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Benny gets booted leaving Sox outfield in disarray

Capitalizing on a lack of readiness in the outfield after Benintendi's ejection, Hunter Pence turned a misplayed fly into an inside-the-park home run.
Credit: AP Photo/Charles Krupa
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora argues with home plate umpire Angel Hernandez after the ejection of Andrew Benintendi during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park in Boston on Tuesday, June 11, 2019.

BOSTON — Hunter Pence hit a stand-up, inside-the-park home run and the Texas Rangers beat the Boston Red Sox 9-5 Tuesday night after both managers were ejected.

Ariel Jurado (4-2) struck out six while pitching six innings of three-run ball, and Pence, Asdrubal Cabrera and Ronald Guzman each had two RBIs for the Rangers. Texas has won four of five, including Monday night's extra-innings victory at Fenway Park.

Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts homered for Boston, which has lost three straight and five of six.

The Red Sox dropped to 34-34 on a night filled with frustrations. Andrew Benintendi was ejected in the fifth, and manager Alex Cora was also tossed defending his outfielder.

Darwinzon Hernandez (0-1) made his first major league start and struck out seven, but he struggled with his control and allowed four runs - three earned - on three hits and five walks. He faced two batters in the fourth, when Texas pulled ahead 4-3.

The Rangers added two more runs in the fifth on a double by Guzman, and the Red Sox began to unravel in the bottom half of the inning.

With Benintendi banished to the clubhouse, Pence took advantage of a realigned outfield for his 14th homer.

Brock Holt moved from left field to right in the sixth and couldn't track down Pence's fly at the short right field wall. Holt fell onto the top of the wall and remained draped there while the ball rolled slowly toward right-center. Betts, who moved from right to center, couldn't get to the ball before Pence finished his dash around the bases. The two-run homer put Texas up 9-3.

Cabrera followed Pence with a line drive to left and tried to stretch it to a double, sliding in and initially being called safe before second base umpire Jordan Baker quickly reversed his own call. That brought Texas manager Chris Woodward storming out of the dugout. He went straight for plate umpire Angel Hernandez and shouted in his face until he got tossed - the first ejection of his managing career.

BEEF NIGHT

Although he was ejected by first base umpire Vic Carapazza, Benintendi appeared to be upset with Hernandez. He turned and shouted toward home plate after grounding out, prompting the ejection.

Cora came out to argue and got into it with Carapazza and Hernandez near first base before being given his third career ejection. While Cora yelled at both umpires, Benintendi continued to bark from the top step of the dugout.

GET WELL, PAPI!

Fans cheered between the second and third innings when the Red Sox showed a video from 13 years before, when David Ortiz hit a three-run walk-off homer on June 11, 2006 for the Red Sox in a 5-4 win over Texas.

Ortiz was a few miles away at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he is recovering in intensive care after being flown to Boston for a second surgery following a shooting in the Dominican Republic on Sunday night.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rangers: OF Joey Gallo (strained oblique) hit from a tee Tuesday. Gallo has been on the injured list since June 2.

Red Sox: Placed RHP Ryan Brasier on the bereavement/family medical emergency list. Hernandez was recalled from Double-A Portland. ... 1B/DH Steve Pearce (lower back strain) did some running Tuesday and will take swings Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Rangers RHP Lance Lynn (7-4, 4.39 ERA) faces RHP Rick Porcello (4-6, 4.86) in the third game of the series, which was moved up to a 4 p.m. start because of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Blues and the Bruins.

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