BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox enter the All-Star break with a six-game winning streak after starting the season with six consecutive losses.

Quite a turnaround, but not a surprising one for Manager Terry Francona.

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Jonathan Papelbon reacts after striking out Baltimore’s Nick Markakis to end Boston’s 8-6 win over the Orioles on Sunday. The Associated Press

“I think we are where we deserve to be,” he said after Sunday’s 8-6 win over the skidding Baltimore Orioles.

The AL East-leading Red Sox completed a four-game sweep and stayed a game ahead of the Yankees, who beat Tampa Bay 1-0 on Sunday. It’s the sixth time in seven seasons that Boston has led the division at the All-Star break.

The Red Sox have the second-best record and the best batting average in baseball. They’re hitting .278 after pounding out 13 hits against Baltimore, including homers by Marco Scutaro, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis in the second inning.

The Red Sox had 48 hits in the series.

“Hitting is contagious,” said Jason Varitek, who had two doubles Sunday. “It gets the ball rolling.”

Baltimore has lost seven straight and 12 of 13.

Francona and Orioles Manager Buck Showalter were ejected after pitches hit or came close to their batters. Boston starter Kyle Weiland also was tossed in his major league debut.

The series, marred by a bench-clearing fracas on Friday night after David Ortiz was nearly hit by two pitches before popping out, had more tight pitches on Sunday. Baltimore’s Mark Reynolds was plunked in the third and Youkilis was hit by a changeup from Jeremy Guthrie (3-12) in the fourth.

“Obviously on a changeup he wasn’t trying to hit Youkilis,” Weiland said. “I think just with everything that’s happened they jumped to the warnings.”

Francona and Weiland were ejected after the right-hander hit Guerrero with no outs in the fifth. Then Showalter and Mike Gonzalez were tossed when the reliever threw a pitch that nearly hit Ortiz in the bottom of the inning.

“I’d have thrown (Gonzalez) out of the game, too,” Showalter said.

Asked if he was throwing at Ortiz, Gonzalez said: “The series was frustrating the whole way. It was what it was.”

Boston also had three homers in an inning in Thursday’s 10-4 series-opening win, with Ortiz, Josh Reddick and Jarrod Saltalamacchia hitting solo shots in consecutive at-bats.

Alfredo Aceves (4-1) pitched three perfect innings after Weiland left, and Jonathan Papelbon got his 20th save in 21 opportunities.

All but one of the Orioles’ eight hits came in a six-run second that gave them a 6-2 lead. The Red Sox tied it in the bottom half on Scutaro’s fourth homer of the year, Pedroia’s 11th and Youkilis’ 13th, a two-run drive.

Guthrie then replaced Mitch Atkins and retired Ortiz to end the inning. But Guthrie walked Ortiz with the bases loaded in the fifth, forcing in the go-ahead run.

Jacoby Ellsbury added an RBI single in the seventh, making it 8-6 Boston.

The Red Sox grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first. Ortiz had an RBI single and Reddick drove in Adrian Gonzalez with a sacrifice fly.

Weiland retired the side in order in the first, then struggled in the second. Derrek Lee hit a tying two-run shot for his ninth homer, and Robert Andino, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones each had an RBI single.

NOTES: Boston LHP Jon Lester was added to the AL All-Star team in place of Seattle LHP Felix Hernandez, who was ineligible because he pitched Sunday. Lester, on the disabled list with a strained back muscle, then was replaced by Toronto LHP Ricky Romero. … Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 12 games. … Boston’s Daniel Bard pitched a perfect eighth, extending his career-best scoreless streak to 19 1/3 innings over 18 outings. … Lee’s homer was his third in five games. Pedroia’s was his fourth in six.

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