Rangers Beat Red Sox
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BOSTON — The Texas Rangers enjoyed a night of firsts.
Right-hander Phil Klein, summoned from the minor leagues to make his first major league start, pitched 5 1/3 innings for the win, and righty Shawn Tolleson converted his first career save opportunity as the Rangers hung on for 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.
“I had a lot of fun with it,” Klein said after his second big-league win. “Just trying to get as deep as I can in the game, keep the team in it the best I can.
“I waited a long time. I got a couple of starts there in Triple-A. I really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed knowing when I was throwing, and (I) set a routine from there. That’s the biggest difference.”
Klein, who yielded five hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings in six relief appearances earlier this season, allowed one run and five hits Wednesday in his 24th major league appearance.
“I can’t say enough about Phil Klein — a gutsy performance by him to go out and face a ballclub he’s never really seen, a lot of hitters he’s never really seen,” Texas manager Jeff Banister said.
Left-hander Alex Claudio and right-hander Tanner Scheppers each got an out to
escape a bases-loaded situation in the sixth. Scheppers got out of trouble in the seventh as the Rangers (17-23) won for the third time in eight games. Texas also notched its seventh win in 10 road games.
Right-hander Ross Ohlendorf worked the eighth, and Tolleson, auditioning for the open closer’s role, pitched the ninth, stranding a pair of runners by retiring left fielder Hanley Ramirez to end it.
“I told them all that really there are no specific roles,” Banister said. “We’re going to use our guys as we see fit, the best matchups for us.”
With a runner on second and two outs in the ninth, Banister ordered an intentional walk to David Ortiz for the second straight time, the third time in two nights, even though the designated hitter represented the potential winning run. Tolleson got Ramirez to ground out, ending another night of offensive frustration for the Red Sox.
Boston has scored 16 runs in its past eight games and has stranded 12 in each of the first two games of the series. The Red Sox are 5-for-47 (.106) with runners in scoring position over the past seven games, wasting some very good pitching.
“Our pitching has been doing a pretty good job. It’s just up to us right now,” said shortstop Xander Bogaerts, whose solo homer scored Boston’s only run.
There were hard outs Tuesday, but they were outs.
“We hit the ball well. It’s just going right at people,” said center fielder Mookie Betts, who doubled to start the ninth, his second hit on a night he hit the ball well enough that he could have gone 5-for-5.
Catcher Robinson Chirinos hit a solo home run and shortstop Elvin Andrus delivered a sacrifice fly off hard-luck loser Joe Kelly (1-3), who is 0-3 with four no-decisions since winning his first start of the season.
Bogearts hit his second homer of the year, his first since April 25, for the Red Sox (19-21), who failed in an attempt to get back to .500 for the first time since they were 12-12.
Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre, whose error chased Klein from the game, had two hits, and center fielder Leonys Martin added a double.
First baseman Mike Napoli and right fielder Shane Victorino stroked two hits apiece for Boston. Victorino came off the bench to go 2-for-2.
