Red Sox 4, Cardinals 2: Jonny Gomes hit a three-run homer and David Ortiz went 3-for-3 as visiting Boston fought back to even the World Series at two games apiece.

Ortiz scored a pair of runs and Stephen Drew chipped in a sacrifice fly for the Red Sox, who received five strong innings from the bullpen after Clay Buchholz gutted his way through four frames despite shoulder issues. Gomes, who entered the starting lineup with Shane Victorino being a late scratch with a sore lower back, snapped an 0-for-9 drought with his go-ahead blast in the sixth.

Carlos Beltran singled in a run and Matt Carpenter recorded an RBI and a run scored for St. Louis, which will host Game 5 on Monday. Lance Lynn (0-1) was charged with three runs on three hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings and Seth Maness surrendered Gomes’ blast.

The Cardinals grabbed the early lead in the third when Carpenter singled and moved up on Jacoby Ellsbury’s error before coming home on Beltran’s single to center. The Red Sox got that run back in the fifth as Ortiz led off with a double and two walks loaded the bases before Drew lifted a sacrifice fly to left.

Boston took its first lead since the series shifted to St. Louis in the sixth when Lynn surrendered a two-out single to Dustin Pedroia and walked Ortiz. The Cardinals went to sinkerball specialist Maness to face Gomes, who blasted a 2-2 offering into the Red Sox bullpen in left-center for a 4-1 edge.

Felix Doubront (1-0) retired the first eight hitters he faced in relief of Buchholz before yielding a two-out pinch-hit double to Shane Robinson in the seventh. Boston went to struggling left-hander Craig Breslow, who surrendered an RBI single to Carpenter and walked Beltran before Junichi Tazawa came on to retire Matt Holliday with the tying run on first.

John Lackey made his first relief appearance since 2004 and worked around a two-base error and a wild pitch to toss a scoreless eighth. Koji Uehara earned the save after giving up a single in the ninth before picking off pinch runner Kolten Wong at first to end the game with Beltran at the plate.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Red Sox have committed at least one error in five straight games. … The Cardinals lost for just the second time in their last 15 postseason home games. … Buchholz allowed an unearned run on three hits and three walks in four frames.