Pedro Martinez settles down and Manny Ramirez belts out a homer and three hits as Boston eludes Texas.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Pedro Martinez allowed just an unearned run and three hits in seven innings, overcoming a rare bout of wildness to lead the Boston Red Sox past the Texas Rangers 5-4 Tuesday night.

Manny Ramirez homered and had three hits for the Red Sox (14-6), who won for the eighth time in 10 games.

Martinez walked six, one short of his career high and his most since walking six New York Yankees on Sept. 8, 1998. He also had a season-high eight strikeouts, throwing 70 of 121 pitches for strikes before leaving with the Red Sox ahead 5-1.

After Mike Timlin relieved to start the eighth, Alex Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro had consecutive doubles. Juan Gonzalez hit his fifth homer, his first extra-base hit in 11 games, to make it 5-4.

But Chad Fox got five outs for his second save, retiring Rodriguez and Palmeiro with a runner on to end it. After costing Martinez a win on opening day, the shaky Boston bullpen has held the lead in his last two starts.

Martinez (2-1) hasn’t allowed an earned run since giving up a career-worst 10 runs in 4 1-3 innings against Baltimore on April 12. The three-time Cy Young winner allowed just two singles in seven shutout innings against Tampa Bay last Thursday night.

In his four starts other than that horrendous outing, Martinez has allowed just three runs – one earned – over 29 innings.

After a two-out walk to Chad Kreuter loaded the bases in the seventh, Martinez got Michael Young to swing at a full-count pitch out of the zone. The Rangers had two of their three hits off Martinez that inning.

The Red Sox led 2-0 after just 12 pitches by Chan Ho Park (1-3).

Johnny Damon drew a leadoff walk before Todd Walker’s RBI double into the right-center field gap. After Nomar Garciaparra’s single, Ramirez hit a run-scoring single.

Park then needed just three pitches to get three outs, a double play and a flyout. That started a stretch of 11 straight batters retired.

In his longest outing of the season, Park allowed four runs on eight hits over seven innings. He struck out three and walked two.

Ramirez hit a solo homer in the eighth off reliever Esteban Yan.

Gonzalez’s run-scoring groundout in the fourth scored Rodriguez, who drew a leadoff walk and went to third after a wild pitch and a throwing error by catcher Jason Varitek.

Shea Hillenbrand led off the fifth with a single, the first Boston baserunner since that opening flurry, and Jeremy Giambi walked. Varitek and Walker had RBI singles to put Boston up 4-1.

Notes: Martinez is 7-1 with a 1.30 ERA in nine career starts against Texas. He is 18-2 with a 2.29 ERA in his 30 March/April starts for Boston the past six years. … Carl Everett was 1-for-4 with a single and three strikeouts after homering in five straight games with an at-bat, a Rangers record. He was named AL player of the week Monday after going 10-for-21 (.476) in six games last week. … Eight of Boston’s starters reached base against Park, six with hits and two others with walks.

AP-ES-04-22-03 2317EDT