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Cubs overpower Red Sox, sweep series at Fenway

Jul 3, 2014 - 6:14 AM Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Justin Ruggiano drove in five runs and belted one of the four home runs hit by the Chicago Cubs as they finished off their three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox with a 16-9 rout on Wednesday.

Every starter for the Cubs notched at least one of the club's 19 hits and also scored a run in the offensive outburst.

Welington Castillo and Mike Olt both smacked two-run blasts, Nate Schierholtz added a solo shot and Darwin Barney went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.

"We had a real good idea of what we wanted to do at the plate," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. "We got some pitches to hit and did what we needed to do with them."

Mookie Betts recorded his first career home run, and Jonny Gomes and Daniel Nava each had two RBI for the Red Sox, who dropped the first two games of the series by a combined score of 4-1.

Boston's pitching staff had not allowed more than three runs in a club record 14 consecutive games at Fenway Park, but while that streak ended abruptly, so did the club's seven-game stretch of scoring two runs or less at home.

Still, it was not enough, as the Cubs knocked around Red Sox starter Brandon Workman (1-2) for six runs in the first four innings.

"It was a rough night on the mound," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "I will say a number of positive things offensively, but not enough to come back from the deficit."

Chicago jumped ahead early, with Chris Coghlan opening the game with a walk and Ruggiano launching a home run over the Green Monster.

Anthony Rizzo worked another walk, stole second and scored on Starlin Castro's base hit, and the Cubs scored three more in the fourth to take control.

Olt cleared everything in left-center with a two-run moonshot, and Coghlan's sacrifice fly plated Barney, whose line drive off the 37-foot wall in left was misplayed into a triple.

Boston plated a run in the third via Gomes' sac fly, then threatened again in the sixth by loading the bases with one out. David Ortiz's flyout to center was deep enough for Jonathan Herrera to tag up and score, and Gomes singled in another run to chase Cubs starter Travis Wood.

Carlos Villanueva (4-5) struck out Xander Bogaerts to keep it a 6-3 game, and Castillo and Betts traded two-run homers in the fifth.

Ruggiano singled in another run in the sixth, and Chicago's bullpen wiggled out of a second-and-third, no-out jam in the bottom half.

In the eighth, Schierholtz's fly ball toward the short porch in right was barely out of Brock Holt's reach and found the seats.

Mike Napoli drove in Boston's final run in the eighth, and the Cubs made it a laugher with a six-spot in the ninth.

Barney added to his big night with an RBI single during the frame, which was capped by Ruggiano's two-run double.

The Red Sox pushed across three runs in their final at-bat.

Game Notes

Chicago claimed its first interleague series sweep since taking three from the Indians June 19-21, 2009 ... The Cubs have won four straight road games for the first time since 2012 ... Ortiz's ground-rule double was the 1,000th extra-base hit of his career ... Wood surrendered three runs on seven hits and four walks over just 3 2/3 innings ... Workman gave up five hits and three walks ... Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has recorded four three-hit games in his last five ... Game time: 4:19.