IN A room where smiles can sometimes be as hard to come by as personal space, particularly with the way things have gone at home so far this season, Jarrod Saltalamacchia's corner of the Red Sox clubhouse is perpetually positive.

He always finds a reason for praise, no matter how poor a pitcher's results may appear. He's the consummate teammate. He's patient even amid struggle, forever insisting that things are about to get better.

That's important to consider when, in the wake of a 12-1 win over the Indians Sunday, he says his team is on the verge of a breakthrough. It's also worth considering that this same team has already had a couple other winning streaks at least as long as its current three-gamer — especially when they followed up a six-game string of wins by losing nine of their next 11.

But after personally going 3-for-4 and helping his team take three of four from a Cleveland team currently leading the American League's Central division, Saltalamacchia said he senses that this time it somehow a little bit different.

And he's not alone in that feeling.

“It feels like we're clicking. It feels like we're all putting good at-bats together. It feels like the pitchers are starting to know who they are again,” said the catcher. “When you go out there and set the tone, that's what we feed off of.”

That's a big part. Since Josh Beckett was booed off the mound Thursday, Sox pitchers have been charged with only seven runs in 33 2/3 innings — a 1.87 earned run average. All three starting hurlers have delivered quality starts, and the bullpen has been lights out.

That's huge, but it's not the only reason the team is winning. In that same span, the offense is hitting .313, and has 17 extra-base hits in 31 frames. The defense has turned three double plays, has thrown out two men on the bases, and has committed just one error. Finally, in all phases, there are signs this team is putting it together.

“When you see the guys in the clubhouse, there's a good thing going,” manager Bobby Valentine said. “I think we had a good thing most of the year, it's just frustrating because we'd get so close and then it would slip away. Now we're just banging the door down.

“We're not letting the door shut the last few games. It's really been good.”

When Boston beat Tampa Bay three straight in April, the Rays' bullpen was in an awful rut. When it won six straight in visits to Minnesota and Chicago, they beat up on teams currently a combined 26-43. Cleveland came in playing well, though. They'd won seven of 10, including two of three against Texas — but they leave Fenway Park with their divisional lead down to one loss, and facing the possibility their young season may be at a turning point.

The Red Sox hope theirs is, too.

“When you have a good team — which, we have a good team — things are going to get going eventually,” Boston's Daniel Nava said, “and hopefully this is the start of something good.”

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Even after knocking home five runs, and driving a homer into the batter's eye in center field, Saltalamacchia was far more interested in discussing his day behind the plate instead of standing next to it. “We have guys like Adrian and David” to handle the offense, he says, referring to Gonzalez and Ortiz.

But despite the .225 batting average he brought with him into the win, which had dropped in accord with his .576 on-base plus slugging this month, the Sox appeared ready for a day like Sunday — which raised his average quickly to .250. He came in hitting .264 on balls in play, which was worst on the team (and lower than the .284 league average), so if Sunday is a sign his luck is starting to turn, and that his line drives are going to start finding grass, he could be a weapon.

Particularly for a catcher.

“Salty's not only been taking charge the last few days of the pitching,” Valentine said, “he's also swinging the bat well.”

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Battling through command issues in the middle of his outing, and despite lacking his best stuff, Red Sox starter Daniel Bard yielded only a run and six hits over six innings on Sunday. Evidence of the lack of life on some of his pitches came via the fact he had only two strikeouts, and after notching 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings as a reliever, he's now averaging just 5.6 — but his manager isn't concerned.

“There were five at-bats today, they were strikeouts,” Valentine said, citing one instance where Casey Kotchman barely stayed alive, and a few others where hitters were able to spoil what the manager believed to be good pitches. “It's not like he didn't put himself in the position of striking out; hitters are just really protecting with two strikes. I don't see great swings with two strikes, and that's the good thing.”

Considering that opponents began the day hitting .286 with two strikes against Bard — and taking good enough swings to hit .457 on balls in play — it may have been a sign of progress on a day Valentine said was full of such.

“His stuff today was not as good as some of the other stuff he's had when he's gone out there, and he battled through some innings and some situations, and I think that's a great day of learning,” said the manager. “A great stepping stone for him.”

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The Red Sox scored in double-figures for the ninth time, most in team history through 34 games. To underscore the value of pitching, though, consider that the Sox are now 12-3 when they score at least five runs — and 3-16 when they don't.

Dave D'Onofrio covers the Red Sox for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. His e-mail address is ddonof13@gmail.com.