Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run home run and finished with three RBIs as the host Boston Red Sox snapped a three-game losing streak and avoided a three-game sweep with an 8-1 rout of the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night.
Garrett Richards (3-2) tossed six scoreless innings to stifle the Oakland bats after the A’s outscored Boston 7-3 overall in the first two games. The right-hander gave up five hits and walked three while striking out four to earn his third win over his last four starts.
Bobby Dalbec added a two-run homer and J.D. Martinez had an RBI for the Red Sox, his team-leading 33rd. Boston reclaimed a share of the major league lead in wins alongside Oakland, St. Louis and San Francisco with 23.
A’s starter Sean Manaea (3-2) struggled while allowing a season-high seven runs on 10 hits with a walk and two strikeouts. The left-hander lasted just two innings, his shortest start since allowing five runs in 4 2/3 innings against Houston in his season debut April 4.
Ex-Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland went 2-for-4 for the A’s and Matt Olson drove in the lone run for the Oakland, who had won four of five and seven of its last 10 games.
Boston scored three runs in the first and three in the second to chase Manaea, who had allowed two or fewer runs in five of his last six outings.
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Michael Chavis doubled to lead off the Boston first and scored on Martinez’s one-out RBI single. Bogaerts’ eighth homer of the year one batter later made it 3-0.
Dalbec hit his third homer of the season after Hunter Renfroe singled to open the second. Bogaerts later added a two-out RBI double to make it 6-0.
Jonathan Arauz’s bases-loaded groundout pushed across another Boston run in the third. Martinez hit an infield single in the sixth that also scored a run after a throwing error by A’s third baseman Matt Chapman.
Olson’s one-out groundout in the eighth scored Moreland after he advanced to third on defensive indifference.
Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock pitched the final three innings to record his first career save.
-Field Level Media