BOSTON – Jamie Moyer has had a long, successful career as a contact pitcher. The Boston Red Sox made plenty of contact in the worst start of his 24 seasons Friday night.

David Ortiz drove in four runs, Boston led 12-0 after three innings and the Red Sox pounded out 17 hits to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 12-2.

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David Ortiz, right, is welcomed by Mike Lowell after scoring on Adrian Beltre’s first-inning double Friday night for the Boston Red Sox in a 12-2 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies at Fenway Park. The Associated Press

“It was quite obvious,” Moyer said. “I didn’t execute and when I did they hit the ball hard.”

Moyer, a 47-year-old left-hander, allowed nine runs on nine hits, including six doubles and Mike Lowell’s two-run homer, and left after failing to retire any of the first four batters in the second. He doesn’t throw particularly hard and tries to get batters to put the ball in play.

John Lackey (7-3) won his third straight decision, giving up two runs and six hits in seven innings.

All of the runs against Moyer (6-6) were earned. He had given up between nine and 11 earned runs in five of his other 620 starts before Friday, but the shortest stint in those shaky outings was 32/3 innings. He’s lasted one inning or less in only five starts. And his career ERA at Fenway Park against Boston rose from 6.43 to 7.59.

“I felt like I was pitching behind in the count the whole night,” he said. “You can’t do that as a contact pitcher. I’m going to give up hits, but when you space them out you have a chance. When they clump them together it makes it tough.”

Boston added three runs in the third off David Herndon.

Ortiz and Marco Scutaro each had three hits for Boston, which opened a nine-game interleague homestand against Philadelphia, Arizona and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The key was patience and not swinging too soon at Moyer’s soft serves.

“Against Moyer, you better (hit) up the middle,” Boston Manager Terry Francona said, “or you’re going to get out front. He’s going to frustrate you. The guys stayed on (his pitches) real well.”

The Phillies lost for the 15th time in 22 games, managing just 53 runs.

“When we get pitching we haven’t been hitting at all,” Philadelphia Manager Charlie Manuel said, “and then all of a sudden when we start swinging the bats a little bit better, then we get a bad-pitched game and then we play sloppy defense.”

The Red Sox, who started the season focusing on run prevention, lead the American League in runs, hits and doubles, and are second in homers.

“Nobody knows how things are going to be,” Ortiz said. “You might take your chances guessing, but we have players that are capable of doing some damage and that’s what’s going on.”

Moyer walked the first batter he faced, Scutaro, who was forced at second on Dustin Pedroia’s grounder. Then the onslaught began with consecutive doubles by Victor Martinez, Ortiz and Adrian Beltre, and then Lowell’s second homer of the year made it 5-0.

Scutaro opened the second with a single before the next three batters — Pedroia, Ortiz and Martinez — all doubled in runs. Boston’s ninth run scored when Lowell grounded into a double play.

The Red Sox began the third with three straight hits off Herndon — singles by Mike Cameron and Darnell McDonald, then an RBI single by Scutaro. Then Ortiz hit a two-run single with two outs for a 12-0 lead.

“Once the guys start swinging the bats like that, you want to pound the strike zone,” Lackey said. “You want to try to get (your) guys back in the dugout as quick as you can because they’re feeling good at the plate and you want to get them back up there.”

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