Boston, MA – Elvis Andrus hit the tie-breaking two-run double in the seventh inning, and the Texas Rangers edged the Boston Red Sox, 3-2, at Fenway Park in a battle of division leaders.
Activated off the 15-day disabled list prior to the game, Alexi Ogando pitched 5 2/3 innings in the start for the Rangers. Ogando, who had been sidelined since May 16 with right biceps tendinitis, allowed three hits, a run, walked three and had six strikeouts.
Despite walking three batters, Neal Cotts (1-0) fanned Jarrod Saltalamacchia for the final out of the sixth inning to get the win and Joe Nathan retired the side in order on three ground balls in the ninth to get his 18th save.
John Lackey gave up five hits and fanned five over six frames for the Red Sox, who had their three-game winning streak broken. The AL East leaders scored 17 runs on 19 hits Tuesday, but a night later were limited to five hits.
"The fastball command was pretty good tonight," Lackey said. "It's been a lot of hard work and I've come a long way. I'll take giving up one run the rest of the way."
Dustin Pedroia homered off the light tower above the Green Monster with two outs in the sixth inning to end Ogando's night after 92 pitches.
In the seventh, Mitch Moreland doubled to right field off Craig Breslow (2-1), and following a one-out walk to pinch-hitter Craig Gentry, Koji Uehara entered from the bullpen. Andrus smacked the first pitch to center for a one-hop double and a 3-1 lead.
Moreland left the game for a pinch-runner due tightness in his right hamstring.
"It got a little tight on me running to second," Moreland said. "It got a little stiff, but that was a big run right there. We're just trying to be safe with it."
Robbie Ross retired pinch-hitter Jonny Gomes on a fly ball to center to leave two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh.
Saltalamacchia doubled to right to drive home Mike Napoli in the eighth, but Stephen Drew grounded out to end the frame.
Drew was called out trying to stretch his third-inning single to left-center into an extra-base hit, although replays showed he got his hand on second before second baseman Jurickson Profar applied the tag.
Adrian Beltre homered to center in the fourth inning for the Rangers, and Napoli struck out to strand runners at second and third in the bottom half.
Game Notes
The Rangers snapped a four-game road skid ... Texas has won 10 of the last 13 meetings ... The rubber match of the series will pit a pair of lefties in Texas' Derek Holland and Boston's Jon Lester ... Cotts got his first win since July 1, 2006 when he pitched for the White Sox.
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