HOUSTON (AP) — When Red Sox catcher Ryan Lavarnway tied a major league record with four passed balls in the first inning as he struggled to handle pitches from knuckleballer Steven Wright, it looked as if Boston would be in for a long night.

Lavarnway and the rest of the Red Sox didn’t dwell on the tough start and instead focused on how to overcome it.

Jacoby Ellsbury homered twice and Jonny Gomes added a three-run shot and the Red Sox rallied from a five-run deficit for a 15-10 win over the Astros on Tuesday.

“We try not to give up until the game is over,” designated hitter David Ortiz said. “Things got kind of crazy at the beginning, but we kept on playing through it.”

Houston extended its lead to 5-0 before Ellsbury’s tworun shot in a three-run third closed the gap.

The Astros led 7-3 before a five-run fifth inning, highlighted by a two-run double by Lavarnway gave Boston a one-run lead.

“It was a key swing in the game,” manager John Farrell said of Lavarnway’s hit.

The Red Sox tacked on five more runs in the sixth, capped by the pinch-hit homer by Gomes.

The win gives Boston 69 wins this season, which ties its win total from last year’s difficult campaign with 47 games to go.

Robbie Grossman, Brett Wallace and Jake Elmore homered for the Astros, who have lost five of six.

Ortiz had four hits, two RBIs and scored twice for the Red Sox and Shane Victorino added three hits and scored four times.

Wright lasted just one inning in his first major league start. He had never thrown in a domed stadium before and said his ball had more movement that it’s ever had. He felt bad that Lavarnway had such a difficult time handling his pitches.

Brandon Workman (2-1) relieved him and got the win despite yielding nine hits and six runs in 4.2 innings.

Houston’s Jordan Lyles (4- 6) gave up nine hits for his third straight start and tied a career high with eight runs in 4.2 innings.

Notes … Red Sox RHP Clay Buchholz, on the disabled list with neck and shoulder ailments, had a bullpen session on Tuesday where he threw 27 pitches.