BOSTON (AP) – Kevin Youkilis led another hitting outburst for the Red Sox with three doubles and Boston held onto its big lead, beating the Texas Rangers 8-4 Wednesday night.

Youkilis delivered a day after his three-run homer gave the Red Sox a 19-17 victory, a win that came after they blew a 10-run cushion.

Texas trailed 8-0 in the eighth inning this time, but Milton Bradley’s three-run homer made it 8-4. The Rangers then put their first two batters on base in the ninth before Ian Kinsler – leading the majors in hits – grounded into a double play.

Jon Lester (11-4) held the top-hitting team in baseball to seven hits in 7 1-3 innings. He left shortly after Kinsler’s solo homer, and the Red Sox got a mini-scare later in the eighth when Mike Timlin allowed Bradley’s 20th home run.

Javier Lopez got the final two outs of the inning and Justin Masterson worked the ninth.

A day after the Red Sox and Rangers matched the highest-scoring game in AL history, Boston broke away early against the team with the worst ERA in the majors.

The Red Sox scored twice in the second inning, four in the third and two more in the fifth off Luis Mendoza (3-6).

Youkilis doubled in each of his first three at-bats, giving him seven straight hits since striking out twice in Boston’s 10-run first inning Tuesday night.

Youkilis and Jason Bay hit consecutive two-run doubles in the fourth and Jed Lowrie doubled in two more in the fifth.

In seven games batting in Manny Ramirez’s former cleanup spot, Youkilis is 10-for-25 with two home runs, five doubles and eight RBIs. His second homer of Tuesday night’s game gave Boston a 19-16 lead in the eighth.

Lester pitched at least seven innings for his seventh straight outing. He was 7-0 in a span of 10 starts before losing last Friday 4-0 to the White Sox in Chicago.

Lester never had more than one runner on base in any of the first seven innings before running into trouble in the eighth.

But the Youkilis-led offense was more than enough to hold off the Rangers. He started the second with his first double, moved up on Bay’s single and scored on catcher Jarrod Saltalmacchia’s throwing error.

In the fourth, Mendoza intentionally walked David Ortiz, loading the bases, and Youkilis lined his second double. And in the fifth, Youkilis doubled, sending Ortiz to third, and both scored on Lowrie’s double.

In Mendoza’s only other game against Boston, he gave up seven runs in three innings in an 11-3 loss April 18 at Fenway Park.

Notes: Texas CF Josh Hamilton left the game after striking out in the sixth to go home to his wife, who is expecting their third child. … Dustin Pedroia is the first player in Red Sox history with five runs and five hits in the same game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He accomplished the feat Tuesday night. … The Red Sox put 3B Mike Lowell on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right oblique muscle and recalled RHP David Pauley from Triple-A Pawtucket. They also claimed RHP Marcus McBeth on waivers from Cincinnati and optioned him to Pawtucket and designated for assignment RHP Lincoln Holdzkom, who was at Pawtucket. … Texas RHP Vicente Padilla (12-6) was scratched from Thursday night’s start with an inflamed joint in his right shoulder. RHP Tommy Hunter (0-1) will replace him against Daisuke Matsuzaka (13-2).

AP-ES-08-13-08 2229EDT