BOSTON — Mookie Betts homered on John Lamb’s first pitch of the game, and J.D. Martinez hit his major league-leading 24th home run on Tuesday night to back David Price’s six strong innings and lead the Boston Red Sox to a 9-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Betts’ homer into the Red Sox bullpen sent right fielder Michael Hermosillo crashing over the wall in pursuit. Slump-busting Jackie Bradley Jr. had four RBI and three hits, including a home run, and Christian Vazquez also homered to help Boston win for the fourth time in its last five games.

Price (9-5) bounced back from his previous start at Minnesota, a Twins victory on Wednesday that was his first lost since May 3. He allowed five hits, including a solo homer to Chris Young, two walks and struck out seven to send Los Angeles to its fourth straight loss.

Lamb (0-1) got just five outs. He allowed five runs, three earned, on six hits and a pair of walks. He escaped the first after Betts’ 20th homer of the season, but not the second. Lamb was removed after giving up Bradley’s two-run double and two more run-scoring hits.

Deck McGuire needed just one pitch to end that inning, but he surrendered solo homers to Bradley in the third and Vazquez in the fifth before Martinez hit one in the sixth that made it 8-1.

Bradley has had back-to-back multihit games after producing just five in his previous 68 games this season. He had three hits, all singles, against Seattle on Sunday but still entered the night hitting .189.

Two-time AL MVP Mike Trout, who began the game batting .387 in June, singled in four at-bats while serving as designated hitter to aid his recovery from a sprained right index finger.

NOTES: Knuckleballer Steven Wright was put on the 10-day DL with left knee inflammation, and RHP reliever Justin Haley was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket.


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