A’s Kaprielian beats Red Sox in first big league start

James Kaprielian recovered from a rocky start to earn his first big league win Wednesday night as the A’s beat the Boston Red Sox, 4-1, at Fenway Park.

The A’s (23-15), backed Kaprielian’s five-inning effort with relief help from Burch Smith (two innings), Lou Trivino and Jake Diekman to ensure a series win against the AL East-leading Red Sox (22-16), with a potential sweep on the line Thursday night.

It was Diekman’s second save in two nights and fifth of the season.

Matt Olson homered (his eighth) for the A’s, with a solo shot in the eighth to complete the A’s scoring.

Kaprielian’s night was done after five eventful innings during which the only run he surrendered was a bases-loaded walk in the first inning. He extricated himself from a nasty jam of his own making in the fifth inning, having given up four hits and three walks on 98 pitches, 58 of them strikes.

A walk to Marwin Gonzalez opened the fifth and then Kaprielian induced a comebacker from Alex Verdugo, only to throw the ball into center field and put runners at second and third with no one out.

J.D. Martinez followed with another comebacker, and this time Kaprielian shoveled to home to get Gonzalez coming from third. He then struck out Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers to end the inning to the delight of his father Doug, who seemed to get almost as much air time as his son.

The A’s took a 3-1 lead with the all never leaving the infield with runners at second and third and two out against Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who came in with a 5-0 record but took the loss Wednesday.

First, Jed Lowrie hit a slow bouncer to short that brought home Mitch Moreland from third. Elvis Andrus, who had doubled Moreland to third, advanced to third on Lowrie’s grounder.

Andrus then bluffed down the third-base line and Rodriguez disengaged from the runner on a short windup for a balk, sending Andrus home with the run.

In the second inning, catcher Sean Murphy reached for a low-and-outside change-up from Rodriguez and drove it in to left center to bring home Stephen Piscotty, who had singled with two out, tying the score 1-1.

It provided a lift given that Matt Chapman had driven a ball of the center-field fence with one out, only to be thrown out at third on a perfect throw from right fielder Hunter Renfrow off the carom.

Kaprielian’s first inning was the stuff nightmares are made out of for a starting debut, but he managed to escape giving up just one run on a bases loaded walk to Christian Vazquez.

The Red Sox got a double from Gonzalez, a walk to Verdugo and then a single by Martinez to load the bases by the time Kaprielian had thrown 15 pitches. He then struck out

Bogaerts and got Devers to pop to first base before losing Vazquez on pitches that were not close.

Kaprielian struck out Renfroe to end the inning, by which time he had thrown 31 pitches.

The A’s lost center fielder Ramon Laureano in the third inning when he was called out on strikes on what looked to be an inside pitch. Mark Canha took over for Laureano in center with Seth Brown inserted in left field.