BOSTON — The Red Sox continued their all-out assault on Oakland A’s pitching Tuesday night, reaching double-digit runs for a second consecutive night in a 13-5 victory at Fenway Park.
The offensive onslaught allowed right-hander Sean O’Sullivan to easily secure a win in his first Red Sox start and extended Boston’s winning streak to three games.
GAME IN A WORD
Lopsided.
That’s also a word that accurately describes this series, as the Red Sox have outscored the A’s 27-12Â over 18 innings.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Boston scored eight runs over the the first three innings to leap ahead 8-0, giving O’Sullivan all the run support he needed to nail down his first major league win since May 17, 2015.
ON THE BUMP
— A rough sixth inning overshadowed an all-around solid outing for O’Sullivan.
The 28-year-old journeyman prevented Oakland from pushing a runner past first base in four of the first five innings, and he was able to emerge unscathed from a three-hit second thanks to an inning-ending outfield assist from Jackie Bradley Jr.
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The A’s finally got to O’Sullivan in the sixth, touching him for four runs on five hits in the frame, and Robbie Ross Jr. took over pitching duties to begin the seventh.
All told, O’Sullivan allowed four runs on 12 hits, struck out three (all in the fifth inning), threw one wild pitch and did not walk a batter.
— Ross walked the first man he faced, struck out the next two, then allowed an RBI double off the bat of Billy Butler that skipped past Bradley in center field. Bradley was not charged with an error on the play, but it was the second fielding miscue in as many games for the typically sure-handed outfielder.
Ross got the next batter to ground out to strand Butler on second.
— Junichi Tazawa allowed a leadoff single and nothing more in a scoreless eighth inning.
— Craig Kimbrel, who had not seen action since last Wednesday, finished things off with a scoreless ninth.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The Red Sox’s bats picked up right where they left off after Monday’s 14-7 win. Mookie Betts led off the game with a home run into the Green Monster seats — the first leadoff homer by a Boston hitter since June 20, 2015 — and Hanley Ramirez followed with a monstrous two-run shot three batters later to give the Sox an early 3-0 lead.
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Ramirez’s blast traveled an estimated 468 feet, making it the second-longest homer hit in the major leagues this season.
— After going down 1-2-3 in the second inning, Boston got right back to work in the third.
Betts, Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts, Ramirez and Chris Young began the inning with five consecutive hits (four singles and a Pedroia double) and Travis Shaw added another double later in what ended up being a five-run frame for the Sox.
Shaw’s two-run double brought an end to a miserable outing for A’s starter Sean Manaea, who surrendered eight earned runs on 10 hits in just 2 2/3 innings.
— Shaw struck again in the fifth, lifting a three-run home run into the Monster seats to make it 11-0.
Shaw also singled and scored in the seventh inning to fall a triple shy of the cycle. He went 3-for-4 with one walk, two runs scored and a game-high five RBIs.
— Bradley extended his hitting streak to 16 games — the longest active streak in the majors — with a fifth-inning single. He added another base hit in the seventh that scored Shaw and put Boston ahead 13-5.
— Oh, and the Red Sox scored all of these runs without David Ortiz taking a single swing. Ortiz was given the night off, with Ramirez filling in as Boston’s designated hitter and going 3-for-4 with one walk, two RBIs and three runs scored.
Ortiz’s usual spot has suited Ramirez well over the years. He entered the night with a .318/.362/.589 slash line in 116 career plate appearances as a DH.
TWEET OF THE GAME
UP NEXT
The Sox and A’s close out their three-game set Wednesday night, with Rick Porcello taking the mound Boston in search of his team-best sixth win of the season.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
