Athletics drop second straight to the Red Sox in Boston 10-3

The Oakland Athletics continued their 3-game set with the Red Sox in historic Fenway Park today in Boston. Hoping to get back in the win column against their long-time rival, A’s skipper Mark Kotsay had planned to send righty Paul Blackburn to the mound to face the Sox lefty James Paxton, however, Blackburn was scratched, however, due to a stomach virus. Righty Austin Pruitt started today’s game for the A’s. Pruitt is 1-5 with a 2.93 ERA and is making his fourth start of this season and 24^th overall appearance. Paxton made his tenth start of the campaign and is 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 50 innings.

The Red Sox got on the board first when leadoff hitter Jarren Duran singled and stole second, and then scored on a long single off the green monster by Justin Turner. Alex Verdugo then homered deep into the right field bleachers scoring Turner and bringing the score to 3-0 after one inning.

Sam Moll replaced Pruitt with two outs in the bottom of the second and one runner on. He promptly gave up a bomb over the green monster in left to Duran to bring the score to 5-0.

Manny Piña made his first hit of the year with the A’s count as he drove it over the wall in deep left field bringing the score to 5-1.

The Red Sox wasted no time before getting that run back, as Triston Casas led the inning off with a bloop double that dropped into short right field. Christian Arroyo singled to move him to third and Conner Wong drove him home with a sacrifice fly to left field.

Lefty Richard Lovelady replaced Moll in the bottom of the fourth inning. With one out Masataka Yoshida hit a one-hopper into the right field bleachers for a ground rule double. Raphael Devers drove him home with a double of his own off the monster in left field. At the end of the fourth, the score was 7-1 in favor of the Red Sox.

Lukas Erceg replaced Lovelady in the bottom of the fifth inning. After giving up a lead-off double to Christian Arroyo, he struck out Wong, induced a fly-out by Enrique Hernandez. But then gave up a ground rule double to Duran scoring Arroyo. Yoshida singled to score Duran. Erceg struck out Justin Turner to end the inning but not before the Red Sox increased their lead to 9-1.

Brent Rooker brought the A’s a bit closer with a solo blast to left in the A’s half of the sixth. It was his 15^th bomb and 43^rd RBI of the season.

In the sixth, Erceg allowed two consecutive doubles by Casas and Arroyo (both with two outs) which brought the score to 10-1.

Cody Thomas got his first two hits of the season today, his second being a double with two outs in the seventh. He was stranded, however.

Angel Felipe entered the game to pitch the bottom of the seventh inning. He held the Sox to their first scoreless inning, allowing no baserunners.

In the top of the eighth, Ryan Noda got hit by a pitch with one out. He moved to third on a Diaz single and an errant throw. He then scored on an infield hit by JJ Bleday.

Shintaro Fujinami replaced Felipe in the bottom of the eighth inning. He gave up one hit, but kept the Red Sox off the board for the second consecutive inning, but the A’s went quietly in the ninth to fall 10-3 to the Sox.