Final: Red Sox 6, Phillies 2
WP: Eduardo Rodriguez (9-5, 4.05) LP: Jerad Eickhoff (1-3, 4.70)
Boston, MA–The Boston Red Sox (63-73) continued their offensive reliance on crooked numbers for the third straight game, taking a 6-0 lead by the second inning and never relinquishing their advantage in a 6-1 win that resulted in a sweep of the visiting Phillies (53-84) at Fenway Park.
After depending an eight-run fourth yesterday and a four-run seventh on Friday, the Red Sox managed a two-run first followed by a four-run second for all the offense they would need.
Jerad Eickhoff, making his fourth major league start for the Phillies, ceded a two-run shot to David Ortiz in the bottom of the first (Ortiz, who homered last night as well, has raised his career total to 497, 200 of which have come at Fenway Park, and should hit No. 500 by the end of this season.) Jackie Bradley hit a two-run triple in the second to put the Sox up 4-0, and proceeded to score on a Mookie Betts single. Ortiz, batting for the second time in the game in just the second inning, drove home another run on a sac fly to give the Red Sox a 6-0 lead at the end of two. He would leave the game with right calf tightness in the sixth inning.
Eickhoff went just four innings in the contest, finishing with eight hits and six earned runs on his line. He was relieved in the fifth by Dalier Hinojosa. Hinojosa, with Boston earlier this year, pitched a scoreless fifth and sixth for the Phillies (despite three walks in the sixth) to lower his ERA to 0.84 in 10.2 innings this year.
Eduardo Rodriguez, a fellow rookie starter, was more impressive, giving up only one run through seven innings on an RBI base hit by Cesar Hernandez in the third. He nearly gave up a solo shot to Darin Ruf in the fourth, but center fielder Mookie Betts raced over to reach over the wall in right-center for the catch.
Hector Neris relieved Hinojosa for the Phillies in the seventh, pitching a 1-2-3 frame, while Junichi Tazawa got the Sox through the eighth.
After Luis Garcia pitched a scoreless eighth for the Phils, the Red Sox turned to Robbie Ross Jr. in the top of the ninth. Freddy Galvis singled with two outs, took second on defensive indifference, and scored on an Odubel Herrera single to make it 6-2, but it was too little, too late, as Cesar Hernandez grounded out to end the game and complete the three-game sweep.
The Phillies look to rebound against the Braves, who have lost their last 11 games, when the two squads face off tomorrow in Philadelphia. Aaron Harang takes on Williams Perez at 7:05.
Starting Pitchers
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerad Eickhoff | 4.0 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4.70 |
| Eduardo Rodriguez | 7.0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4.05 |
- Eickhoff: Loss; 80 pitches, 50 strikes; 3 groundouts, 5 flyouts; 21 faced batters
- Rodriguez: Win; 102 pitches, 73 strikes; 4 groundouts, 3 flyouts; 29 faced batters
Out of the 'Pen
Phillies
- Dalier Hinojosa (5th) : 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 0.84 ERA
- Hector Neris (7th) : 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 4.34 ERA
- Luis Garcia (8th) : 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 3.34 ERA
Red Sox
- Junichi Tazawa (8th): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 3.59 ERA
- Robbie Ross Jr. (9th): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 3.93 ERA
At the Plate:
Phillies
- Darin Ruf: 2-4, .245 AVG
- Freddy Galvis: 2-4, 2R, .265 AVG
- Odubel Herrera: 3-4, BB, RBI, .302 AVG
Red Sox
- David Ortiz: 1-1, HR, R, 3 RBI, .268 AVG
- Jackie Bradley: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, 3B, .292 AVG
- Mookie Betts: 1-3, BB, R, RBI, .282 AVG
What's Next
- Monday, September 7: vs. Atlanta Braves, 7:05 pm
- RHP Williams Perez (4-6, 5.65 ERA) vs. RHP Aaron Harang (5-14, 4.89 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
Theo DeRosa (@Derosatheo11) is a contributor to Philliedelphia.com.
