The Boston Red Sox scored three runs in the eighth inning to rally for a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday afternoon at Fenway Park.
Hanley Ramirez hit a two run double that scored Dustin Pedroia and Andrew Benintendi to even the score at three. Xander Bogaerts singled home Ramirez to give the Red Sox the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Craig Kimbrel came in and closed out the contest in the top of the ninth inning. Kimbrel was helped by a great throw by catcher Christian Vazquez to cut down a potential base stealer.
Heath Hembree, Matt Barnes (2-0), and Kimbrel combined to pitch 3.2 innings of scoreless relief. Eduardo Rodriguez started and allowed two earned runs in 5.1 innings.
Mitch Moreland hit a double for the seventh straight game. That ties an American League record. This finishes off the sweep for the Red Sox in a series that started the season. This was a makeup game for the third game of the series.
The Red Sox will open up a four game series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night. Rick Porcello and Chris Archer will be he pitching matchup.
Hanley Ramirez shown here on opening day and had a big hit in a 3 run eighth inning on Thursday afternoon. Photo courtesy of Sue Zeiba
