BOSTON (AP) – Kevin Millar homered and drove in four runs, and the Boston Red Sox opened a 3-game lead over Anaheim in the AL wild-card race with a 12-7 win over the Angels on Wednesday night.

It was Boston’s eighth straight win, second in a row over the Angels and 14th in its last 15 games. The Red Sox have scored at least 10 runs five times in their last 12. Anaheim is 1-3 after winning nine consecutive games.

Johnny Damon had four hits of Boston’s 16 hits, and Mark Bellhorn, David Ortiz and Orlando Cabrera drove in two runs each. The Red Sox remained 3games behind the first-place Yankees in the AL East.

With the score 5-5 after three innings, Boston scored two runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and three on Millar’s 14th homer of the year in the sixth. Anaheim’s last two runs scored on Troy Glaus’ RBI groundout in the seventh and Vladimir Guerrero’s double in the eighth.

The Red Sox won despite starter Bronson Arroyo’s troubles. He allowed five runs in 2 2-3 innings, ending a streak of 41 games in which Boston starters went at least five innings. The last one to fall short was Tim Wakefield, who worked four innings July 17 in an 8-3 loss at Anaheim.

Boston reliever Mike Myers allowed just a walk in one inning after giving up three singles and a grand slam by Alfredo Amezaga in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s 10-7 win.

Terry Adams (5-4) pitched 2 1-3 scoreless innings for the win.

Anaheim starter Aaron Sele (8-2) lasted longer than Arroyo but pitched worse. He allowed seven runs and 10 hits in 3 1-3 innings.

After five innings, every Boston starter had a hit, seven had scored, six had RBIs and three hit sacrifice flies. Even many of the outs traveled deep into the outfield, with only one out in the first five innings coming on a groundball.

The Red Sox took a 4-0 lead in the first for the second straight night against the Angels.

Damon led off with a single and scored on Bellhorn’s double. After Manny Ramirez walked, Boston scored the next three runs on Ortiz’s single, Millar’s sacrifice fly and Cabrera’s triple.

Anaheim cut the lead to 4-2 in the second on RBI singles by Chone Figgins and Darin Erstad. Boston added a run in the second on Ramirez’s sacrifice fly before Anaheim tied it in the third on a run-scoring double by Bengie Molina, a sacrifice fly by Figgins and an RBI single by David Eckstein.

Boston went ahead to stay in the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Damon and Bellhorn, then made it 7-5 on Ortiz’s sacrifice fly. In the fifth, Cabrera doubled in a run and Dave Roberts hit a sacrifice fly.

Millar’s homer off Scot Shields followed a walk to Ramirez and a single by Jason Varitek.

Notes: Boston catcher Varitek threw out two runners in the fifth – Adam Kennedy, who tried to go to third on a pitch in the dirt that eluded Varitek, and Figgins trying to steal second. … Guerrero’s first-inning single extended his hitting streak to eight games.

AP-ES-09-01-04 2236EDT