No homers? No problem for Red Sox

Homers? They don’t need no stinkin’ homers.

At least not when they’re banging out 15 hits, or sending 13 men to the plate in one inning, or getting at least one hit from every member of the starting lineup.

Nope. Homers are optional on a night like Tuesday, when the Red Sox started pounding out base hit after base hit and didn’t stop until the sixth inning, recording a 10-4 thrashing of the St. Louis Cardinals.They hinted at what was to come in the first inning, when, with two outs, they strung together four straight two-out singles, producing a single run.

That, as it turned out, was just the warm-up.

Held hitless over the next three innings by Cards starter Mike Leake, the Sox hit their stride – and everything else in sight – in the fifth. After Jackie Bradley flied to left for the first out, the next 10 hitters in succession reached, in nearly every way imaginable: singles, doubles, walks, hit-by-pitch.In short, everything in the offensive tool kit – except the long ball.

In short, everything in the offensive tool kit – except the long ball.

“I feel like we can operate a lot of different ways,’’ said Bradley. “We’re very versatile-type guys. We aren’t a big home run hitting team, but we have some guys who can hit home runs. I think it shows that we don’t have to hit home runs to win ballgames. We’re just trying to make it tough on the pitcher, score runs and help our team win any way we possibly can.’’

As one hit followed another, you half expected the basepaths to begin showing wear and tear. The Red Sox were operating at maximum offensive efficiency, with the hits coming as off some assembly line. At times like that, the feeling is contagious for the hitters.

“Definitely, ‘’ agreed Bradley. “I feel like everyone was going up there and having a great approach, kind of passing the torch. I got up there my second time (in the inning) and there was still (only) one out. I was like, ‘Man, I was the first one to get out. Don’t be the second one to get out, too.’ It was a lot of fun tonight.’’

Tuesday’s win marked the 45th time this season in which the Red Sox failed to hit a homer. They’ve now won 21 of those games, with last night qualifying as the third time this year they’ve managed to reach double figures in runs scored without the benefit of a homer.

“It’s what we’ve always preached with our guys,’’ said John Farrell. “Tonight, in that inning, it was a little bit of a snapshot of it – using the whole field, trusting everyone up and down the lineup, quality at-bats. We did a very good job with that.’’

In a season in which strikeouts are being recorded at a record rate, keeping the line moving is harder than it has ever been. A strikeout fails to move baserunners up and can kill rallies quickly. If the ball’s not being put in play, the offense can stall out without much warning. But in the fifth inning, there was no interruption. Instead, the offense was running so smoothly, you could almost hear it purr.

Beyond the sheer volume of baserunners and runs, there were other encouraging developments. Hanley Ramirez, around whom the offense should be operating, drove two balls off The Wall – one for a single in the first and another for a double in the fifth.

Then there was Xander Bogaerts, who has been slapping at the ball for weeks and failing to square many up. On Tuesday, he had two hard-hit line singles that offered some hope that his long slump might be nearing an end.

“Those two guys are critical to this offense,’’ Farrell said. “ And it’s not just the hits they had. It’s the way they were able to drive the baseball. It was good to see.’’

Team-wide, there was encouragement, too. Tuesday’s win was 15th time this season they had scored five or more runs without the benefit of the long ball. They’re 14-1 in such games.

Homers might represent the most obvious way to score. But the Red Sox keep proving that they’re not the only way.