Boston, MA – Felix Doubront pitched into the seventh inning and David Ortiz continued his prolific start to the season at the plate by driving in three runs, as the Boston Red Sox downed the Houston Astros, 8-4, at Fenway Park.
Doubront (3-0) gave up four hits and three runs over 6 2/3 innings. The Venezuelan lefty also walked four batters and had eight strikeouts.
Ortiz, who went 2-for-3, has a 19-game hitting streak going back to last season. That is tied for his career-best (July 17 - Aug. 6, 2002 with Minnesota). Ortiz, who was sidelined at the start of this season due to a right Achilles injury, is hitting .519 so far in 2013.
Jacoby Ellsbury hit a two-run single as the Red Sox won their fourth in a row and moved to the brink of sweeping this four-game series.
Brad Peacock (1-3) allowed six hits and five runs over 3 1/3 innings. He also walked five batters.
Astros manager Bo Porter said changes could be coming to his pitching staff.
"It's been addressed," he said. "It's either adjustments going to be made or we're going to find people who are going to throw strikes."
Chris Carter walked with the bases loaded in the first inning and Ronny Cedeno followed with a sacrifice fly. Doubront escaped another bases-loaded jam when Matt Dominguez popped out and Marwin Gonzalez fanned to end the first.
"In that first inning it seemed like he was trying to establish his rhythm," Red Sox manager John Farrell said of Doubront. "To just allow the two runs, he found a way to navigate through it."
Boston then scored four times in the second and led the rest of the way to hand the Astros their sixth defeat in eight games.
Ellsbury hit a bases-loaded single to center to score Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Will Middlebrooks. Later, Ortiz roped a two-run double to the left-field corner.
Ortiz added a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Jose Altuve's groundout plated a run in the top of the seventh, but Junichi Tazawa came in from the bullpen to quell a possible rally.
Stephen Drew singled in Saltalamacchia in the home seventh. Daniel Nava and Dustin Pedroia added RBI base hits in the frame.
Dominguez singled in Carlos Pena in the eighth. The Astros filled the bases later in the frame, but Alex Wilson struck out pinch-hitter Rick Ankiel to cap the inning.
Game Notes
The Reds Sox have won 14 of their last 19 contests ... Boston is 12-3 since the start of a season-long seven-game win streak from April 13-20 ... The Red Sox have won six of their first eight series of this season ... Houston went 1-for-12 with men in scoring position and stranded 10 base runners.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.