After falling behind 4-0 in the second inning, the Red Sox ripped off nine unanswered runs and stormed back to beat the Oakland A's 9-4, snapping a two-game losing streak.
Eduardo Rodriguez handed the A's an early lead with two walks after getting of both hitters 0-and-2, before making some adjustments and retiring seven straight. He ran into trouble in the fifth and was lifted after 4.2 innings. Six Red Sox relievers blanked the A's the rest of the way.
Mookie Betts had three hits while Rafael Devers and Michael Chavis added two apiece. The Red Sox pounded out 12 hits, though they didn't homer. Chavis knocked in three runs and J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts delivered two each.
WHO: Red Sox vs. Oakland A's
WHEN: 7:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
SEASON SERIES: Oakland, 3-1
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-2, 5.88) vs RHP Frankie Montas (4-1, 3.10)
TV/RADIO: NESN/WEEI 93.7 FM
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
10:18 Andrew Benintendi tags up and scores on a sacrifice fly to center by Martinez and thus becomes the first Red Sox baserunner in five games this season to run on Oakland Ramon Laureano….and live to tell about it.
9:57 Bradley, who looked lost in his first three at-bats (groundout, two called strikeouts) delivers a run-scoring single up the middle, scoring Devers from second.
9:40 Brandon Workman has allowed two hits this season....and 12 walks.
9:29 After missing two games, J.D. Martinez clearly not yet himself. In four plate appearances, he's 1-for-4 -- with three ground balls in the infield.
9:05 Bloop single into shallow right by Chavis, scoring Rafael Devers from second base That's three RBI for Chavis. That's the seventh run of the night for the Red Sox, but the first one that was earned.
8:54 That's it for Rodriguez, who leaves after 97 pitches, one out shy of qualifying for the win. Hard to have much sympathy for him, however, after the walks in the second and the 37 pitches he needed to get through that inning. Heath Hembree on.
8:29 Rodriguez has looked like a different pitcher since the second inning -- has retired the side in order over the last two innings, four by strikeout.
8:19 Chavis drills a slider up the middle for a two-run single, giving the Red Sox their first lead of the night.
8:17 Red Sox have wiped out the 4-0 deficit with three straight hits.
8:10 The A's are doing everything they can to let the Red Sox back into this one. First, Jurickson Profar with a potential inning-ending double play ball throws the ball away at second. Then, Montas doesn't get over first in time to cover on a ball hit to the right side.
7:46 Four earned runs allowed by Rodriguez in the second represents the most earned runs against a Red Sox starter since Sale allowed four in five innings to the Yankees on April 16.
7:36 Rare stolen base against Christian Vazquez, who had thrown out four of the last five base stealers before Ramon Laureano swiped second.
7:32 Rodriguez had walked a total of four hitters in his three previous starts combined. But tonight, he's issued back-to-back walks to the first two A's in the top of the second, putting himself in an early jam. Worst part is, he started each hitter off 0-and-2, then lost both.
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Benintendi LF
Betts RF
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Chavis 1B
Bradley CF
Vazquez C
Lin 2B
A's
Semien SS
Chapman 3B
Piscotty RF
Davis DH
Pinder LF
Morales 1B
Laureano CF
Profar 2B
Phegley C
WHAT'S UP: Despite allowing opposing batters to hit just .175 in the last four games, the Red Sox are 2-2 in those four...Red Sox starting pitchers have allowed three earned runs or fewer in 14 of the last 15 games....In their last 19 games, Red Sox starters have allowed more than one homer only once...The Boston bullpen hasn't allowed an earned runs in the last three games...Four Red Sox relievers -- Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Marcus Walden and Brandon Workman have combined for a 2.02 ERA....The Sox have had vastly different results against the A's in the last 13 years. During that time, they have a .296 winning percentage (16-38) in Oakland, while playing .705 ball (31-13) at Fenway....Michael Chavis has three homers in his first eight games in the big leagues. The only other Sox players to do that are: Jerry Moses (1965), Sam Horn (1987), Mo Vaughn (1991) and Rafael Devers (2017)...Four of Chavis's first six career hits have gone for extra bases....During his current nine-game on-base streak, Mookie Betts has a .512 OBP, while batting .412 (14-for-34). He has multiple base hits in six of his last nine games and has at least one extra-base hit in each of his last four games...Rafael Devers has gotten on base safely in each of his last 12 games, the longest such streak of his career...After throwing out just one baserunner in the first 10 stolen base attempts this season, Red Sox catchers have gunned down five of the last nine...Christian Vazquez has allowed just one stolen base in his last 10 starts....Andrew Benintendi carries an 0-for-8 slump into tonight's game....Jackie Bradley Jr., who doubled Sunday, is hitting just 3-for-16 on the current homestand...Xander Bogaerts saw a six-game hitting streak come to a close Sunday, and with it, a 12-game on-base streak...Mitch Moreland is 0-for-15 and has seen his batting average dip to .209...Eduardo Rodriguez is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in his last three starts, limiting opponents to a .185 batting average...He gave up six earned runs in just 3.2 innings to the A's earlier this month in Oakland...In five career starts against them, he's 2-2, 3.82....Kendrys Morales is 8-for-27 with a homer and three RBI against Rodriguez while Stephen Piscotty is 4-for-5 with two homers and six RBI....Khris Davis, meanwhile, is 1-for-14 against Rodriguez...The Sox don't have a lot of history against Montas. J.D. Martinez is 1-for-3 with two RBI while Mookie Betts is 0-for-2.
PRE-GAME NOTES:
- Brock Holt is returning to Boston to have his ailing right shoulder examined Tuesday. Holt, who was on a rehab assignment after suffering a scratched cornea on Opening Day, tried to play catch Sunday while with Pawtucket and felt some soreness.
- Rafael Devers took extra work at third base during the afternoon, trying to find some consistency after committing his eighth error of the season Sunday which led to two unearned runs. "I don't think it's mental,'' said Alex Cora. "We've got to keep working. It's just a matter of consistency. He makes a great play and then play (Sunday) was a routine play and he misses it. If we had our way, it would be the other way -- just make the routine ones and hits are hits. The throws are a lot better, the balls carrying better than last year and he's actually moving better than last year. It just seems like the routine play, he misses that one. It's one of those that we needs to figure out, obviously. But if the process stays the same, we expect a good defensive player, a more consistent player because I don't think he's horrible defensively.''