ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — David Dahl and Brock Holt hit RBI singles in Texas’ three-run eighth, and the Rangers took advantage of a costly error on Alex Verdugo, topping the Boston Red Sox 5-3 on Sunday.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa homered to help Texas take three of four games against the AL East leaders, winning a series against Boston for the first time since 2016. Josh Sborz (3-1) got three outs for the win, and Ian Kennedy worked the ninth for his seventh save in seven opportunities.
“It’s nice to obviously get three out of four in any series, but against the team that came in with the best record in the bigs,” Texas manager Chris Woodward said.
Xander Bogaerts had three hits for Boston, including his fifth homer. Verdugo finished with two hits.
The Red Sox built a 3-1 lead with runs in the second, fourth and seventh innings. They lost a series for the first time since being swept by Baltimore at Fenway Park to open the season.
“Like I told you guys after we started 0-3, we thought we had a good team,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “And after we won all those games, we still have a good team. We reset tomorrow.”
Bogaerts scored the game’s first run after he reached on a towering popup that second baseman Nick Solak lost in the sun. He advanced to third on Marwin Gonzalez’s double and scampered home on Hunter Renfroe’s grounder to Solak.
The roof was open at second-year Globe Life Field.
Bogaerts connected in the fourth against Mike Foltynewicz. But the Rangers got one back in the seventh on Kiner-Falefa’s fifth homer and went ahead to stay in the eighth.
Nate Lowe sparked Texas’ rally with a walk and swiped second. He came around to score on Dahl’s two-out single off Adam Ottavino (2-2), tying it at 3.
Ottavino then walked Kiner-Falefa before he was replaced by Matt Barnes. Holt greeted Barnes with a tiebreaking single to center, and Verdugo’s error allowed Kiner-Falefa to score for a 5-3 lead.
“I was able to get a big hit because of the at-bats that the guys had before me,” said Holt, who played for the Red Sox from 2013-19. “The Red Sox thing, it’s cool, but, I mean, it would have felt good regardless of who it was.”
Boston starter Garrett Richards struck out seven while pitching five innings of one-run ball. He allowed four hits and walked one.
“It was a good outing, not obviously the best one,” Richards said. “Nobody really wants to go ‘five and dive.’ I was looking to go a little deeper.”
Foltynewicz permitted two runs and seven hits in six innings.
Joey Gallo scored the Rangers’ first run after doubling in the fourth. Gallo and Woodward were ejected by plate umpire Brian O’Nora in the sixth after Gallo disputed a called third strike. Gallo went into play leading the AL with 43 strikeouts and fanned twice Sunday, giving him 12 in the series.
SHORT HOPS
Texas had its first winning homestand of the season at 4-3. ... Bogaerts has five homers this season, all in the past 12 games starting on April 20. He hit four in 26 games last season. ... Rangers DH Willie Calhoun had two hits, extending his career-best hitting streak to nine games. ... Dahl’s RBI single followed a 1-for-20 skid.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rangers: C Jonah Heim left in the eighth inning after a pitch bounced off his chest. ... RHP Kohei Arihara (sore right middle finger) had an injection and probably won’t make his next scheduled start on Wednesday.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: RHP Nick Pivetta (3-0, 2.81 ERA), who held the Mets to one hit through five scoreless innings in his previous start, will open a three-game homestand against Detroit on Tuesday.
Rangers RHP Dane Dunning (1-1, 3.97 ERA) will begin a four-game series at Minnesota on Monday. Dunning allowed nine runs in his past two starts after giving up one in his first three outings.
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