BOSTON — Finally, the Red Sox broke out their brooms.
The Red Sox earned their first sweep of the season Sunday by defeating the Oakland Athletics 7-4 at Fenway Park. It wasn’t an ordinary win for the Red Sox, though, as they trailed 4-0 entering the bottom of the eighth inning before exploding for seven runs to cap a successful 5-2 homestand.
One could argue it was Boston’s best win of 2015. The Red Sox had been 1-26 when trailing after seven innings and looked well on their way to another disappointing loss until everything changed out of nowhere. It was the most fight and most energy the Sox have shown all season.
The Red Sox will open a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards on Tuesday following an off-day Monday. Let’s run down some notes from Sunday’s series finale against the A’s.
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— The Red Sox now have a winning record at home (15-14) for the first time since improving to 6-5. They’ve won seven of their last nine games at Fenway.
— Sunday’s four-run deficit marked the largest deficit the Red Sox have overcome this season. Their previous high was a three-run deficit they overcame April 27 against the Toronto Blue Jays.
— The Red Sox’s seventh-inning rally featured the team’s highest single-inning totals for both runs (seven) and hits (eight) this season. It was their most hits in an inning since racking up eight knocks in the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 13, 2012.
— The Red Sox admittedly snoozed for the first seven innings. But they woke up in a big way and Boston now has recorded at least 10 hits in each of its last four games, during which the Sox have batted .343 (47-for-137)
— Steven Wright deserves all the credit in the world for giving the Red Sox a chance to rally. He continues to be such an asset regardless of his role with the major league club.
Wright, who threw 92 pitches in a six-inning start Thursday against the Minnesota Twins, was placed in the bullpen before Sunday’s game with Joe Kelly remaining in the rotation. The knuckleballer, who was totally accepting of the news, responded with 3 1/3 shutout innings in relief after Clay Buchholz failed to make it through the fifth inning. Wright kept the game at 4-0 until Boston’s huge outburst.
“It allowed us to get through the game to the point of (A’s starter Kendall) Graveman finally hitting his pitch limit and getting him out of the game, and then in the eighth inning, things took over,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “But you can’t let the eighth inning take away from the work that Steven did (Sunday). It was an outstanding relief effort on his part.”
Wright offered a refreshing perspective before the game, saying he’s just happy to be in the majors, whether as a starter or a reliever. The 30-year-old has shown an ability to thrive in both roles, and his success largely is the product of a very simplistic approach.
“I throw knuckleballs, man,” Wright said after Sunday’s win. “I just get up there and throw.”
Hey, whatever works.
— Buchholz’s outing marked the first time this month Boston’s starter failed to record a quality start.
— Rusney Castillo’s first homer of the season jump-started Boston’s offense.
— Xander Bogaerts has the look of a 22-year-old who’s taking the next step right before our eyes.
Bogaerts, who delivered the go-ahead double in the eighth inning, leads all qualified American League shortstops in average (.296) and on-base percentage (.340). He’s second in OPS (.742) and RBIs (21).
— Pablo Sandoval, who sat the last two games amid some struggles, joked to Farrell on Sunday morning, “I’m glad you didn’t forget about me.” The Panda then rewarded his manager in his return, collecting two hits, including a two-out single in the eighth inning that preceded Bogaerts’ game-winning double.
Sandoval’s second-inning single snapped an 0-for-12 skid.
— Dustin Pedroia and Brock Holt paced the offense atop the order throughout the entire series.
Pedroia went 6 for 12 with a double, two walks and three runs scored while batting leadoff in the three games. Holt went 5-for-10 with a double, three walks, two runs scored and an RBI while batting second.
— Pedroia was informed after Sunday’s game in the midst of a question that the Red Sox had been 1-26 when trailing after seven innings before taking down the A’s in dramatic fashion. His response was Pedroia-esque.
“They didn’t leave that stat on my chair, 1-for-26. They don’t give us those,” Pedroia said sarcastically. “But no, it’s a great win. We’ll have a good off-day and continue with the grind of the year now and try to have good runs throughout the year and get on a winning streak. Now’s the time.”
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
