Franchy Cordero hit a game winning three-run homerun in the sixth inning on Sunday, as the Boston Red Sox started a 10 game road trip by finishing off a three game sweep over the Oakland Athletics with a 5-1 victory at the Oakland Coliseum. Boston is now back to a .500 record (27-27) for the first time since April 22 in a win over Tampa Bay.
Boston began the game with three straight singles by Jarren Duran, Kike Hernandez, and Rafael Devers. The one by Devers scored Duran for a 1-0 lead. Oakland (20-36) came right back in the bottom half of the first iagainst Red Sox starting pitcher Rich Hill with a leadoff double by Chad Pinder. Ramon Laureano tied it with a two out RBI double. Hill would settle in after that retiring 16 batters in a row. Devers began the decisive sixth inning with a walk, and Xander Bogaerts reached on an error. After Oakland starter Frankie Montas got the next two outs, Cordero took the first pitch he saw over the fence in left center field to make it 4-1. It was the third homerun for Cordero, his second game winning long ball. Devers led off the eighth with a solo homer down the left field line, his 12th of the season. Tony Kemp had a two out RBI single in the ninth inning for the A’s to finish the scoring on the day.
Hill (2-3) only allowed the one run on three hits with no walks and five strikeouts in 6.0 innings to pick up the win. Devers had two hits and two RBI. Montas (2-6) took the loss for Oakland, and the A’s had seven different batters with one hit each. Boston will head to Los Angeles to start a four game series with the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night. The Angels have lost 11 games in a row. The Red Sox will send right hander Michael Wacha (3-1, 2.43 ERA) to the mound in the opener, to be opposed by Los Angeles righty Noah Syndergaard (4-3, 4.02).
