Red Sox Rally Past Giants To Complete Fenway Park Sweep originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox refused to let an ugly start ruin their Sunday afternoon. Boston erased an early three-run deficit and held on for a 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park, completing a three-game sweep and extending its winning streak to three games.
The Red Sox fell behind 3-0 through two innings before receiving contributions from nearly every corner of the lineup. Nick Sogard started the comeback with a long home run, Ceddanne Rafaela delivered two run-scoring singles and Mickey Gasper came off the bench to drive in the go-ahead run.
Jake Bennett settled down after a difficult opening stretch and completed seven innings. Aroldis Chapman then slammed the door in the ninth for his 29th save. Boston improved to 71-59 and remained six games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. Chad Tracy’s club also completed an important sweep before beginning a challenging road trip.
Red Sox Erase Early Giants LeadSan Francisco immediately put Bennett in trouble. Rafael Devers drew a walk in the first inning before Willy Adames singled. Bryce Eldridge and Victor Bericoto followed with consecutive RBI singles, giving the Giants a 2-0 advantage.
Jonah Cox made it 3-0 when he led off the second inning with a 384-foot home run to left-center field.
The Red Sox responded almost immediately..
Sunday sweep!
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Sogard sent a 415-foot solo home run over the Green Monster in the bottom of the second. It was only the second home run of his major league career, and it continued a memorable weekend for the versatile infielder. Sogard also delivered the game-tying double during Boston’s dramatic three-run ninth-inning comeback Saturday night.
Jahmai Jones opened the third inning with a triple, and Rafaela drove him home with a single to center. The hit trimmed San Francisco’s lead to 3-2 and brought Fenway Park back to life.
Bottom Of Lineup Fuels Another ComebackBoston completed the comeback with a three-run fourth inning. Sogard doubled and scored when Connor Wong lined a ball to left field. He initially was ruled out at the plate, but the Red Sox challenged the call and earned an overturn that tied the game.
Gasper, batting for Jones, followed with an RBI double to right field. Rafaela then collected his third hit of the afternoon, scoring Gasper and extending Boston’s lead to 5-3.
The bottom portion of the order carried the offense.
Sogard finished 2-for-3 with two extra-base hits, two runs and an RBI. Wong added two hits, while Gasper produced the decisive run despite beginning the game on the bench. Rafaela went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and his 17th stolen base. He increased his season batting average to .289 while once again supplying production from the No. 2 spot.
The Red Sox finished with 11 hits, although they left seven runners on base and went 4-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
Bennett Recovers Before Chapman Shuts DoorBennett deserves credit for preventing the early deficit from becoming something much worse. After allowing three runs in the first two innings, the left-hander kept San Francisco off the scoreboard over his next four frames. He finished seven innings while allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits and one walk.
Bennett struck out six and threw 65 of his 84 pitches for strikes. The victory improved his record to 8-6 and lowered his ERA to 3.49. San Francisco pulled within one run in the seventh after Boston committed two throwing errors on the same sequence. Bennett escaped without surrendering the tying run.
Tayron Guerrero worked around a single in a scoreless eighth before Chapman handled the ninth. The veteran closer retired the Giants in order and struck out Cox to finish the sweep. Chapman lowered his ERA to 1.85 and continued an outstanding season at the back end of Boston’s bullpen.
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Red Sox Head To Miami With MomentumThe Red Sox entered the weekend needing to take advantage of a struggling San Francisco team, and they accomplished exactly that. Boston won Friday’s opener 6-4, produced a walk-off 3-2 victory Saturday and completed the sweep with another comeback Sunday.
The Red Sox will begin a three-game series against the Miami Marlins on Monday at 6:40 p.m. ET. Ranger Suárez is scheduled to start the opener before Payton Tolle and Sonny Gray handle the final two games. Boston remains behind Tampa Bay and the New York Yankees in the division, but a sweep was the ideal way to begin an important stretch of favorable matchups.
The Red Sox stumbled early Sunday. They never stopped responding.
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