Cleveland ? Victor Martinez followed the ball’s trajectory, and even when it cleared the wall, Cleveland’s catcher couldn’t believe his eyes.

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

Martinez’s two-run homer in the first inning off Schilling stood up when Jake Westbrook pitched six shutout innings and Cleveland’s bullpen came through in a 2-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night.

Westbrook (2-1) strengthened his case to earn a permanent spot in Cleveland’s rotation by holding the Red Sox to six hits and outdueling Schilling (3-2).

Cleveland has a surplus of starters, and with Jason Stanford set to return from the disabled list, manager Eric Wedge has some decisions to make.

Westbrook apparently made one for him, giving up just two runs and eight hits in his last 22 innings. Using his sinker to perfection, the right-hander got 13 outs on ground balls as the Red Sox lost their fourth straight.

“Jake obviously deserves to be in the rotation,” Wedge said.

And Westbrook plans to stay there.

“I want to start, but I’ll pitch wherever they need me,” said Westbrook, who has bounced between the rotation and bullpen his entire career. “It felt good to go out there and put up six zeros.”

Boston pitcher Curt Schilling reacts after giving up a two-run home run to Cleveland's Victor Martinez. The Indians beat the Red Sox, 2-1, Monday in Cleveland.

Schilling didn’t have his best stuff, but other than giving up Martinez’s homer, the right-hander pitched well enough to win. He allowed two runs and seven hits, walked one and struck out six.

He passed Hall of Famers Bob Feller and Warren Spahn for 20th on the career strikeout list with 2,587.

“Jake pitched a great game, but we’ve got to win games like this,” Schilling 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.”

The Red Sox stranded 13 runners and have lost four straight for the first time since July 30-Aug. 2 last season.

“Anytime this team loses four in a row,” former Royal Johnny Damon said, “there is something terribly wrong.”

For the Indians, that had been the case with their bullpen.

But for one of the few times this season, Cleveland’s relievers avoided a late-inning collapse.

David Riske, the club’s deposed closer, walked two in the seventh inning before Rick White came on. David Ortiz followed with an RBI double to deep center that probably should have been caught by Alex Escobar on the warning track.

But after walking Manny Ramirez to load the bases, White struck out Brian Daubach and Jason Varitek to keep Cleveland up 2-1.

“That was fun,” said White, who stuck with his curveball and struck out two more in the eighth. “We’re coming around. Guys are starting to believe in themselves.”

White Sox 5, Orioles 4

Baltimore — Scott Schoeneweis pitched seven innings of two-hit ball, and the surging White Sox scored three runs in the seventh inning.

Joe Crede homered for the White Sox, who have won five of six. Crede’s shot tied it at 1 in the sixth, and Chicago went up 4-1 an inning later against Mike DeJean (0-3).

Schoeneweis (3-1) allowed one run, struck out three and walked three in winning his third straight decision.

Melvin Mora drove in two runs with a two-out single in the ninth off Billy Koch, who loaded the bases on three walks. Miguel Tejada, who also drove in two runs, then grounded sharply to short, but Juan Uribe turned it into a game-ending fielder’s choice that gave Koch his fourth save in five tries.

Rangers 9, Devil Rays 0

Arlington, Texas — Kenny Rogers pitched a four-hitter, Alfonso Soriano hit a two-run homer, and David Dellucci and Michael Young each had three-run shots in an eight-run first inning as Texas won its fifth straight.

Rogers (4-1) struck out four, walked one and helped protect his eighth career shutout when he made a lunging grab of a line drive by Rocco Baldelli with runners at first and second to end the third inning. It was the 34th complete game of Rogers’ career.

The Devil Rays, coming off an 8-2 win over Oakland on Sunday, have gone 25 games without back-to-back victories. That’s the longest such streak since Baltimore failed to win two straight over the first 25 games in 1999.

Texas, which has won nine of 10, sent 11 to the plate in the first against Paul Abbott (2-3).

Angels 11, Tigers 9

Anaheim, Calif. — Vladimir Guerrero made up for a key error with a tying RBI single, Troy Glaus hit a go-ahead, two-run homer, and Anaheim rallied.

Detroit reliever Al Levine (2-2) blew the 6-2 lead he inherited from starter Mike Maroth, who left with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth. By the time Levine departed, the Angels had six more hits and an 8-6 lead.

Bengie Molina greeted his former batterymate with a two-run single on Levine’s first pitch, and Adam Kennedy added a two-out RBI single to cap Anaheim’s three-run sixth.

The Angels added three more in the seventh on Guerrero’s single and Glaus’ eighth homer on a 3-0 pitch.

Rookie reliever Kevin Gregg (1-0) pitched a scoreless seventh. Detroit scored three runs in the ninth, but Troy Percival got two outs for his eighth save in nine chances.