Red Sox scrape up a victory

Before they could sit down, Lowell launched the first pitch he saw into the seats above the wall in left field. The two-run homer helped the Sox to a 3-1 victory.

“It’s been an interesting road,’’ manager Terry Francona said. “Probably only Boston. About brought the house down. I guess it’s safe to say that was an immediate impact. Good for him.’’

Lowell’s blast provided all the run support needed by Josh Beckett, who allowed one run over eight innings and retired the final 14 batters he faced. He allowed three hits and struck out eight without a walk.

When Lowell learned four hours before the game that he was to be activated, he immediately shared the news with Beckett. The two became close while playing for the Marlins, a bond strengthened when they were traded to the Sox before the 2006 season.

Nobody in Fenway enjoyed Lowell’s home run more than Beckett.

“To see a teammate, or in his case one of my best friends I’ve ever made in baseball, go through a season like this . . . he’s handled it great,’’ Beckett said. “That was a great moment.’’

With Adrian Beltre on first base after singling to shallow left, Lowell looked for a first-pitch fastball from Indians starter David Huff and got one.

“That was a good pitch to hit and I took a real good swing,’’ said Lowell, who had not played since last Wednesday, the final game of an assignment to Triple A Pawtucket to rehabilitate a hip injury.

Lowell appreciated the greeting he received from the crowd.

“I don’t know if they were clapping because they thought maybe I was gone or because they’re happy to see me still here,’’ Lowell said. “It’s a real nice feeling. Running the bases felt real good.’’

Bill Hall also homered for the Sox, a shot to left in the fourth inning. From there, it was all Beckett. He needed only 103 pitches to get through his eight innings and kept the young Indians off balance by throwing all of his pitches for strikes.

“I had some pitches to go to, whether it be a cutter or sinker,’’ Beckett said. “My changeup was a lot better as the game went on. The curveball was a lot better.’’

Cleveland advanced only two runners as far as second base, one when Lou Marson homered in the third.