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Cubs overpower Red Sox, sweep series at Fenway

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. 

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