Red Sox get six scoreless innings from Buchholz, a plethora of runs from offense to complete four-game sweep of Rangers

This morning's starting lineup for the Boston Red Sox included four position players (Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, Kevin Cash and Joe Thurston) and a pitcher (Clay Buchholz) who started last season in the minor leagues. Another regular, Dustin Pedroia, was a struggling rookie last year at this time. The inexperience didn't matter as Buchholz tossed six scoreless innings and Red Sox bats pounded Texas pitching to record an 8-3 victory and a four-game series sweep.

As usual, the Patriots Day game started at 11:05 a.m. Already, the Red Sox have encountered perhaps the widest array of starting game times ever. The Japan contests debuted at 6 a.m. Boston has also seen first pitches thrown at 1:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m., the common 7 p.m. start, the 8 p.m. beginning on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball and 10 p.m. on the west coast.

Regardless of when the game begins when the Red Sox meet the Rangers, the outcome will likely be the same. Texas is one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball - arguably the weakest in the American League - and that lack of talent especially showed today. The Sox managed an easy win even though Manny Ramirez and Sean Casey were given the day off, and Jason Varitek was sidelined with flu-like symptoms.

Former Sox starter Kason Gabbard, one of the few reliable arms in a Rangers uniform, left after two hitless innings due to back stiffness. He was replaced by Dustin Nippert, who was roughed up for eight runs and nine hits in 2.1 innings.

The onslaught started in the fourth inning. J.D. Drew led off with a walk. Lowrie followed with a bunt attempt that was popped up but fell in for an infield single. A base hit by Julio Lugo scored Drew for the game's first run. Cash then hit a soft liner that was caught by Ian Kinsler, who tried to double up Lugo at first but threw the ball past Ben Broussard, allowing Lowrie to cross the plate.

After Thurston popped out, Ellsbury reached on an infield single and moments later stole second. A two-run double from Pedroia and an RBI double by Ortiz lifted Boston to a 5-0 advantage. Ortiz's double looked like a routine fly to Milton Bradley in deep left field, but Bradley lost the ball in the glaring sun and it bounced behind him.

The Red Sox plated three more in the fourth on another RBI single by Ellsbury and a two-run double off the Green Monster from Ortiz, who now has 15 RBI despite a slowly climbing .177 average.

Buchholz posted a solid start, rebounding from a beating inflicted by the New York Yankees last week. The rookie allowed no runs and five hits with six strikeouts and two walks in six innings. He improved to 1-1.

With the victory, Boston has now won five in a row and nine of its last 10. It was yet another game that saw the Red Sox club 10 or more hits. They had 12, including a 4-for-4 performance by Lugo and two hits each for Ellsbury, Pedroia and Ortiz. Lowrie now has a hit in each of his first four Major League starts.

Though the season is still young, Boston is starting to gain some ground in the American League East. Now 14-7, the Red Sox have a two-game edge over the second place Baltimore Orioles and a 3.5-game lead over the New York Yankees, which start a series in Chicago tomorrow.

Boston opens a three-game set against the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park tomorrow night. Here are the pitching matchups for the series:

• Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. - Josh Beckett (2-1, 5.12 ERA) vs. Jered Weaver (1-3, 3.60 ERA)
• Wednesday, 7:05 pm. - Daisuke Matsuzaka (4-0, 3.14 ERA) vs. Jon Garland (2-2, 4.81 ERA)
• Thursday, 1:35 p.m. - Jon Lester (1-2, 5.06 ERA) vs. Joe Saunders (3-0, 2.15 ERA)