The Red Sox pulled off their first sweep of the season today vs the A’s after coming back from 4-0 in the 8th. The Red Sox struggled early, giving up three runs in the second inning.  The Sox were stranded with 2nd and 3rd in the 1st, then they gave up the runs int he second as the A’s rallied.

It was first and second as Billy Butler and Josh Reddick singled.  Lawrie then grounded out, but everyone advanced one base, and it was 2nd and 3rd with only one out.  Mark Canha doubled to score Butler and send Reddick to third and yet again to runners were in scoring position.  Then Buchholz threw a wild pitch and Reddick scored while Canha ran to third.  1 out, man on third, 2-0 Athletics.  Josh Phegley walked to make that 1st and 3rd, 1 out.  Then Eric Sogard got a base hit to score in Canha, and all of he sudden, just like that, it was 3 to zip A’s.

The Sox caught caught with 2nd and 3rd again in the 2nd, as RISP trouble really began to creep up on them.  If you stopped reading here, you would think I lied and they lost.  But after one more run given up, they struck.  RISP caught them in what seemed like every inning from there.  And in the 4th, the A’s scored again on a double by Canha and another by Phegley to score him.  Steven Wright had to come in in the 5th and he began to help on defense, settling the A’s offense down, opening the door for the Red Sox to sweep.  Wright got the Sox out of 1st and 3rd when he came in in the 5th inning with 2 outs.  Buchholz pitched 4.2 innings.

Until the Red Sox’ big 8th inning, both pitchers gave up few hits, about one per team every two innings.  In the 8th, the Red Sox put up a huge rally to comeback.

Castillo was pitched what lookd like strike three, but was a ball.  But on the next pitch, WHAM!  He crushed a homer over the monster seats.  4-1.  Scribner came in on relief for Graveman.  Two pitchers now for the A’s, it would eventually be way more.  Pedroia then reached on an infield single, and Brock Holt followed with another single, 1st and 2nd, no outs.  Then Ramirez got another base hit, sending Holt to third base as Pedroia crossed the plate.  4-2.

Drew Pomeranz, a lefty came in to pitch to Ortiz.  3 A’s pitchers.  As he finally begins to do his job again coming out o a slump, e hit a sac fly as Holt came home.  The A’s closer, the 4th pitcher, Tyler Clippard, came in.  He got Napoli for out No. 2, but lost control after that as the Sox scored 4 more runs.  Next, Sandoval singled and Ramirez went to third.  Mookie Betts ran for Sandoval, who doesn’t steal.  But Betts does, and he stole second.  Then Bogaerts hit a double off the scoreboard that almost wet over the monster to drive in Betts and Ramirez as the Red Sox took a 5-4 lead.

Alejandro De Aza then hit for Sandy Leon.  De Aza has proven that he could switch off with another outfielder by doing well since joining his new team.  He got a base hit to right, and Bogaerts scored.  6-4 Sox.  De Aza went to second on a throw.  Then Castillo singled again to left, and De Aza came around to score, making it 7-4 Red Sox.  The switch handed pitcher, Pat Venditte came in to secure the final out and make sure no more runs scored.  It was a miracle.  One inning.  Seven runs.  On comeback for a sweep.  That inning was the game.

Tommy Layne closed it out for the Red Sox, earning the save after the Sox changed the defense big time for the final inning.  The Sox came back with a fierce lineup in the 8th to sweep the A’s, getting their first sweep of the season.  In the near future, I don’t see pitching improving from where it is now, but I can see the lineup going through a big hot streak, being like the Texas Rangers for a little while, and having as good of a lineup as they were supposed to have.