Mon Apr 21 15:54:04 2008

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Ortiz, Boston pound Rangers in Patriots' Day matinee

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Boston, MA (Sports Network) - David Ortiz went 2-for-4 with three RBI as Boston completed a sweep of Texas with a convincing 8-3 win in the finale of a four-game set from Fenway Park.

Dustin Pedroia knocked in a pair for the Red Sox, who have won five in a row and nine of 10. Julio Lugo was 4-for-4 with a walk, run batted in and two runs scored.

Clay Buchholz (1-1) hurled six innings of five-hit shutout ball. The 23-year- old right-hander struck out six and walked two for his first win of the season.

Josh Hamilton drove in two and Gerald Laird added an RBI for the Rangers, losers in nine of their last 11.

Dustin Nippert (1-2) was torched in the loss, charged with nine hits and eight runs with four walks and two strikeouts over 2 1/3 relief innings. Starter Kason Gabbard allowed three walks and fanned one over two hitless innings before leaving with stiffness in his back.

The Sox pushed across five runs in the fourth off Nippert to break open the game. J.D. Drew led off with a walk and went to second on a balk. Jed Lowrie's bunt single moved him up to third, then Lugo's base hit plated the first Boston run.

Ian Kinsler then caught a soft liner by Kevin Cash, but uncorked an errant throw while trying to double off Lugo at first. That allowed Lowrie to score from third for a 2-0 game. Joe Thurston popped out to third, but Jacoby Ellsbury beat out his dribbler to short to put runners on the corners. He swiped second with Pedroia at the dish, and Pedroia plated both with a double to the triangle in right-center.

"That's the key for us, getting on base and allowing our great batters in our lineup to get up," said Ellsbury. "As long as we get runners on, we know we're going to score some runs."

Ortiz followed with a sun-aided double to left to score Pedroia for a 5-0 game, then a pair of walks to Kevin Youkilis and Drew loaded the bases. Nippert managed to fan Lowrie to end the inning.

Ellsbury's RBI single with one out in the fifth made it a six-run Sox lead, and Nippert was pulled for Franklyn German. The onslaught continued when Ortiz drove in two with a double off the Green Monster for an eight-run bulge.

"Nippert couldn't quite find the plate and German walked a few but he put zeroes up," said Rangers manager Ron Washington about his staff, which issued 11 walks. "It's a funny game. Sometimes you walk people and it hurts. Sometimes you walk people and it doesn't."

Laird's RBI double off David Aardsma provided the Rangers' first run in the seventh. Hamilton followed with a run-scoring double off Javier Lopez, but Lopez kept Texas off the board in the eighth.

Manny Delcarmen allowed back-to-back two-out doubles to Michael Young and Hamilton for an 8-3 score before retiring the final batter of the contest.

Game Notes

The clubs don't meet again until a three-game set in Arlington from September 5-7...Gabbard, who was dealt by Boston to the Rangers for Eric Gagne last season, came into the game 5-0 in five career starts at Fenway...Boston stays home to welcome the Angels for three beginning Tuesday, while Texas continues its road swing in Detroit for three games also starting Tuesday.