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BOSTON -- Drew Pomeranz tied a personal best, and his teammates in the bullpen kept it going as the Boston Red Sox pitchers matched a major league record. Pomeranz struck out 11 in just six innings, and four Boston relievers added another nine strikeouts as the Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 6-2 on Thursday night to complete a three-game series sweep.
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It marked the sixth time major league history that a team struck out 20 times in a nine-inning game.
"Tonight was an outstanding display of pitching from every guy that took the mound," Boston manager John Farrell said.
All five Boston pitchers had at least one strikeout, and every Texas batter struck out at least once on a cold, wet night.
The start of the game was delayed 28 minutes by rain, but that didn't throw off Pomeranz in the slightest as he started with two quick strikeouts in the first, followed by striking out the side in the second.
Pomeranz held Texas to two runs on four hits and walked just one while putting an end to a personal two-game losing streak.
"I felt lost for a couple of starts. I wasn't satisfied," he said.
Pomeranz (4-3) was back on track Thursday, and he received some early help from Boston batters. Andrew Benintendi and Mitch Moreland had RBI singles in the first inning for Boston (25-21), and Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run homer in the third.
Deven Marrero added a two-run homer in the eighth for the Red Sox, who won their fourth straight and tied their longest winning streak of the season.
"Big win. Texas had been hot coming in," Moreland said. "We knew with the conditions it was going to be tough."
Elvis Andrus homered for Texas, which continued to stumble following a 10-game winning streak. The Rangers lost for the fifth time in six games, falling back to .500 at 24-24.
"It is surprising, but that's the beauty of baseball, I guess," Andrus said. "You cannot take anything for granted. You cannot take any team for granted. Even when you feel you're playing at your best, stuff like this can happen."
Boston fanned 20 in a nine-inning game for the third time -- the other two solo efforts by Rogers Clemens in 1986 and 1996.
After Pomeranz exited, Heath Hembree struck out both batters he faced, and Robby Scott struck out his lone batter. Matt Barnes fanned two in a perfect eighth inning.
Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel ended up getting four strikeouts in the ninth after Nomar Mazara, leading off, fanned on a wild pitch and was able to reach first. Mazara didn't get a chance to go anywhere because Kimbrel finished off the game by striking out three more.
Pomeranz surrendered Andrus' leadoff homer in the fourth. The only walk Texas drew led to the Rangers' second run. Delino DeShields walked to lead off the sixth, stole second and scored on a one-out single by Mazara to cut Boston's lead to 4-2.
Pomeranz was able to stop the damage there, getting Jonathan Lucroy to fly out to center and striking out Rougned Odor to end the inning. It was the 11th strikeout for Pomeranz, matching the career high he set on Aug. 25, 2016, at Tampa Bay.
"Big bounce back start for him," Farrell said. "On a night when the conditions weren't ideal, he threw the ball exceptional tonight."
Nick Martinez (1-3) struggled early for the Rangers before settling down and pitching through the fifth. He allowed four runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking two.
Despite all the strikeouts, Texas manager Jeff Banister credited his team for not letting the Red Sox run away with it.
"That's this club. They continue to battle. They're going to stay in it and fight all the way to the end," Banister said. "These guys stay engaged the whole time."
The Rangers were able to keep within reach of the Red Sox by averting disaster in the sixth. Dario Alvarez started the inning and lasted only two batters, hitting Moreland and walking Jackie Bradley Jr. Tony Barnette came out of the bullpen for the Rangers and got Christian Vazquez to ground into a double play before striking out Marrero.
Marrero struck out his first three trips to the plate, then salvaged the night with a two-run shot to left in the eighth.
NOTES: LHP David Price (strained left elbow) will make his season debut for Boston on Monday when the Red Sox visit the Chicago White Sox. ... Boston LHP Drew Pomeranz needed eight strikeouts to reach 500 for his career, and he reached the milestone by getting 1B Mike Napoli swinging to end the fourth. ... Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts, who hit 21 home runs last season, hit his first of 2017 in his 42nd game of the season. ... Boston's Josh Rutledge replaced Dustin Pedroia at second base in the top of the sixth. The Red Sox said Pedroia had pain in his left knee and called the move precautionary. ... The Red Sox remain at home for the weekend with a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners. Texas plays three games in Toronto beginning Friday.
