CLEVELAND--Tom Candiotti won his career-high seventh straight decision and Mel Hall tripled in two runs and scored one yesterday as the Cleveland Indians beat the Boston Red Sox, 6-5, and sent the American League East champions to their sixth loss in the season's final seven games.

The Red Sox finished the season 89-73, becoming the first team to win the AL East with fewer than 90 victories since divisional play began in 1969, excluding the strike seasons of 1972 and 1981.

The Indians. who won 16 of their first 20 games this season, finished sixth in the AL East at 78-84.

Candiotti (14-8) gave up four runs on six hits, struck out four and walked none in seven innings. Candiotti has not lost since July 22, a period covering 10 starts. Bud Black worked two innings for his first save.

The Red Sox used six pitchers as they prepared for `Wednesday's opening of the AL playoffs in Boston. Reliever Dennis Lamp (7-6) took the loss, giving up three runs on four hits in two innings.

Mike Boddicker, who will start against Oakland in Saturday's third game, pitched two scoreless innings, and Bruce Hurst, scheduled for Wednesday's opening game, gave up a run on two hits in one inning.

Tom Bolton, Bob Stanley and Lee Smith also pitched for the Red Sox.

Marty Barrett singled and Jim Rice hit a two-run homer, his 15th, to put Boston up, 2-0, in the fourth.

Cleveland came back with three off Lamp in the bottom of the inning on Hall's two-run triple and an RBI single by Brook Jacoby. The Indians made it 4-2 in the fifth on Dave Clark's sacrifice fly off Hurst.

Barrett singled in a run for Boston in the sixth, but Cleveland scored twice in the bottom of the sixth.