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Ramirez sparks Red Sox over Rangers

May 27, 2007 - 5:18 AM ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- The Texas Rangers helped the Boston Red Sox stay on a roll.

Manny Ramirez went 4-for-4 and Tim Wakefield snapped a personal two-game losing streak as the Red Sox posted a 7-4 victory over the Rangers on Saturday.

Kevin Youkilis had a pair of hits, extending his hitting streak to 18 games for Boston, which widened its lead over the Toronto Blue Jays to 11 games in the American League East Division.

"We're playing good baseball right now," Wakefield said. "We just have to continue to do that and not worry about where everybody else is."

The Red Sox capitalized on some sloppy play by Texas, taking advantage of an error to score two runs in the fourth. Boston also parlaying four hits, four walks and a wild pitch into five runs in the sixth inning.

"That's a pretty good club we're playing over there," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "You give them an opportunity and they're going to take advantage of it."

Wakefield (5-5), who had an AL-leading 1.79 ERA through his first seven starts, had been roughed up in his previous two outings, surrendering four home runs and 11 runs.

The 40-year-old knuckleballer was in trouble again, falling behind, 4-2, after a three-run fifth inning. Gerald Laird had a two-run double in the frame and scored on a sacrifice fly by Kenny Lofton.

"I think I was more in the strike zone early in the game," Wakefield said. "I didn't have any walks tonight. I was able to mix up my pitches well. I'd like to have the fifth inning back, but these guys answered with five runs in the sixth and made it a little easier after that."

Wakefield went seven innings, allowing four runs and five hits while walking one and striking out four.

"He was great," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "After the tough inning, and a long inning behind it, he comes back and finds the strike zone and was really good. He gave us seven, and probably could have gone out again."

Two relievers bridged the cap to closer Jonathan Papelbon, who worked around an error and a single in the ninth for his 12th save.

Rangers starter Vicente Padilla (2-7) could not hold the lead, giving up a single to Youkilis and a triple to Ramirez in the sixth that cut the lead to 4-3. He then uncorked a wild pitch that plated Ramirez with the tying run and was gone after walking J.D. Drew and giving up a single to Mike Lowell.

"I think from a momentum standpoint, it's huge for us," Lowell said of the Red Sox coming right back to retake the lead. "They had things going and we didn't waste any time. I think Youk led off the inning with a base hit and we kept the pressure on them."

"They score, we come right back, that's a good way to play the game," Francona said.

Joaquin Benoit came on in relief and was touched up for an RBI single by Coco Crisp and Alex Cora's sacrifice fly to push the margin to 6-4. Benoit also walked three batters, the final one to Youkilis forcing in Crisp with the seventh run.

"He's an improving, good, young hitter who's seeing the ball very well right now," Francona said of Youkilis. "He's using the whole field, he's doing a great job."

Padilla, who leads the AL in losses, allowed six runs - five earned - and only five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out three.

"He was throwing the ball pretty well," catcher Laird said. "He hit a rough spot in the sixth. We got the lead back and we just didn't make pitches when we had to. We just made some mistakes in the middle of the plate and they made us pay."

"In the sixth he just fell apart," Washington said. "He started rushing and overthrowing. This team is going to make you work if you're not throwing the ball in the strike zone."

Trailing, 1-0, the Red Sox went ahead in the fourth. With the bases loaded, Drew hit a potential double-play grounder to first base, but shortstop Michael Young threw wildly on the relay as two runs scored.

Texas, which lost its fourth straight, fell to 18-31, a half-game better than Cincinnati for the worst record in baseball.

"We're not going to quit showing up," Washington said. "We're not going to quit fighting. We're going to stay the course because we believe these guys are going to improve. We're not going to give up on them. I believe in these guys and they believe in themselves."