ARLINGTON, Texas - Matt Clement had the perfect comeback after pitching in Boston's most lopsided loss of the season last week and then being left off the AL All-Star team.

Clement worked into the ninth inning for his 10th victory with nine strikeouts and no walks, and the Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 7-4 on Wednesday night.

"He pitched with so much heart," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "For him to go that deep against that lineup, it was tremendous."

In his last start before the All-Star break, five days after allowing eight runs in 5 2-3 innings in a 15-2 loss to Toronto, Clement (10-2) threw 84 of his season-high 122 pitches for strikes. He didn't come out until giving up a two-out single in the ninth.

The bigger disappointment came when the All-Star teams were named Sunday. Clement wasn't voted in by the players and Francona, who will manage the game in Detroit, wasn't able to find him a spot while having to make sure every team was represented on the squad.

"I'm not an All-Star, bottom line. I wasn't chosen to the team," Clement said. "I thought I put myself in a situation where I had a pretty good chance to make it."

Clement has one more victory in 18 starts for Boston than he did in 30 for the Chicago Cubs last season. He signed a $25 million, three-year free agent contract with the Red Sox.

David Ortiz homered and drove in three runs for the Red Sox, and Jason Varitek and Kevin Millar both had two RBIs.

The Red Sox (48-35) go into their four-game series at Baltimore with a four-game lead over the Orioles in the AL East, their largest division lead since June 2002. The New York Yankees are 41/2 games back.

With struggling closer Keith Foulke on the 15-day disabled list and scheduled for arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Thursday, Alan Embree struck out the only batter he faced for his first save in three chances.

Clement gave up consecutive homers to David Dellucci and Michael Young in the third inning. The only other runs he allowed were on Dellucci's second homer in the seventh, and he scattered nine hits.

"I know there is a lot of disappointment about this whole thing, but I would never question his ability to go out there," Francona said.

Clement could still end up on the All-Star team. Francona said Clement would go if Rangers left-hander Kenny Rogers decides against going to Detroit next week.

Rogers (9-4, 2.45 ERA) apologized Wednesday for last week's tirade against two TV cameramen that sent one to the hospital and prompted a police investigation, but said he has not decided about the All-Star game.

Rogers, who is appealing his 20-game suspension for the outburst, apologized to fans and the cameramen in his first public comments since the June 29 episode. He read from a two-page, handwritten statement and declined to take questions.

"If I get selected, I'm going," Clement said. "If I make it, there's not going to be anybody who feels more honored to be on that team."

Ortiz hit a 431-foot homer high onto the grassy hill in center field for Boston's first run, starting a three-run sixth that put the Red Sox ahead to stay. It was his 21st of the season, and second in two nights.

An inning later, Ortiz had a two-run single when the Red Sox scored four more times.

Two outs after Ortiz's homer, Trot Nixon and Kevin Millar had consecutive doubles before Jason Varitek's tiebreaking RBI single chased Chan Ho Park (8-3), who had allowed just one hit the first five innings.

"I just missed on a few pitches and they got hits. The sixth was a tough inning," Park said.

Varitek and Millar drove in runs in the seventh off reliever Kameron Loe. Varitek had another single and Millar got an RBI on a strange fielder's choice when left fielder Kevin Mench couldn't handle his sinking liner but forced Manny Ramirez at third when the All-Star failed to run.

Johnny Damon extended his career-high hitting streak to 22 games with a seventh-inning single. It's the longest in the majors this season, surpassing Darin Erstad of the Los Angeles Angels, who hit in 21 straight from May 28-June 21.