The Red Sox couldn't have asked for a better start. Five hits led to four runs in the first inning, giving the Sox a big lead right out of the gate.
The early attack started with something of a whimper, really, as Jacoby Ellsbury hit a high chopper over the head of Matt Harrison on the mound and legged out an infield single to give the Sox a leadoff baserunner. With one out, Adrian Gonzalez dropped a bloop single into center and Dustin Pedroia grounded through the hole to left, and just like that it was 1-0 Sox.
Then the loud contact started. David Ortiz came to the plate for his first at bat in over a week and promptly laced a line drive into right field to set up first-and-third, scoring Adrian Gonzalez in the process. Jed Lowrie had a hard-hit shot, but Elvis Andrus went up to snag it in the air leaving two outs and two on for Carl Crawford. While Crawford's struggles this year have been especially pronounced against lefties (as always), the beleaguered left fielder followed suit with a line drive double to score Dustin Pedroia and, thanks to Mike Napoli's inability to receive the throw to the plate, David Ortiz.
If there's one thing the Rangers have going for them right now, it's that Harrison isn't alone with his high pitch count. A pair of walks to Josh Hamilton and Michael Young left Beckett with 27 pitches on his arm for just three outs.