Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Dustin Pedroia homered and drove in five runs while David Ortiz finished 3-for-3 and drove in four more as Boston routed Baltimore, 14-2, in the middle test of a three-game set at Fenway Park.

Jon Lester (13-5) allowed just one run on six hits in five innings to pick up the win for the Red Sox, who pounded out 20 hits in the game and have won four of their last five contests. Lester is now a perfect 6-0 in eight career starts versus Baltimore.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but it's September 2, and it's almost as if he's too strong," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "His ball was arm side up and away to a lot of righthanders tonight. His stuff was phenomenal. The ball's coming out of his hand. I think he touched 97 (MPH) early in the game. He's strong."

With the win Boston closed to within four games of first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East and now leads the AL wild card race by four games over Minnesota and Chicago.

Kevin Millar and Alex Cintron each had an RBI for the Orioles, who have dropped five in a row and 10 of 11. Ramon Hernandez finished 2-for-4 in the loss.

Radhames Liz (5-4) was touched for nine runs on nine hits in just 3 1/3 innings en route to the loss.

"He's not throwing it over the plate," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "He's not throwing enough strikes. Three times he walked a guy to face Ortiz. That's not a real good mix."

The Red Sox took control of the contest with a four-run third inning. Coco Crisp started things with a one-out bunt single and quickly swiped second. Liz then issued consecutive walks to Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie that loaded the bases. Ortiz followed with a two-run double and Pedroia lofted a sacrifice fly to left before Mark Kotsay finally capped the frame with an RBI double to right.

Baltimore got on the scoreboard with a run in the fourth. Aubrey Huff led off with an infield single, advanced to third on a Hernandez ground-rule double and scored on Millar's sac fly to left.

Boston quickly answered and put things out of reach with a six-spot in the fourth. Jeff Bailey led off with a single and advanced 90-feet on Crisp's one- out base hit before Ellsbury chased him home with a single up the middle. After Ellsbury stole second and Lowrie walked, Ortiz slapped another ground- rule double to right to make it a 7-1 game.

The O's had seen enough of Liz at that point and went to Fernando Cabrera but Pedroia greeted the reliever by blasting his 16th homer of the year over the wall in left.

The Red Sox tacked on another run in the fifth when Lowrie laced a two-out run-scoring, ground-rule double to right.

Pedroia's RBI double and a Jonathan Van Every run-scoring single in the seventh extended the lead to 13-1, while a Lowrie sacrifice fly in the eighth accounted for Boston's final run.

Cintron knocked in Lou Montanez with a two-out RBI double in the ninth to create the final margin.