ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Kevin Mench had an RBI single with one out in the ninth inning, and the Texas Rangers rallied against struggling closer Keith Foulke for a 6-5 win Monday night over the Boston Red Sox, who lost for the fifth time in seven games.

The Rangers scored twice in the ninth against Foulke (5-5). Michael Young had a one-out triple before Mark Teixeira doubled into the right-field corner to tie it 5-all. Hank Blalock drew a walk and Alfonso Soriano was hit by a pitch before Mench’s liner went over the head of drawn-in left fielder Manny Ramirez and handed Foulke his second blown save in a week.

Ramirez hit a 446-foot, two-run homer in the eighth inning to put the Red Sox up 5-3, and also drew a bases-loaded walk in the game. His 21st homer of the season landed high on the grassy hill beyond the center-field wall off Joaquin Benoit (1-0).

Rod Barajas got the Rangers to 5-4 when he had an RBI double with two outs in the eighth. That scored Soriano, who had led off the inning with a walk.

Foulke had his fourth blown save of the season. He gave up five runs in a loss to Cleveland last Tuesday.

David Ortiz led off the eighth with a bloop single off Brian Shouse before Benoit, who had pitched 14 scoreless innings his last seven outings, took over and left a 2-0 fastball over the heart of the plate that Ramirez didn’t miss.

The Red Sox (46-35) lost four of six games at home last week, but still have two wins more than they did at the midway point of last season when they won the World Series. Boston has a 2-game lead over Baltimore in the AL East.

Johnny Damon extended his career-best hitting streak, and the longest active in the major leagues, to 20 games when he led off the game with a single.

Damon also had an 18-game hitting streak from April 21-May 13, that matching his previous career high.

Boston starter Wade Miller struck out seven of the last 10 batters he faced, and eight overall, but was done after six innings and 121 pitches (68 strikes). The right-hander gave up three runs, five hits and five walks.

Boston, which trailed 3-0 after the first five Texas batters, got even in the sixth. Ortiz had a leadoff double against Ricardo Rodriguez, and scored when Trot Nixon greeted reliever Juan Dominquez with a deep liner that was misplayed by left fielder Mench for another double.

Rodriguez walked three straight batters in the third, including Ramirez with the bases loaded. The Red Sox got to 3-2 when another run scored on a wild pitch.

The first five Rangers reached base, the second on a throwing error by Miller on a potential double-play grounder. After the bases were loaded with no outs, Blalock had a two-run single and Soriano an RBI single.

Blalock, the only Texas infielder not selected for the All-Star game, twice left the bases loaded. He grounded out to first to end the second, and struck out swinging two innings later.

Notes: Damon’s is the 35th hitting streak of at least 20 games in Red Sox history, the first since Todd Walker had a 20-game streak from May 10-June 5, 2003. … The crowd of 50,492 was the Rangers’ fourth sellout this season, and second largest crowd ever for a regular season home game. … Miller is 0-1 in five starts since his last victory May 30.

AP-ES-07-04-05 2342EDT


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