ARLINGTON, Texas — C.J. Wilson stood at his locker after pitching 6 2/3 scoreless innings for Texas wearing a T-shirt he designed bearing the image of teammate Mike Napoli with a chef’s hat and holding a spatula.
So appropriate.
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Wilson’s 13th win and Napoli’s three-run homer were the primary ingredients for the Rangers in a 4-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night in the opener a four-game series that is a potential playoff preview.
Napoli’s 21st homer, in the sixth off Erik Bedard (4-9), extended the Rangers’ 1-0 lead and his hitting streak to a season-best 11.
“That situation right now, we had Bedard on the ropes. … He got a fastball up to Mike, and he didn’t miss it,” Manager Ron Washington said. “We certainly needed it because you never know what may happen in a one-run ballgame. It gave us a cushion and it gave us an opportunity to hold on.”
Wilson (13-5) struck out four while limiting the Red Sox to four singles, improving to 3-0 with a 1.37 ERA in his four August starts. The left-hander had finished July by allowing 14 hits and 13 runs (10 earned) in 72/3 innings over two starts.
The Rangers were coming off a 7-3 trip that ended with three losses in four games, the last 10-0 at the Chicago White Sox.
“To come back home and put the red (jerseys) on and prevent scoring was a big deal,” Wilson said. “Getting the win and getting a shutout for the team is pretty awesome.”
The Red Sox had runners at first and third, the only time they had a runner 90 feet from home plate, when Wilson came out of the game. Koji Uehara immediately got Jarrod Saltalamacchia on a groundout.
Mike Adams and Neftali Feliz each pitched a scoreless inning without allowing a hit to wrap up the Rangers’ 15th shutout, which ended on second baseman Ian Kinsler’s diving stop up the middle and a throw off his knees to get Carl Crawford out at first with two runners on base. Boston was held scoreless for the ninth time.
Napoli homered to left-center on a ball that kept drifting and dropped into the first row of seats just beyond the 14-foot-high wall. With his back turned to the plate watching, Bedard could only say “Wow!” Josh Hamilton and Michael Young had reached on consecutive one-out singles.
And Napoli delivered on a fastball that stayed up in the zone.
“I tried to throw strikes out there and keep the team in the ballgame,” Bedard said. “It was a good hit by Napoli and that was the deciding factor.”
Bedard is 0-2 in his four starts for the Red Sox since being acquired July 31 in a trade from Seattle. The left-hander struck out four and allowed seven hits over six innings.
Texas (74-55) extended its division lead over the idle Los Angeles Angels to 41/2 games while the Red Sox (77-50), who have the second-best record in the AL, dropped a full game behind the New York Yankees in the AL East.
Boston hasn’t won a game against the Rangers this season. The Red Sox were swept in a three-game series at Texas to open the season as part of their 0-6 start.
Texas had a season-high scoreless streak of 17 consecutive innings before Elvis Andrus’ RBI single in the third after a potential inning-ending double play instead became a blown call and hit for Kinsler.
Kinsler’s sinking liner to right in the third appeared to be caught by Josh Reddick.
Baserunner Craig Gentry was stranded between first and second base unsure which way to go until umpire Doug Eddings finally waved safe, ruling that the ball was trapped.
Gentry scooted to second while Reddick threw to first thinking he had completed a double play.
“I know he caught it,” Manager Terry Francona said. “But the umpire says he’s sure, and he’s not, I don’t know what to do.”
JACOBY ELLSBURY likely will return to Boston’s lineup today and designated hitter David Ortiz could also play during this week’s series at Texas.
Ellsbury was out of the lineup for the third straight game Monday night since being hit in the back with a pitch from the Royals at Kansas City.
Ellsbury indicated he could play in the opener against the Rangers, but Francona wanted to wait another day with the All-Star center fielder.
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