Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Sports

Red Sox eye 5th straight win, resume set with A's

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

Going for their fifth consecutive victory, the Boston Red Sox will try to capture a series win over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday night in the middle contest of a three-game set.

With the score tied 2-2 in the eighth inning on Friday night, Dustin Pedroia delivered the game-winning two-run single to lift the Red Sox to the 4-2 victory.

Pedroia finished with a pair of hits on the night, while Boston's other two runs came in the second inning on a two-run single by Brock Holt.

John Lackey's (7-6) shockingly strong season continued, as he allowed two earned runs in seven innings while striking out five. Lackey had Tommy John surgery following a dreadful 2011 season (12-12, 6.41 ERA) and has bounced back as strong as ever.

Koji Uehara struck out the side in a perfect ninth for his eighth save.

Jarrod Parker hung tough with Lackey all night for the Athletics, yielding two runs over seven innings of work, but Sean Doolittle allowed both eighth-inning runs and was saddled with the loss.

Jed Lowrie tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth inning with his seventh home run, which was one of just three hits for the home team on the evening.

Boston will send Jon Lester to the hill on Saturday night. Despite sporting an impressive 8-5 record, Lester has been largely disappointing this season with a 4.60 ERA.

The left-hander has shown consistent struggles over the past several weeks, surrendering four earned runs or more in seven of his past 10 starts. He lasted just five innings his last time out on July 8 versus the Mariners, yielding nine hits, two walks and five earned runs in the loss.

Lester has experienced moderate success against the Athletics during his eight-year career, going 4-3 with a 4.21 ERA.

Toeing the rubber for Oakland will be A.J. Griffin, who's been a crucial component to the A's stellar starting rotation, going 7-6 with a 3.94 ERA.

Griffin has won two of his last three outings, most recently defeating the Royals on July 7 by allowing two earned runs in five innings of work.

The second-year right-hander endured his worst start of the season earlier this year against the Red Sox, allowing nine runs (7 earned) in just four innings in an April 22 loss.

Boston is now 3-1 versus Oakland this season.