Texas clobbered
Rangers belted, 11-3, in first of four games at Fenway Park

YES THERE IS A DULL MOMENT - Members of the Texas Rangers, including manager Ron Washington (left) watch from the dugout rail while trailing the Boston Red Sox 11-3 in the ninth inning of their MLB baseball game in Boston Friday. The Rangers have three more games to play in the series.

BOSTON (AP) - One swing by Big Papi brought relief to many at Fenway Park.

Slumping David Ortiz hit a grand slam, his eighth of his career, and went 2-for-4 with five RBIs to lead the Red Sox to an 11-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Friday night.

"I'm sure he's going to feel good about it," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "Obviously we do."

Daisuke Matsuzaka stayed unbeaten and Dustin Pedroia hit his first homer, a two-run shot that capped Boston's fiverun fourth inning.

The Red Sox won for the sixth time in seven games.

It was just the first game of a four-game series. The Rangers (7-10 this season) were to play at Fenway on Saturday night, then again today at 12:35 p.m. Central time, and will finish the series with a Monday morning game, a 10 a.m. Central start.

Ortiz entered Friday's game hitting just .111, the lowest of any regular in the majors. His slam was his seventh with the Red Sox, and seventh at Fenway - tying a record held by Ted Williams and Jim Rice.

Ortiz's slam - his first hit at Fenway this season - erased Boston's 1-0 deficit against starter Luis Mendoza (0-1) in the third after Jed Lowrie doubled and Jacoby Ellsbury and Pedroia walked. It was his second homer of the season.

"It's just a matter of time," Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek said. "It was a big lift for him."

The third started easily for Mendoza, who retired the first eight batters of the game. Varitek popped weakly to third and Sean Casey lined to short. Lowrie then doubled into the left-field corner.

Following the walks, Ortiz - hitting just .109 when he came up - walked slowly to the plate. On the first pitch, he lofted a fly ball into the Green Monster seats' first row, and was serenaded with chants of "Papi, Papi" when he reached the dugout.

"Even though the big boy is struggling, he's still dangerous," Texas manager Ron Washington said.

Matsuzaka (4-0) gave up three runs and five hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 5 1-3 innings. He labored through the first three, throwing 62 pitches, but held the Rangers to one run and two hits.

Milton Bradley extended his hitting streak to 13 games and Hank Blalock hit a two-run homer for the Rangers.

The Red Sox chased Mendoza and scored five more in the fourth. Vartiek had an RBI double and scored on Lowrie's sacrifice fly. Ellsbury tripled home a run and Pedroia homered over the Monster.

Blalock homered into Boston's bullpen in the sixth.

Josh Hamilton's sacrifice fly gave Texas a 1-0 lead in the third.