Boston 13, Oakland 3
When: 7:10 PM ET, Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Where: Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
Temperature:
63°
Umpires:
Home -
Alfonso Marquez, 1B -
Chris Guccione, 2B -
David Rackley, 3B -
Larry Vanover
Attendance:
33283
By The Sports Xchange
BOSTON -- John Farrell referred to his Boston Red Sox lineup as "a relentless group" after the Red Sox finished off a dazzling three-game demolition of the Oakland Athletics with a 13-3 win on Wednesday night.
The Boston manager wasn't about to get any arguments from Oakland counterpart Bob Melvin or his players.
"The ability to drive the baseball -- that was apparent throughout these three games," understated Farrell after the Red Sox hammered the A's for their third straight blowout win in the series.
Sizzling Jackie Bradley Jr. hit two more home runs, and he drove in six runs for the second time in the series, and Dustin Pedroia also homered to power Boston to its fourth straight win and run Oakland's losing streak to five games.
The Red Sox, with 40 runs on 48 hits in the series, remained percentage points behind the Baltimore Orioles for the American League East lead -- as the struggling Houston Astros arrive for four games.
Thursday night, Boston's David Price, who finished second in the 2015 Cy Young voting, opposes the award winner, Dallas Keuchel. Both left-handers are struggling this season -- and Keuchel has to know how hot the Red Sox hitters are coming in.
Boston, with 71 extra base hits (27 homers) in their last 16 games, reached double figures in runs in three consecutive games for the first time since running off four in a row at the Chicago White Sox from Aug. 24-26, 2007.
It is the first time since 1999 and the seventh time in the last 100 years a team scored 13 runs three games in a row.
Boston won the first game of the series 14-7 and took the second 13-5.
The Red Sox have homered in 12 straight games for the first time since 2011.
Bradley extended his career-best hitting streak to 17 straight games and recorded his second career two-homer game. He drove in 13 runs in the series and is hitting .406 with six homers and 24 RBIs during the hitting streak.
"It doesn't really amaze me," Bradley said of his power surge. "I've gotten stronger as I've gotten older. So hopefully that continues. But I'm just happy with my line drive base hits. Hopefully they fall in there.
"I feel confident. I do right now. I'm just kind of taking what the pitcher's giving me and just trying to hit it hard."
Christian Vazquez and Xander Bogaerts both collected three hits, Chris Young had a pair of doubles and Hanley Ramirez ripped a two-run double in the season-high 17-hit Red Sox attack, a night after a season-high 16 hits.
The A's gave up at least 11 runs in four straight for the first time in franchise history. It is the third time they allowed double figures in four straight (1930, '99). They have been outscored 56-20 during their five-game losing skid.
"It's certainly embarrassing," said Oakland's Josh Reddick. "To have a team put up 10 runs in each game. It's about really all there is to it."
The 1929 Philadelphia Phillies allowed at least 11 runs in six straight, and the A's joined the 1951 Pittsburgh Pirates, the 1986 Milwaukee Brewers and 2007 Astros as the only teams since with four in a row.
Boston starter Rick Porcello wasn't as good as he has been, but made it through 6 2/3 innings with the major run support and raised his record to 6-1 in seven starts. He allowed three runs on six hits in his sixth straight quality start.
Porcello has 15 straight outings of at least six innings, the longest active streak in the majors.
Oakland starter Eric Surkamp, recalled to start the game, lasted 2 2/3 innings and dropped to 0-3 in five big league starts this year. He gave up four runs on four hits.
"It's a tough series for us," said Melvin. "The (Red Sox are) playing hot, swinging the bats well, doing everything right. We're playing (guys) out of position, bullpen's in disarray. It's a tough series for us."
NOTES: Maverick Schutte, a 6-year-old from Cheyenne, Wyo. with a congenital heart defect, threw out a ceremonial first pitch Wednesday. Boston DH David Ortiz sent a video message to Schutte on April 29, promising to hit a home run for him that night against the New York Yankees. Ortiz made good on his promise, homering in the eighth inning. Schutte accompanied Ortiz to batting practice before the game. ... A day after making six roster transactions, the banged-up A's made five more. They recalled LHP Eric Surkamp to start the series finale against the Red Sox and summoned longtime minor-league RHP Zach Neal from Nashville, placed INF Jed Lowrie (shin contusion) on the 15-day disabled list, moved 2B Eric Sogard from the 15- to the 60-day DL and optioned RHP Daniel Coulombe to Triple-A. Lowrie, who fouled ball off his leg Monday night, hit the DL for the ninth time. ... According to Baseball America, the Red Sox are being investigated by Major League Baseball for their 2015 signings in Venezuela, claiming they might have manipulated the free agent signing system.
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
Oakland |
|
Boston |
Eric Surkamp |
Player |
Rick Porcello
|
Loss |
W/L |
Win |
2.2 |
IP |
6.2 |
3 |
Strikeouts |
5 |
4 |
Hits |
6 |
13.50 |
ERA |
4.05 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Hits |
HR |
TB |
Avg |
LOB |
K |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
Errors |
Oakland
|
8 |
0 |
9 |
.235 |
16 |
8 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
Boston
|
17 |
3 |
31 |
.415 |
19 |
7 |
13 |
4 |
2 |
0 |