS Marco Scutaro, who left Monday night’s game with dizziness, was sent for tests Tuesday that cleared him to play, but he was held out of the starting lineup by manager Terry Francona. Scutaro entered the game in the ninth inning after Youkilis’ ejection. Mike Aviles, who started at short, moved over to third.
• Injured Boston SS Jed Lowrie is playing rehab games at Triple-A Pawtucket, where he went 1 for 3 Tuesday and could return soon.

Tonight

• Who: Cleveland at Boston
• Time: 7:10
• Where: Fenway Park
• Pitchers: Carrasco (8-9, 4.67 ERA) vs. Wakefield (6-4, 5.06)
• TV/radio: Channel 3, SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

ELYRIA — The city’s insurance company has agreed to pay $50,000 to an Elyria man who was punched by an Elyria police officer while handcuffed to a hospital bed earlier this year.

The settlement prevents a planned lawsuit that Johnny Smith Jr. and his attorney Joseph Triscaro had said they were going to file against the city and police Officer Jay Loesch for the Jan. 27 incident.

Elyria Law Director Terry “Pete” Shilling said the payment comes with standard confidentially agreements that bar Smith and Triscaro from commenting. Triscaro has declined to comment on the status of a civil action since the deal was struck with the insurance company.

Shilling said the city doesn’t admit to liability under the terms of the agreement. The city will pay its deductible of $25,000 in the case, but the remaining funds will be paid to Smith by the insurance company, he said.

Shilling declined to comment further.

Loesch has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge in connection with the alleged punch, which police reports said took place at EMH Medical Center in Elyria after Smith was arrested in connection with the theft of beer and steaks from Apples grocery store.

Police reports and witness statements said that Smith had to be pulled from the cab of the semitrailer he was driving after nearly running down Elyria police Officer James Rider. Jeff Marcum, the man who actually stole the beer and steaks and loaded them into the semi cab, didn’t resist arrest and pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor theft charge last week.

Smith contends he didn’t fight his arrest either, but police officers said he struggled with officers while he was removed from the cab and once officers had him outside. Smith insists that he was attacked by officers for no reason and that Rider struck him twice in the head with a flashlight, allegations that both police and Special Prosecutor John Reulbach Jr. have rejected.

After he was subdued, Smith was taken to the hospital where he was handcuffed to a hospital bed. Nurses noted that Smith, who had a blood-alcohol level of 0.355, well above the legal limit, and officers were hostile to one another when they arrived.

Smith then made a comment about how he wished other officers had been killed on March 15, 2010, when Ronald Palmer gunned down Elyria police Officer James Kerstetter, who was responding to a call on 18th Street.

Loesch and Officer Donald Moss responded to the scene and shot and killed Palmer when he refused orders to surrender and charged at Loesch. A county grand jury ruled that the shooting was justified.

After Smith made the comment in the hospital, Loesch and Officer Richard Walker shut the door to the room and Loesch struck Smith once in the face, according to a nurse who witnessed the incident on a monitor connected to a security camera in the room.

Smith has said the punch nearly knocked him unconscious, while Walker described it as a blow that wouldn’t have harmed his 10-year-old.

Loesch received a 10-day suspension following an internal police investigation. He didn’t contest the suspension and served five days of it earlier this year. Loesch won’t have to serve the remaining five days of the suspension as long as he doesn’t get in any more trouble for the rest of the year.

Smith was sentenced last week to probation and the six months of jail time he’s already served after pleading guilty in April to failure to comply, obstructing official business and DUI charges stemming from his actions in January.

Bob Phillips, Loesch’ attorney, declined to comment on the city’s payment to Smith.

Contact Brad Dicken at 329-7147 or bdicken@chroniclet.com.

ELYRIA — Alicia Kruse has always lived her life with a simple plan: Graduate high school, go to college, get a degree, find a decent job and buy a house.

Alicia Kruse is the new owner of the first home put up for sale by the city of Elyria. She just got her keys to the home on Denison Ave. and is ready to start moving things in already. (CT photo by Bruce Bishop.)

The final step of her plan came to be Monday afternoon when Kruse, 24, walked into a house on Denison Avenue.

Her mother and sister were right behind her, and a truck full of personal belongings taken from storage was parked on the street.

“Go ahead and check it out,” she said as she crossed the threshold. “I love the hardwood floors and the wood banister. You have to see the floors.”

Located on a quiet tree-lined street in the Eastern Heights neighborhood, Kruse’s new home is the first home sold through the city’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which uses federal funds to help cities turn foreclosed vacant houses into owner-occupied homes.

With each house the city has purchased since receiving its first round of funding in 2009, city officials either slated the homes for demolition or rehabilitation. In total, the city purchased more than 50 homes although most were slated for demolition.

The city purchased Kruse’s home for $47,500 and then spent approximately $68,000 to rehabilitate it before it went on the market. Basic improvements included an electrical system upgrade, new furnace, new air conditioner, new hot water tank, new exterior water line and new roof, gutters and downspouts on both the house and garage.

Under the federal guidelines, the idea of the program is not to make money, but to encourage homeownership. The home went on the market for $105,000 with a soft mortgage offered by the city for approximately $15,000, which brought the sale price down to $90,000. The soft mortgage is a loan from the city that Kruse won’t have to pay back if she stays in the home more than five years.

“I think once people get out and talk to people, I think we will get a lot of calls because people will see that these are good homes,” Community Development director Angie Byington said.

Carol Gallardo, the city’s real estate agent, said she thinks more people will be homeowners because of the program.

“People think this program is for low-income people, but it’s also for people who just want to start life with a good home,” she said.

Kruse, a pharmacy technician at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, said some may think her three-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom home is a lot for a single woman with no kids, but she said she plans to host parties and holidays for her family.

“I like having my own space and my own stuff,” she said. “As crazy as it sounds, I love responsibility.”

The city hopes to close on its second home later this month, has offers on two other homes and will soon put more homes on the market.

In total, the city will sell more than a dozen homes through the program.

Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.