BOSTON _ Drew Pomeranz tied his career-high with 11 strikeouts in six innings Thursday, and Xander Bogaerts connected for his first homer of the season as the Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers, 6-2, to complete a three-game sweep.
Elvis Andrus homered for the Rangers, and Nomar Mazara had two hits and an RBI, but two-run innings in the first and third against Nick Martinez sent the Rangers to their fourth loss in the past five games.
The first pitch was delayed 28 minutes by rain as the grounds crew tended to wet conditions in the infield and on the warning track.
Rangers starter Nick Martinez struggled with two outs in the first inning and no outs in the second. As a result, he didn't make it into the sixth. He retired the first two Boston hitters before allowing a single to Bogaerts, who stole second and scored on Andrew Benintendi's single. After a walk to Hanley Ramirez, Mitch Moreland singled in Benintendi. Martinez started the third by walking Dustin Pedroia before Bogaerts hit his first homer of the season. Rangers reliever Keone Kela worked a scoreless seventh inning, but Alex Claudio allowed two two-out runs on a Deven Marrero home run in the eighth.
The Rangers reverted back to their strikeout ways, fanning 19 times. Eleven of those were against Pomeranz, who had seven strikeouts in the first three innings. Andrus got the Rangers going with a home run to start the fourth. He has six homers the season. Delino DeShields Jr. walked to start the sixth, stole second despite being picked off, and scored two batters later as Mazara singled.
