Max Muncy drove in pinch-runner Donovan Walton with a two-out double in the top of the ninth inning to help the visiting Athletics defeat the Boston Red Sox 4-3 Sunday in the rubber game of a three-game series.
Alika Williams started the rally by hitting a two-out single against Boston closer Aroldis Chapman (2-4). Walton ran for Williams and stole second before Muncy’s RBI double.
Boston had runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Nick Sogard grounded into a fielder’s choice before Ceddanne Rafaela lined out to left to end the game.
Elvis Alvarado (4-3) earned the win by pitching a scoreless eighth inning. Hogan Harris pitched out of trouble in the ninth to pick up his 11th save
Henry Bolte had two hits for the Athletics, who ended Boston’s nine-game winning streak by earning a 7-3 victory Saturday. The A’s had lost nine straight games prior to Saturday’s win.
Eli White collected three hits and drove in a run for the Boston Red Sox, which were 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
Athletics starting pitcher J.T. Ginn held Boston to three runs (one earned) on five hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out two.
The Athletics made it 1-0 in the top of the first when Bolte scored on Tyler Soderstrom’s grounder to first, but Boston tied the game, 1-1, on a White single that drove in Willson Contreras with two outs in the bottom of the second.
Soderstrom led off the fourth with a triple and scored on Tommy White’s groundout to give the Athletics a 2-1 lead.
The Red Sox went in front for the first time by scoring twice in the fifth. White tied the game, 2-2, by scoring from third on Sogard’s sacrifice bunt, and Wilyer Abreu’s sacrifice fly drove in Jake Rogers to put Boston up 3-2.
Jeff McNeil led off the top of the eighth with a single against Garrett Whitlock, stole second with one out and scored on Jonah Heim’s two-out double to make it 3-3.
