Sale (3-1) gave up just four hits and a run -- Ryan Rua lined a homer to right to start the bottom of the seventh -- while issuing just one walk. Sale whiffed five hitters through two innings and eight through four, and has 63 strikeouts in 49 innings this year.

Doug Fister (1-3) permitted nine hits and six runs over 6 1/3 innings, departing after J.D. Martinez swatted the last of his 103 pitches into the seats in right field for a solo homer. Fister walked two and struck out five.

Boston initiated scoring in the first inning when former Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland picked on a low changeup from Fister. Moreland lined it into the right field corner for a double that scored Mookie Betts.

Xander Bogaerts upped the lead to 2-0 in the third when he grounded a hanging slider into left field for an RBI single to left. Martinez scored from second when Rua's throw turned out to be several feet offline.

Leon wiped out any realistic hopes Texas had of winning the game in the sixth. After working the count to 2-0, he jumped on a meaty 88 mph fastball over the middle and belted his first homer, scoring Eduardo Nunez and Jackie Bradley Jr. Leon entered the day batting just .111.

Martinez's long ball in the seventh was his eighth of the year. Rua's clout in the bottom of the seventh was his second.

Sale was only in real trouble once. That occurred in the second, when Texas filled the bases with two outs as Nomar Mazara was plunked, Jurickson Profar singled and Ronald Guzman reached on an error. But Sale snagged Carlos Perez's liner to end the inning.

Betts left the game prior to the bottom of the second with a right shoulder contusion.

--Field Level Media