Times wires
Sunday, June 5, 2011
BOSTON — The Red Sox preserved this big lead.
Carl Crawford hit a three-run homer and Adrian Gonzalez added a two-run shot, powering John Lackey and the Red Sox to a 6-3 victory over the Athletics on Sunday.
After blowing a four-run lead in the ninth the day before and needing 14 innings to win, the Red Sox welcomed the wire-to-wire victory that completed a three-game sweep.
"When you score first and you score more than one, that's a good formula for winning," manager Terry Francona said.
Crawford's drive in the second and Gonzalez's shot in the fourth keyed the win.
It was Crawford's first homer at Fenway Park as a member of the Red Sox: "I was starting to wonder for a while, you know."
Lackey, coming off a stint on the DL with a strained elbow, gave up three runs and three hits, walked two and hit three batters in 52/3 innings.
Kevin Kouzmanoff homered for the Athletics, who have lost six straight.