BOSTON — First-time All-Star Steven Wright won his 10th game and David Ortiz ripped his 20th home run of the season and drove in three runs, powering the Boston Red Sox to an 11-6 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night.
In winning the rubber game of the three-game series handing the road-weary Rangers their fourth loss in their last five games, the Red Sox cashed in on three infield errors by Texas in a five-run second inning (four unearned) after Ortiz hit a two-run homer in the first.
Wright (10-5), one of six Red Sox named to the American league All-Star team on Tuesday, won his second straight start. He worked six-plus innings in his final start before Tuesday’s All-Star Game in San Diego.
Ahead 11-1, Wright gave up a long two-run homer to Prince Fielder in the sixth inning and a booming two-run triple to All-Star Ian Desmond to knock him out in the seventh.
Craig Kimbrel, used for a second straight night in a non-save situation and coming off a Tuesday night disaster, worked a hitless ninth. He walked two after getting the first two outs before ending the game with his second strikeouts.
Ortiz, also an All-Star, now has 69 RBIs for the season.
Bryce Brentz also drove in three runs, Ryan Hanigan singled home two and All-Star Mookie Betts posted a pair of doubles and drove in his 58th run as a leadoff hitter.
Left-hander Martin Perez (7-5) was the victim of errors on rather routine grounders by Rougned Odor, Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus in the nightmarish second inning.
Perez lost for the first time since May 18 and saw a six-game winning streak end. The first-place Rangers had been 8-0 in his previous eight starts.
Texas finished a 10-game road trip with a 4-6 record and concluded a stretch of 20 out of 26 games on the road. The Rangers go home for four and then come out of the break with nine more road games.
The Red Sox are 4-2 on their current nine-game homestand, scoring 38 runs in the four wins and four in the two losses.
Boston third baseman Travis Shaw left the game in the eighth inning with a left foot contusion and will have x-rays on Thursday.
Fielder’s homer was the 319th of his career, matching the total run up by his father, Cecil.
Ortiz reached the 20-home run mark for the 15th straight season when he drilled a 3-2 pitch for a no-doubter after Xander Bogaerts singled with two out in the first.
Dustin Pedroia, who is one of five players vying for the final American League All-Star spot, made his fourth error at second base to start the Texas second as Beltre reached second. He wound up scoring on Nomar Mazara?s single.
A walk to Jackie Bradley Jr. and back-to-back errors by Odor and Beltre loaded the bases with nobody out in the second. Hanigan, in his first at-bat since June 4, singled in a pair and Betts made it 5-1 with a ringing double. Andrus completed an error hat trick as another run scored and Ortiz made it 7-1 with a sacrifice fly.
It was 11-1 when the Rangers, running on fumes with a tired bullpen, finally pulled Perez after four innings.
Blue Jays 4, Royals 2
TORONTO — Marcus Stroman allowed two runs over eight innings, Michael Saunders homered and singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep.
It was the fifth win in a row for the Blue Jays (48-39) and the fourth straight loss in a row for the Royals (43-41). The 2015 World Series champions are 16-30 on the road.
Stroman (7-4) allowed three hits and one walk while striking out six.
Roberto Osuna pitched around a two-out single in the ninth to earn his 17th save.
Brett Eibner hit his second homer of the season with one out in the eighth inning to tie the game 2-2.
Kelvin Herrera (1-2) entered the game for the Royals in the eighth and struck out his first two batters before allowing a double to Edwin Encarnacion, a single to Saunders and a double to Russell Martin to give the Blue Jays a 4-2 lead.
Orioles 6, Dodgers 4 (14 inns.)
LOS ANGELES — Jonathan Schoop hit a two-run double in the 14th inning to give the Baltimore Orioles a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.
Mark Trumbo added two home runs and a double, and he scored three runs. Trumbo now has 26 homers, one more than the Chicago Cubs’ Kris Bryant for the major league lead.
Mychal Givens (6-1) pitched one scoreless inning for the win, and Zach Britton escaped a bases-loaded jam for his 25th save.
Chase Utley set a career high with six hits, and Adrian Gonzalez added three hits and two RBIs, but the Dodgers’ sustained their second consecutive loss after winning 15 of 20.
The pitching staffs combined for 36 strikeouts, breaking a 20-year-old stadium record.