David Ortiz homers twice as Boston tops Cleveland.

CLEVELAND – Bill Mueller hit a tiebreaking three-run homer, David Ortiz homered twice, and the Boston Red Sox broke a five-game losing streak with a 9-5 win over the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night.

Bronson Arroyo (1-1) gave up one hit and struck out three over two scoreless innings of relief for the win – snapping Cleveland’s four-game winning streak.

Mueller snapped a 5-5 tie with his homer off reliever David Riske in the sixth inning.

It was just Mueller’s fourth hit in 32 at-bats with runners in scoring position this season. The defending AL batting champion was dropped from second to eighth in the order Tuesday night by manager Terry Francona, and has gone 4-for-7 since to move his average up to .257.

Ortiz connected twice and drove in four runs against Jeff D’Amico (1-2) to give the Red Sox a rare early lead.

The designated hitter, just 3-for-21 (.143) in his previous five games, hit a high drive just inside the right-field foul pole in the first inning for a 1-0 lead.

The Red Sox got five hits in a four-run third highlighted by Ortiz’s seventh homer, a three-run shot with two outs. Kevin Millar added an RBI single later in the inning for a 5-3 lead.

When Cleveland only scored once in the bottom half it meant the Red Sox led after a complete inning for the first time in 40 innings – since the seventh inning of the first game of a doubleheader Saturday in Texas.

But Cleveland scored once in the third when Red Sox starter Byung-Hyun Kim hit a batter, gave up one single, and also made one of three Boston errors in the inning.

Kim allowed four earned runs and six hits over 3 1-3 innings.

Cleveland took a 2-1 lead in the first on Omar Vizquel’s second homer, a triple by Jody Gerut and sacrifice fly by Victor Martinez.

Two more hits and a sacrifice fly by Matt Lawton made it 3-1 in the Indians’ second.

Lawton doubled to finish Kim, and scored on Vizquel’s single off reliever Mark Malaska to tie it at 5 in the fourth.

Boston added an unearned run in the ninth.

D’Amico gave up seven runs and seven hits in five-plus innings.

Notes: The Red Sox will try to gain a series split Thursday night when Pedro Martinez (3-2, 4.17 ERA) faces C.C. Sabathia (1-0, 1.61 ERA). It will be Sabathia’s first time opposing the Red Sox’s six-time All-Star. … D’Amico is 0-4 with an 8.67 ERA in five career starts against Boston. … The Red Sox left six runners on base after stranding 229 in their first 26 games. … Riske has given up at least one run in seven of 10 appearances. He has a 12.10 ERA and allowed four homers in 9 2-3 innings overall.

AP-ES-05-05-04 2224EDT