CLEVELAND — Did the Red Sox make a huge error in not trying harder to gain home-field advantage against the Indians? We’ll soon find out. The Indians are a far better home team (league-best 53-28) than road team, so that extra game at Progressive Field appears to be a distinct advantage.

The Red Sox convinced themselves that they’re a superior road team and will enjoy the challenge of playing on the road, as they did in August and September when they handled a road-heavy schedule.

The Indians lost the season series with Boston, 4-2, but they never lost more than three games in a row all season, they won 14 straight in June to pull away from the other AL Central contenders, and they went 21-11 to end the season. However, the loss of their Nos. 2 and 3 starters, Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco, presents manager Terry Francona with a major challenge.

The Red Sox, likewise, will be without 13-game winner Steven Wright for the Division Series.

The Red Sox won 11 straight games in September to pull away in the AL East, then lost five of their last six regular-season games. They led the majors in runs with 878, but the Indians were second to them in the AL with 777. Here is a closer look at the matchups.

Starting pitching

The Indians have been decimated with the injuries to their Nos. 2 and 3 starters, which gives a distinct advantage to the Red Sox. Francona has tapped Trevor Bauer to pitch Game 1 and then go on three days’ rest for a Game 4. Bauer has pitched poorly vs. Boston — 0-2 with a 12.91 ERA in two career starts — and wasn’t so hot in September either (3-2, 6.39), though he pitched well in his final start against Kansas City. So Rick Porcello has the advantage in Game 1. Game 2 is David Price vs. Corey Kluber in a battle of aces, but Kluber has battled a minor quadriceps injury, so you’d have to give the edge to Price, who has a history of pitching well against the Indians. Clay Buchholz and Eduardo Rodriguez are slated to pitch Games 3 and 4 for Boston.

Advantage: Boston.

Bullpen

Just when we thought everything was peachy with the Boston pen, Craig Kimbrel implodes at the worst possible time. If Kimbrel doesn’t straighten out, this could be big trouble for the Red Sox. The rest of their bullpen is solid, though, with Koji Uehara and Brad Ziegler plus lefties Drew Pomeranz and Robbie Ross Jr. Francona uses Andrew Miller any time he feels he needs his best reliever to pitch an important part of the game. The rest of the Indians’ pen has been pretty consistent. Closer Cody Allen has 32 saves, while righty setup man Dan Otero has a 1.53 ERA. They also have Jeff Manship (3.12), Bryan Shaw (3.24), and Zach McAllister (3.44).

Advantage: Cleveland.

Infield

The series features two of the best young shortstops in the game, Francisco Lindor and Xander Bogaerts. Lindor has the advantage defensively, with a high 2.71 defensive WAR and 17 defensive runs saved — tops at his position in baseball — while Bogaerts comes in at a -0.1 WAR and -10 runs saved. Third base has been a black hole for the Red Sox, and it appears they will use Brock Holt, with the Indians going without a lefty starter. Jose Ramirez (.312) has the advantage there. There are two very good second basemen, with Dustin Pedroia holding an edge over Jason Kipnis. The Sox also have the advantage at first base, where Hanley Ramirez has had a better season than Mike Napoli, though Napoli hit 34 homers.

Advantage: Cleveland.

Outfield

When you have two potential Gold Glovers in Jackie Bradley Jr and Mookie Betts, and they’re guys who have hit 26 (Bradley) and 31 (Betts) homers, it’s pretty tough to match that. Betts could be the league MVP. The Indians have the advantage in basepath speed, as Rajai Davis stole a league-best 43 bags and the Indians had 134 overall to lead the AL. Lonnie Chisenhall and rookie Tyler Naquin are tough lefthanded bats to reckon with. But even with an Andrew Benintendi/Chris Young platoon in left, the Red Sox have the better defensive and offensive outfield.

Advantage: Boston.

Catching

The Indians’ situation is in flux, and the position has been an offensive weak point all season. Yan Gomes (.167) could get the majority of the playing time, or Roberto Perez (.183), but neither one is hitting his weight, literally. Sandy Leon holds a distinctive edge here. The Red Sox need to control the Indians’ running game, and Leon has thrown out 41 percent of runners attempting to steal. Until a recent swoon, Leon also was among the best-hitting catchers in the league. Their poor offense notwithstanding, the Cleveland catchers do control the running game, having allowed the fewest stolen base (51) in the AL.

Advantage: Boston.

Designated hitter

It’s basically David Ortiz vs. Carlos Santana. Both are threats. Santana hit 34 homers, while Ortiz hit 37 in his final regular season. Ortiz tied Edwin Encarnacion for the league lead in RBIs with 127 and led all of baseball with a 1.021 OPS, while Santana had an .865 OPS.

Advantage: Boston.

Bench

Neither bench should factor much into the series. There are lefty/righty matchups that could be part of game-day decisions. The Red Sox will carry Travis Shaw and Aaron Hill on their bench, which could be slightly more effective than Cleveland’s. The Indians added veteran outfielder Coco Crisp late in the season to go along with Brandon Guyer, an effective righthanded hitter.

Advantage: Boston.

ManagerTerry Francona has two rings, John Farrell one. You can make the argument that Francona did more with less this season. He did, however, have the best starting rotation in baseball until injuries set in. Farrell also won the best division in baseball and had major young players become stars under his watch. Farrell had major bullpen challenges to overcome. Francona, however, is 28-18 (.609) in the postseason.

Advantage: Cleveland.

Key player

For Cleveland, it’s Miller. The former Red Sox lefty is used in the seventh or eighth inning, whichever Francona deems tougher. If Miller stalls Red Sox threats late in the game, the Indians could hold down Boston’s high-powered offense. For the Red Sox, it’s Kimbrel. If he’s not himself, it’ll be sayonara for the Red Sox.

Advantage: Cleveland.

Prediction: Red Sox in four games.

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickcafardo.