With baseball’s best on display, Red Sox stand tall

“I don’t think it’s a matter of aggressiveness. I think it’s just a matter of him having the knowledge or wherewithal to know he’s going to throw the ball over the plate,” manager John Farrell said.

Farrell gave up on Owens in the fourth inning. The bullpen and an unrelenting lineup then beat the White Sox, 7-3.

Four relievers allowed one run over six innings. The offense had 12 hits including home runs from Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez and Jackie Bradley Jr.

The 17-11 Red Sox have won 10 of 13. They took two of three on the road against a White Sox team that came into the series with the best record in the American League.

“It’s a big series win for us. Chicago had been playing well and we came in here and took two games,” said Matt Barnes, who earned the win. “We feel good and the vibe in the clubhouse is great.”

Now the Red Sox go to New York for three games against the reeling Yankees, who are 9-17 and were swept in three games at Fenway Park last weekend.

As the Red Sox played the White Sox, the Chicago Cubs beat the Washington Nationals, 5-3, nine miles way at Wrigley Field.

According to Stats Inc., it was the first time four first-place teams played in the same city on the same day.

The game on the South side of town was a bit ragged as nine pitchers combined for 16 walks and nearly four hours elapsed before the final out.

Owens was alarmingly inefficient. He lasted only three innings and threw 33 of 64 pitches for strikes.

The lefthander allowed only two runs on two hits but walked six.

“I feel like I’ve been working hard on my mechanics,” Owens said. “I wanted to get ahead.”

Farrell would not commit to Owens making his next start.

“Too early to tell,” he said. “We’ll take a look at it as we get through the next couple of days.”

With the Sox up 1-0, Owens gave up a leadoff single to Adam Eaton in the first inning.

A wild pitch moved the runner to second. Owens then failed to pay attention to Eaton and he stole third without a throw. Owens walked Jimmy Rollins.

Eaton scored when Jose Abreu grounded into a double play. Owens walked the leadoff hitter in the second inning but avoided damage. With the Red Sox up, 4-1, Owens walked the bases loaded in the third inning.

He got out of the jam when Melky Cabrera fouled out and Brett Lawrie struck out swinging on three pitches. When Avisail Garcia led off the fourth inning with a home run to left field, Farrell decided he had watched enough of Owens.

Heath Hembree got through the rest of that inning then allowed a run on three hits and a walk in the fifth.

With one out, Barnes came in. Austin Jackson’s fly ball to shallow right field was enough for Lawrie to try to score. Mookie Betts made the catch then bounced a throw to the plate that was time for catcher Ryan Hanigan to make the tag and end the inning.

Hanigan blocked the plate with his left leg and tagged Lawrie before he could get his foot down. The White Sox challenged the call, saying Hanigan violated the collision rule. But the out stood after a lengthy review.

“We get a big play by Mookie that shuts down their momentum,” Farrell said.

Barnes retired all four batters he faced, recording five outs.

Junichi Tazawa held the lead in the seventh, striking out three.

Robbie Ross Jr. worked the final two innings. Chicago recalled righthander Erik Johnson from Triple A to make the start. He lasted five innings and allowed four runs on eight hits.

Pedroia homered in the first inning, his fourth.

Brock Holt, back in the lineup after two games out, singled in the second inning and scored on a double to left center by Hanigan.

Ramirez connected for a home run in the third inning, going the other for his third of the season and second in three games.

Travis Shaw followed that with a triple to center field and easily scored on Holt’s sacrifice fly. Matt Albers came out of the Chicago bullpen to start the sixth inning.

His streak of 35 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run ended when Bradley homered to left field.

Bradley has an 11-game hit streak that includes nine RBI. Bradley jammed his right ring finger avoiding a pickoff throw in the third inning of Wednesday’s game.

He was only cleared to play after taking batting practice. Bradley and Betts walked to start the eighth inning and advanced on a groundout.

Xander Bogaerts drove in a run with a sacrifice fly before David Ortiz doubled.

Ortiz has 596 doubles, tied for 15th all-time with Luis Gonzalez. His 1,123 extra-base hits broke a tie with Manny Ramirez for 15th in that category. Ortiz was 2 for 4 with a walk and now has a 1.051 OPS.

Video: David Ortiz’s 8th-inning double

Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.