The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
RED SOX AVOID SWEEP
The Red Sox’s Mitch Moreland, right, celebrates after hitting a two-run home run that scored Hanley Ramirez (13) against the Athletics in the sixth inning Sunday. The Red Sox won 12-3 to avoid a four-game sweep.
OAKLAND >> Mitch Moreland homered in his third consecutive game and the Boston Red Sox beat the Oakland Athletics 12-3 on Sunday to avoid a four-game sweep.
Eduardo Rodriguez (3-1) allowed three runs over eight innings for his second straight win. The left-hander struck out eight and walked one.
Hanley Ramirez and Christian Vazquez had three hits apiece, while Dustin Pedroia and Jackie Bradley Jr. each had two to power a Red Sox lineup that tallied 15 hits. Every player in Boston’s starting lineup had at least one hit, and eight of the nine drove in runs.
Chad Pinder homered and drove in two runs for Oakland.
Boston, which hasn’t been swept in a fourgame series since July 2015, trailed 3-2 before scoring 10 runs over the final five innings.
Moreland was held out Saturday after homering in the first two games of the series. He returned to the lineup and was hitless in his first two atbats before launching a towering, two-run shot to right off starter Andrew Triggs (5-3) in the sixth that landed in the second deck.
Chad Pinder homered for Oakland in the fourth, his fourth in eight games and fifth overall.
Triggs gave up six runs and eight hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked three.
The A’s committed three errors, giving manager Bob Melvin’s ballclub a major league-leading 42.
Trainer’s room
Red Sox: Brock Holt continues to deal with lingering symptoms from vertigo and isn’t yet ready to come off the disabled list, according to manager John Farrell. Likewise, Boston plans to keep third baseman Pablo Sandoval in the minors to get consistent at-bats while recovering from a right knee sprain. . Farrell said LHP Drew Pomeranz, who took the loss Saturday, will start against Texas on Thursday.