NEW YORK - Francisco Lindor was about 10 years old in Puerto Rico at the height of the rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

While all his friends opted to root for the Yankees, Lindor cheered for the Red Sox and had dreams of hitting a big home run to beat the Yankees.

Lindor's moment came with one out in the top of the eighth inning when he connected off Dellin Betances, giving the Cleveland Indians a 4-3 victory over New York on Sunday afternoon.

"A lot of people like the Yankees in Puerto Rican, but I was more of a Boston fan because a lot of people liked the Yankees," said the 21-year-old Lindor, who is batting .433 against New York. "So I always liked to be against everybody."

The switch-hitting shortstop had his second straight three-hit game and homered in consecutive games for the first time in his brief career.

"I think he's a good hitter, especially against that guy," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. "I think lefties not just the batting average but OPS is .330, something absurd. But he's got bat speed from both sides of the plate and he doesn't stop playing. So that was obviously a huge lift for us."

Facing Betances for the second straight day, Lindor intended to bunt over Jose Ramirez and let second baseman Mike Aviles or left fielder Michael Brantley get an RBI chance. The plan was thwarted when Ramirez was caught stealing second on a 1-2 pitch.

After looking at two off-speed pitches to get to a full count, Lindor put a charge in Betances' 97 mph fastball and drove it over the right field fence. It was Lindor's seventh home run of the season but also marked the first time Betances had allowed a home run against a left-handed hitter.

"He's big," Lindor said. "He's a big guy. I faced him yesterday and his velocity is great and his slider is very good. It's a good challenge.

"Got to get on base, that was pretty much it. My job is to move runners over, get on base when I can and make something happen. I was just trying to bunt him over so I could give Aviles and Michael Brantley a chance to drive him in."

Lindor's big moment was made necessary when the Indians could not protect a 3-1 lead. After right-hander Trevor Bauer ended his 6 1/3-inning outing by striking out pinch hitter Alex Rodriguez, Bryan Shaw gave up a bloop two-run double to right fielder Carlos Beltran.

Bauer made it to the seventh after allowing a combined 11 earned runs in five innings during losses to the Red Sox and Yankees. Despite issuing a season-high six walks, Bauer gave up an unearned run and two singles in 6 1/3 innings.

"On the heels of kind of what's happened the last couple of weeks, he kept them off the scoreboard," Francona said. "He didn't give up a lot of hits and he competed really well. A lot of days six walks will hurt you and it didn't and I thought he kept his composure and I thought it was a good step forward for him and that's kind of what we were looking for."

Not being able to do much off Bauer or take a lead after coming back in the seventh was the least of the problems for the Yankees in their seventh loss in the last nine meetings with the Indians.

Left-hander CC Sabathia exited with two outs in the top of the third with a sore right knee and likely will need a DL stint. In July he had it drained to cope with fluid in the surgically repaired knee and after his last start Sabathia had a cortisone shot.

Sabathia felt it warming up and it seemed to impact his velocity and control as he tied a season-high with four walks. He gave up a two-run home run to first baseman Carlos Santana with two outs in the first on a pitch clocked at 88.

"It's something that we've been watching all year long and it reared its ugly head today," New York manager Joe Girardi said. "I think he felt it warming up and didn't say anything. I was watching him during the course of the game and he usually doesn't walk people and that kind of what tipped us off that maybe something was bothering him."

After he struck out catcher Yan Gomes on a 91 mph fastball, the Yankees saw something wrong and lifted him. He had an MRI and examination by team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad and it showed the discomfort.

"It's tough especially when you're trying to help this team win," Sabathia said. "I felt like I was throwing the ball pretty good lately. To have this flare up (stinks).

After Sabathia's exit, center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury scored an unearned run in the third when Lindor misplayed a throw by Gomes on a stolen base by left fielder Brett Gardner.

Cleveland went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and its only other run was a bases-loaded walk by center fielder Abraham Almonte with two outs in the fifth.

NOTES: New York left 1B Mark Teixeira and DH Alex Rodriguez out of the starting lineup for the second consecutive game. Teixeira missed his sixth straight with a bruised right lower leg, though he played catch on the field and took batting practice for the first time since fouling a ball of his leg Monday. ... Rodriguez, who has five hits in his last 40 at-bats entering Sunday, came into Sunday's game as a pinch hitter and struck out. ... Cleveland 2B Jason Kipnis was left out of the starting lineup for the first time since returning from the DL Wednesday but he entered in the fifth and drew two walks. Although Kipnis and LF Michael Brantley entered Sunday a combined 2-for-19 off LHP CC Sabathia, manager Terry Francona did not want to have both off on the same day. Kipnis entered Sunday's game as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-1. ... The Yankees retired the number (46) of former LHP Andy Pettitte and gave him a plaque in Monument Park.