Pro Sports

Bogaerts scores twice on wild pitches, Red Sox thump Rangers

Posted May 23, 2017 7:00 am

By DOUG ALDEN

Boston Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts is congratulated by teammates after scoring on a wild pitch by Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress during the sixth inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) The Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) - Xander Bogaerts and the Boston Red Sox don't need help putting runs on the board right now. They got some from the Texas Rangers anyway.

Bogaerts had three RBIs and twice scored on wild pitches, Dustin Pedroia had a two-run double during a four-run sixth inning and the Red Sox beat the Rangers 11-6 on Tuesday night.

"That's the kind of offense we have," Bogaerts said. "The weather's heating up and a lot of guys are putting good swings on the ball. It was a good win today. A lot of guys contributed."

Boston won its second in a row and once again did it primarily with offense. Coming off a 12-3 win at Oakland on Sunday, the Red Sox pummeled one of the hottest teams in the AL and helped Rick Porcello get just his second home win this season.

Porcello (3-5) won despite allowing 11 hits in 6 2/3 innings. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner struck out four and allowed five runs, four earned.

"We got the win. That's what's most important. Obviously you don't want to go out there and give up five runs or whatever it was," Porcello said. "Our guys swung the bats extremely well and played really good defense and we were able to come out with it tonight."

Joey Gallo got his 14th homer for Texas, and Shin-Soo Choo went 2 for 5 with two RBIs.

Texas entered having won 11 of 12. The 11 runs allowed marked a season high.

The Rangers outhit the Red Sox 13-12 and Boston left eight runners on base, but Texas could not overcome eight walks, one of them intentional.

"It was the walks. Really that's been a nemesis from time to time this year," manager Jeff Banister said. "It's the freebies that showed up again tonight that got us in trouble."

Andrew Cashner (1-4) pitched five innings, allowing five runs, six hits and four walks. He also threw a pair of wild pitches, one of them allowing Bogaerts to score from third and put Boston up 2-1 after three.

Bogaerts was 3 for 5 and took advantage of misfires by Cashner and Jeremy Jeffress to score, and Andrew Benintendi came home on a balk by Alex Claudio in the eighth. Pedroia, who had his 500th career multihit game, and Mitch Moreland finished with two hits and two RBIs apiece.

Texas went to the bullpen in the sixth and the Red Sox broke open the game. Deven Marrero and Mookie Betts both walked with two outs and scored on Pedroia's double to right. Bogaerts followed with another double that scored Pedroia. Two more walks loaded the bases and Bogaerts scored on Jeffress' wild pitch, putting Boston up 9-3.

LET'S TALK

Boston manager John Farrell said the Red Sox took advantage of the day off Monday with a team meeting to chat about how the season had gone so far - and not just the areas that have kept Boston hovering around .500.

"It was also to re-emphasize the things that are going well here and not just to pick out all that is wrong here. There are a number of things going right and a number of those things were on display here tonight," Farrell said.

ROUGHED-UP RANGERS

Of his 90 pitches, Cashner threw 54 for strikes and was still irked after the game about walking four batters in five innings of work.

"I thought the walks in certain spots definitely hurt me. I think it could have been a different game had some things gone differently," Cashner said.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rangers: 3B Adrian Beltre (strained right calf) did some running before the game and is making progress toward a return, manager Jeff Banister said. Beltre's next evaluation will be Thursday, and he could be back by the beginning of June, Banister said. ... Boston sent RHP Tyson Ross (thoracic outlet syndrome) on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Round Rock.

Red Sox: Called up 1B Sam Travis from Triple-A Pawtucket and optioned RHP Hector Velazquez to Pawtucket. Travis will platoon with Moreland. ... 3B Pablo Sandoval (right knee sprain) was ill and out of the lineup for Pawtucket in a rehab game. Manager John Farrell said Sandoval might need only two more rehab starts before returning.

UP NEXT

Rangers: LHP Martin Perez (2-5, 3.71 ERA) struck out eight in his last start, allowing two runs on five hits over seven innings Thursday against Philadelphia for his second win of the season.

Red Sox: LHP Chris Sale (4-2, 2.19 ERA) is riding a streak of eight consecutive starts with 10 or more strikeouts, an MLB record he also achieved in 2015 and shares with Pedro Martinez (1999).

___

More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Boston Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts, right, beats the throw to Texas Rangers catcher Jonathan Lucroy to score on a sacrifice by Mitch Moreland during the fifth inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) The Associated Press

Boston Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts follows through on his two-RBI single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) The Associated Press

Boston Red Sox's Andrew Benintendi stretches to reach the base as he's tagged out by Texas Rangers third baseman Joey Gallo while trying to advance during the fifth inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) The Associated Press

The ball bounces away from Boston Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland, left, while trying to unsuccessfully make a pick-off tag on Texas Rangers' Delino DeShields during the fifth inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) The Associated Press

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Andrew Cashner delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) The Associated Press

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Andrew Cashner delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) The Associated Press

Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus (1) deflects the ball, nearly colliding with left fielder Delino DeShields, rear, on a single by Boston Red Sox's Andrew Benintendi during the third inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) The Associated Press

Texas Rangers left fielder Delino DeShields dives but can't make the play on an RBI double by Xander Bogaerts during the sixth inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) The Associated Press

Boston Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon, right, makes the tag, catching Texas Rangers' Nomar Mazara trying to score on a double by Jonathan Lucroy during the seventh inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. Umpire Tim Welke, left, called Mazara out on the play, which was upheld after a challenge. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) The Associated Press

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