FORT MYERS, Fla. — Dustin Pedroia had two hits and three RBI, and David Price went five innings as the Boston Red Sox beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 on Friday night.

It wasn’t Price’s sharpest outing, but he felt good throughout.

“That’s the best I’ve felt in a couple weeks,” he said. “I was getting out in front of myself, not finishing my pitch off, being up in the zone. But body-wise felt really good.”

The Red Sox scored six runs, five earned, off Pirates right-hander Ryan Vogelsong, who went 41/3 innings. David Ortiz drove in the game’s first run with a groundout in the first inning.

“He didn’t have his best stuff,” Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle said of Vogelsong. “The ball was elevated more than it was down. In two-strike at-bats, he wasn’t able to put guys away. He just wasn’t sharp.”

Hanley Ramirez had two RBI for Boston.

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Josh Harrison had two hits and scored two runs for the Pirates and Tito Polo had two RBI.

Vogelsong is competing for the fifth spot in the rotation. He gave up nine hits and two walks with no strikeouts, needing 85 pitches, 49 for strikes.

“Didn’t execute very well,” Vogelsong said. “Even when I was getting ahead of guys, I was missing pitches in the middle of the plate. I’m not going to let half a dozen bad pitches affect the good spring training I’m having. It’s not like I’ve got to reinvent the wheel here. I’ve got to be more conscious about what I’m doing on the mound and execute pitches.”

As for Price, the Red Sox ace gave up two runs, one earned, on four hits and five walks with three strikeouts. He threw 89 pitches, 48 for strikes.

“He was strong, up to 90 pitches tonight, which was the goal,” Red Sox Manager John Farrell said. “Not as sharp as a couple of starts here of late, but I thought he threw a high number of back-door cutters to some right-handers that is I think pretty much a signature pitch for him to get back in some counts. But still he made some big pitches when he had men in scoring position.”


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