BOSTON – Josh Beckett usually reserves these kinds of Fenway performances for the New York Yankees.
Beckett gave up a season-high eight runs over five-plus innings and the Boston Red Sox couldn’t outslug Texas, losing to the Rangers 10-9 on Wednesday.
“It’s tough. It’d be a lot better if we were winning two out of every three games. That’s what makes it tough,” said Beckett, who matched his Fenway Park high with the eight runs. “These are the guys that I’ve got to come to work with every day. It’s been tough on us.”
It was the seventh time he’s given up eight or more runs at Fenway — including four times against the rival Yankees — and first since May 7, 2010.
The Rangers chased him when Geovany Soto hit a two-run homer in the sixth, making the score 8-5. Beckett was loudly booed as he walked slowly to the dugout after being pulled.
“He made some good pitches and I guess some not-so-good pitches,” Boston Manager Bobby Valentine said. “He finished the fifth inning pretty good and it’s the bottom of the order, I thought he could maybe squeak one out. I sure wasn’t expecting Soto to hit a home run.”
The one-time ace of the staff had his ERA climb to 4.97 from 4.54 in his first start since leaving July 31 with back spasms.
Adrian Beltre’s tie-breaking sacrifice fly in the ninth inning lifted the Rangers after they blew a late four-run lead.
Beckett felt like he let the offense down.
“They kept fighting back and that’s kind of what we’ve done all year,” he said. “They deserve a lot of credit — not just today — but through the course of the year. They just kept battling back and they played great defense behind me as well.”
Beckett’s career-best streak of starts without surrendering a home run was halted at 12. It was the longest in the majors this season and most by a Red Sox starter since Mel Parnell’s 14 straight in 1948.
Josh Hamilton homered among his three hits and had four RBI for Texas, which couldn’t hold a 9-5 edge before pulling out its sixth win in eight games.
Mitch Moreland and Nelson Cruz also homered for the Rangers. It was Soto’s first with Texas since being acquired from the Chicago Cubs in a nonwaiver deadline deal last week.
The AL West-leading Rangers took 2 of 3 from Boston, closing their trip at 4-2.
Will Middlebrooks had a three-run homer for the second straight game, and Cody Ross added a solo shot and drove in two runs for Boston, which has lost 6 of 8 and went 4-6 on its longest homestand of the season.
Adrian Gonzalez added three RBI doubles for the Red Sox.
It was only Hamilton’s fourth multihit game in his last 27. Before Wednesday, he had just two homers and 16 RBI since the All-Star break.
Alexi Ogando (2-0) worked two perfect innings of relief for the win. Joe Nathan pitched the ninth for his 23rd save, striking out the last two batters with a runner on second.
With the score 9-9, Elvis Andrus walked and moved to third on Hamilton’s single off Clayton Mortensen (1-1). Alfredo Aceves relieved before Beltre’s sacrifice fly.
NOTES: Red Sox DH David Ortiz, on the 15-day DL since July 18 with a strained right Achilles, did some agility drills and looked good running the bases about two hours before the game. On Tuesday, he took batting practice on the field and said he hopes to return when the club plays in Cleveland this weekend. Boston placed RHP Vicente Padilla went on the 15-day DL before the game with right arm tightness. Mortensen was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket.
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