KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — David Ortiz homered and drove in four runs, and Josh Beckett allowed two runs over six innings to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 9-2 win over the Kansas City Royals 6-2 Wednesday night.

Jason Bay and Jacoby Ellsbury each drove in two runs and Ortiz had a run-scoring single in Boston’s six-run fifth inning off Luke Hochevar (7-11). Ortiz added his 25th homer in the eighth, a three-run shot off Carlos Rosa to give Boston 90 wins for the third consecutive season.

Beckett (16-6) limited the damage from 12 hits with seven strikeouts, improving to 5-0 with a 2.03 ERA in seven career starts against Kansas City.

Yuniesky Betancourt had a run-scoring triple among his three hits and Mitch Maier also had three hits for the Royals, who stranded 12 runners to see their six-game home winning streak end.

Wanting to get more pop in the lineup, Red Sox manager Terry Francona had Victor Martinez behind the plate instead of Beckett’s usual battery mate, John Varitek. He tried it once before and it didn’t work out too well: Beckett allowed seven earned runs in 5 1-3 innings against Toronto on Aug. 18.

Francona was willing to try it again with Varitek struggling – .156, one homer since the All-Star break – and Martinez on a career-best 21-game hitting streak.

Martinez did his part with the bat, extending his hitting streak with a single in the fifth inning. He wasn’t bad behind the plate, either, helping guide Beckett through some shaky moments.

The right-hander wasn’t sharp from the start, allowing two runners in each of the first three innings. Beckett wriggled out of those jams, then gave up two runs in the fourth on Betancourt’s triple and a flare RBI single to right by David DeJesus.

The next half inning changed everything.

Held to one run over the first four innings, the Red Sox unloaded on Hochevar in the fifth, scoring six runs on seven hits to go up 6-2. Ellsbury drove in two with a triple and Bay had the biggest blow on the softest hit, floating a two-run single into short left field with the bases loaded.

Pitching with a cushion, Beckett had his first perfect inning in the bottom half, then got Billy Butler on a fly to right with two on to end the sixth. He was done after that, leaving with a 6-2 lead and another win against the Royals.

Hochevar, coming off a three-hitter for his first career shutout, gave up six runs on eight hits in five innings. He’s allowed at least three runs in an inning 13 times in 23 starts this season.

NOTES: Royals 3B coach Dave Owen left the team due to a family emergency and it’s unclear when he’ll return. He was replaced by Triple-A Omaha manager Mike Jirschele. … Kansas City pitchers have 1,090 strikeouts this season, breaking the record of 1,085 set last year. … Francona tied Mike Higgins for second on Boston’s all-time wins list with 560. He’s still a long way away from the record of 1,071 set by Joe Cronin from 1935-47.

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