ARLINGTON, Texas — Elvis Andrus had a bases-loaded triple, Ian Desmond homered again and the Texas Rangers beat the Boston Red Sox 10-3 late Saturday night.

Desmond’s 13th homer, his sixth in June, tied the game leading off the fourth. Mitch Moreland had a tiebreaking two-run single later in the inning to put the Rangers ahead to stay.

Andrus cleared the bases with his triple to the wall in left-center that chased knuckleballer Steven Wright (8-5) in the fifth. Andrus scored on a wild pitch by Robbie Ross Jr., capping a five-run inning in which all the runs were unearned after two errors and a passed ball.

Cesar Ramos (2-3), the third Texas pitcher, pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings. The lefty struck out consecutive batters after taking over with runners at second and third and one out in the sixth.

The scheduled 8:20 p.m. CDT first pitch was the latest ever for a Rangers home game. They opted against a day game, and that was the earliest they could play at night after Fox’s national exclusive TV window and still broadcast their game regionally. The game ended at 1 a.m. ET.

Wright allowed a career-high eight runs, but since five of those were unearned, his AL-best ERA rose only from 2.01 to 2.18. The right-hander struck out four and walked two in 4 2/3 innings.

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Hanley Ramirez homered for the Red Sox, who are 12-16 over the past month.

The Rangers have the American League’s best record at 48-27.

Mookie Betts had an RBI single in the fifth to pull Boston to 3-2, and the bases were loaded when Dustin Pedroia grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Jackie Bradley Jr. had an RBI double in the sixth before Ramos took over.

SHORT HOPS

The Rangers, who lost the series opener 8-7, haven’t had consecutive losses since being swept May 16-18 in three games at Oakland. … Wright has allowed only 17 extra-base hits in 15 starts this season. … Texas is 11-1 in Saturday games, winning nine in a row.

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BACK ON THE BUMP

A.J. Griffin came off the 15-day disabled list (right shoulder stiffness) to make his first start for Texas since May 7. The right-hander struck out the first three batters he faced, and finished with six strikeouts and one walk in 4 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs and four hits.

TRAINER’S ROOM

RED SOX: Catcher Ryan Hanigan (neck strain) is scheduled to catch nine innings in consecutive games Tuesday and Wednesday for Triple-A Pawtucket in his rehab. … Utility player Brock Holt (33 games missed after a concussion) will get re-evaluated after playing Sunday at Pawtucket, and could rejoin the Red Sox next week in Tampa Bay.

RANGERS: Yu Darvish (right shoulder discomfort) and Keone Kela (right elbow impingement), a pair of right-handers on the disabled list, are both scheduled to throw bullpen sessions Sunday. … Right-hander Colby Lewis was placed on the 15-day DL to make room for Griffin on the roster. He won’t be able to throw for at least four weeks because of a strained lat muscle.

UP NEXT

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RED SOX: Clay Buchholz is 1-5 with a 4.10 ERA in seven career starts against the Rangers. The Texas native makes his second consecutive start after his five previous appearances were out of the bullpen.

RANGERS: Left-hander Martin Perez, who is 5-0 his last six starts, makes his Texas-high 16th start. He had a career-best six-game winning streak in 2013.

 

 


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