By The Associated Press

BOSTON – Bronson Arroyo gave the Red Sox their fourth straight strong performance by a starter and David Ortiz drove in three runs to lead Boston to a 6-1 win and a sweep of the punchless Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.

Boston took the three-game series by a combined score of 23-4 and outhit Cincinnati 36-15.

The Reds, who managed just one hit in a 7-0 loss Tuesday night, broke a 16-inning scoreless stretch when Ken Griffey Jr. came in on a wild pitch in the seventh.

Arroyo (5-3) was 0-3 in his last seven starts after going 9-0 in 17 starts dating to last season before that slump.

On Wednesday, he struck out eight, walked two and gave up six hits in seven innings. In Boston’s three previous games, starters Tim Wakefield, Matt Clement and David Wells gave up four runs and 11 hits in 22 innings.

Aaron Harang (4-5) trailed 1-0 through four innings before being driven out in a four-run fifth, when Ortiz drove in two runs with his second double.

. Ortiz’s first double followed Edgar Renteria’s double and gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the third, but they left runners in scoring position in three of the first four innings.

They made the most of their opportunities in the fifth.

The first four batters hit safely – singles by Johnny Damon and Renteria, a two-run double by Ortiz and a single by Manny Ramirez, who took second on the throw to the infield. After Trot Nixon walked, Kevin Millar loaded the bases with a walk.

Jason Varitek struck out for the third time, but Bill Mueller lined a two-run single over the head of second baseman Ryan Freel. Ramirez’s RBI single made it 6-0 in the sixth.

Arroyo allowed four runners through six innings. He walked Freel leading off the first, then picked him off. He gave up singles to Luis Lopez in the third and Joe Randa in the fourth and a double to Jacob Cruz in the fifth.

Cincinnati, which had at least 10 runs in four of its five games before the Boston series, finally scored in the seventh. Griffey led off with a single, went to third on Wily Mo Pena’s single and scored on a wild pitch on which Adam Dunn walked.

Notes: Ramirez got his AL-leading eighth outfield assist when he threw out Pena trying to stretch his seventh-inning single into a double. … Pena struck out in seven of his 11 at-bats in the series, including twice on Wednesday. … The Reds were swept for the third time in their last four series on the road. … Boston had at least 10 hits for the fourth consecutive game. … Boston went over the one million attendance mark on Wednesday in its 29th home game, matching the club record set last year. It has drawn 1,019,409 fans this year and sold out its last 174 home games.

AP-ES-06-15-05 2205EDT

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