BOSTON — Julian Tavarez certainly wasn’t in the running for a spot on the All-Star pitching staff.

But the right-hander, the fifth starter in Boston’s rotation, turned in another solid performance, albeit tagged with the loss in the Red Sox’ 2-1 setback to the Rangers at Fenway Park.

Only one of the two runs against Tavarez was earned. The right-hander tossed 5 2/3 innings. He allowed seven hits, but had his sinker working for the most part. The one hit that stung him was an RBI double high off the wall by Brad Wilkerson in the sixth, a shot that snapped a 1-1 tie.

Though Tavarez’s record dipped to 5-6, he has allowed three or fewer earned runs in his last six starts. He is 4-2 with a 3.16 earned-run average in his last nine starts.

Lugo riding the pine

Slumping shortstop Julio Lugo, who compounded his hitting woes (0 for 31) by making a poor baserunning decision as a pinch runner Saturday night, was on the bench for the third straight game, again replaced in the starting lineup by Alex Cora.

Francona had a chat with him early yesterday, and one topic of conversation was Lugo’s ill-advised and unsuccessful attempt to steal third with two outs in the eighth, with the Sox trailing by one run and .326 hitter Kevin Youkilis at the plate.

Lugo was thrown out by catcher Gerald Laird on a one-hop throw, ending the inning. Lugo did not slide and was tagged out in a collision with third baseman Travis Metcalf.

Lugo did not make himself available to the media Saturday night.

“He was trying to make something happen that wasn’t there,” said Francona before yesterday’s game, noting that he spoke with Lugo yesterday as opposed to right after Saturday night’s game when emotions would have been running higher.

“He didn’t slide. That made it look bad. He thought it was a foul ball. He had his head down. A lot of things went wrong, but we were able to talk, which is good. You want to have those lines of communication open,” he said.

One major point Francona said he made with Lugo is that the Sox aren’t quitting on him.

“We need to get him back in there, probably (tonight),” said Francona. “We need to get him going. I told him that. That’s why we got him here.”

Lugo entered yesterday’s game as a pinch runner, this time at first base with one out in the ninth. He stayed put, not attempting to steal. And he was stranded there, as Youkilis flied out and struggling David Ortiz popped up

Cora, meanwhile, had a busy day at short. Though he made one error on a potential double-play ball up the middle, Cora racked up seven assists and five putouts. He also went 1-for-4 and scored the Sox’ only run. In the three-game series, Cora has gone 3-for-11.

You talkin’ to me?

There was some indecisiveness and not-so-comic relief provided by Texas closer Eric Gagne in the eighth.

Gagne had to be called into the game when Akinori Otsuka injured his forearm with two outs and two on. Gagne had been sitting in the bullpen and was not warmed up, so when the call went out to him, he got up and started to throw.

But the Rangers and the umpires were calling him to the mound on the field, where he would be given as much time as he wanted to get loose. Gagne wasn’t getting the message, throwing a few pitches in the bullpen as the fans got restless and began clamoring for him to come in.

Finally, with second-base umpire Andy Fletcher running out almost to the bullpen to personally deliver the invitation, Gagne left the bullpen and entered the field as the fans booed him.

Gagne got loose in the middle of the Fenway diamond and then calmly nailed down a four-out save.

Around the horn

Center fielder Coco Crisp was out of the lineup for the third straight game because of a sore left thumb, injured in a diving attempt to catch a ball in Seattle last Wednesday. Francona said the Sox are trying to be patient with Crisp, not wanting to put him on the disabled list if he’ll be available to the team before the mandatory 15-day stay on the list . . . Curt Schilling (sore right shoulder) will be examined today. He hasn’t thrown since June 18, when he was shelled in Atlanta . . . The Sox’ bullpen has thrown 9 2/3 scorless innings over the first three games of the series . . . Dustin Pedroia stretched his modest hitting streak to six games . . . Hideki Okajima has not allowed a run in his last 11 appearances (11 2/3 innings) . . . The Sox are 5-for-34 with runners in scoring position in the series.

skrasner@projo.com