BOSTON – The Red Sox had managed all of two runs during a two-game skid.

The offensive drought ended with a flurry as Boston scored eight times in the fourth inning Saturday, including a grand slam by Carl Crawford, in a 12-7 win over the Texas Rangers.

“That was our inning to hit and luckily nobody missed pitches,” said Josh Reddick, who had two of his career-high four hits in the fourth.

Reddick led off with a single and scored when Jarrod Saltalamacchia followed with a home run. The Red Sox added six hits in 13 at-bats, highlighted by Crawford’s two-out homer to right.

The big inning gave Erik Bedard (5-9) more than enough support to get his first win with the Red Sox.

After he came over in a trade with Seattle, the Red Sox averaged just 3.3 runs in his first three starts, but they gave him plenty of help this time. By the end of the fourth inning, Boston had a 9-3 cushion.

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“Bedard came out and gave us a strong start,” Reddick said. “He got roughed up a little bit early, but luckily this lineup doesn’t give up and came back there and pounded the ball.”

Bedard went six innings, allowing three runs and five hits. He walked four and struck out six.

Dustin Pedroia barely missed a grand slam, hitting a shot high off the center-field wall with the bases loaded in the sixth as the Red Sox tagged six Texas pitchers for 16 hits.

Adrian Beltre drove in two runs and Esteban German hit a solo homer, his first of the season, to open the ninth for Texas.

Colby Lewis (11-10) lasted only 31/3 innings, allowing four runs and seven hits. He was pulled shortly after Saltalamacchia’s homer to left tied it 3-all in the fourth.

Reliever Yoshinori Tateyama didn’t fare any better. He threw three straight balls to Adrian Gonzalez, the last of which got past catcher Yorvit Torrealba and allowed Pedroia to move to second. The Rangers intentionally walked Gonzalez with the next pitch.

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Kevin Youkilis lined out to right, but Tateyama had more control problems and threw a wild pitch that allowed Pedroia to go to third. Texas then walked David Ortiz intentionally, loading the bases with two outs.

Pinch-hitter Mike Aviles singled to right and Boston took a 4-3 lead.

“That was the one we needed right there,” Texas Manager Ron Washington said. “Aviles fought off a few pitches and got it into right field.”

That left the bases loaded for Crawford, who drove a 1-0 pitch deep into the seats in right.

Reddick followed with his second single of the inning. Saltalamacchia singled and Jacoby Ellsbury drove in Reddick with an infield single for Boston’s eighth run of the inning.

Reddick’s chance at a fifth hit ended when he was hit by a pitch on his wrist in the eighth.

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Boston Manager Terry Francona said X-rays didn’t show any break, but he expected Reddick to be a little sore today.

“So many times he’s given us such a lift,” Francona said. “That’s hard for young players to do that.”

Bedard got in trouble early when Elvis Andrus and Josh Hamilton hit back-to-back singles, putting runners at first and third with one out. Michael Young followed with a hard line drive, but it was right to Gonzalez at first. He made the catch and trotted to the bag to complete a double play.

Gonzalez had his second unassisted double play in the fourth when Texas tried a suicide squeeze. Craig Gentry popped up the bunt and Gonzalez caught it on the run, then just had to tag Torrealba at the plate.

Hamilton hit an RBI single in the eighth and Texas scored three times, cutting the margin to 12-6.

 

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