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Red Sox Take Series vs NY Mets

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Sunday Night Baseball: It Wasn’t Pretty

BOSTON – If there’s a Hall of Fame for Fundamentally Sound Major League Baseball games, the Sunday Night game between the Mets and Red Sox might qualify for the worst of the worst.

Sox 3B Rafael Devers homered and Adam Duvall collected two hits, two RBIs and scored a run to help the Boston Red Sox defeat the visiting New York Mets 6-1 on Sunday night in the final game of a three-game series.

Devers capped the scoring by hitting a solo home run — his 24th homer of the season — in the seventh inning.

Connor Wong had three hits for Boston, which had 15 hits in the game. Devers, Triston Casas, Jarren Duran and Enrique Hernandez also had two-hit games for Boston. Masataka Yoshida (0 for 5) was the only player in Boston’s batting order who didn’t collect at least one hit.

Brandon Nimmo collected two of New York’s six hits.

Boston’s Chris Murphy (1-0) allowed one run in 3 2/3 innings of relief to earn the win. The left-hander, one of seven pitchers Sox Manager Alex Cora used in the game, gave up three hits, struck out three and walked two.

New York’s Carlos Carrasco (3-4) allowed five runs on 10 hits in 2 1/3 innings (58 pitches). He failed to complete five innings for the fifth time in his last seven starts.

The teams split the first two games in the series. New York won the opener 5-4, but Boston won the second matchup 8-6.

Duvall’s single in the first inning scored Justin Turner to give Boston a 1-0 lead.

The Red Sox collected seven consecutive hits in the third, when they scored four runs to extend their lead to 5-0. The inning included an RBI double by Duvall that scored Turner, an RBI single by Casas that scored Duvall, and an RBI single by Yu Chang that scored Casas. Wong added the fourth run when he scored on Drew Smith’s wild pitch.

The Mets scored in the sixth on a Francisco Lindor single that drove in Danny Mendick, who reached on a walk.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Master Long Ball vs, Mets

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BOSTON – Red Sox 1B Triston Casas hit two home runs as Boston ended a three-game losing streak by beating the visiting New York Mets 8-6 on Saturday night. Casas hit a solo shot in the second inning, and a two-run home run that broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth. It was the first multi-homer game in Casas’ major league career.

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Boston also received solo home runs from Jarren Duran and Yu Chang and a two-run homer from Justin Turner. Duran’s homer came in the first inning, Chang went deep in the fifth and Turner hit his home run in the seventh.

Four of the five home runs came against Mets starter Max Scherzer (8-4), who gave up five runs on six hits in six innings. Scherzer struck out seven and walked two.

Boston starter James Paxton (6-2) limited the Mets to three runs (two earned) on three hits in six innings. He recorded seven strikeouts and one walk.

Boston built a 2-0 lead on home runs from Duran and Casas, but the Mets went in front by scoring three runs in the fourth. Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso scored on Jeff McNeil’s two-out single, and McNeil came around to score on the play when catcher Jorge Alfaro threw the ball into center field attempting to throw him out at second.

Chang’s home run tied the game in the fifth before Casas put Boston in front, 5-3, by hitting his 14th home run of the season.

Boston took an 8-3 lead in the seventh. Masataka Yoshida’s RBI single drove in Duran before Turner hit his two-run homer.

The Mets, who beat the Red Sox 5-4 earlier Saturday in the conclusion of Friday’s suspended game, scored three times in the ninth. Alonso tripled and scored on a Francisco Alvarez single, Mark Vientos drove in Alvarez with a single and Brett Baty’s single scored Vientos to make it 8-6.

Kenley Jansen recorded the final out to earn his 21st save.

–Field Level Media

Bello to Face A’s in Day Game

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OAKLAND – Boston right-hander Brayan Bello isn’t close to arbitration eligibility, yet his impressive pitching has the Red Sox already thinking about offering the second-year player a contract extension.

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Bello is 7-5 with a 3.14 ERA this season, and he has been even more impressive lately, going 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA in his past six starts. He is scheduled to pitch this afternoon in Oakland in the rubber game of a three-game set against the Athletics.

Opposing Bello will be Oakland left-hander Ken Waldichuk (2-6, 6.66 ERA).

With the exception of a three-batter hiccup by opener Joe Jacques on Tuesday, the Red Sox have pitched brilliantly in the first two games against the A’s, winning 7-0 on Monday before falling 3-0 in the rematch.

Bello is 2-0 in July, having beaten the visiting Texas Rangers before the All-Star break and then the host Chicago Cubs in his first start back.

The 24-year-old has been so impressive of late, Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero acknowledged this week that the club would consider locking up Bello for years to come.

“It’s all case by case. There’s no guidebook for it,” Romero said. “But I think Brayan is a special case, and we’ll make efforts to talk to him and his group. He’s basically done what he needs to do and what we would want of a young starting pitcher in this organization.

Bernardino, Pivetta, Martin Blank A’s

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OAKLAND – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Nick Pivetta combined with opener Brennan Bernardino and closer Chris Martin on a one-hit shutout as the Boston Red Sox beat the host Oakland Athletics 7-0 on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series.

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Connor Wong collected two singles, a double and three RBIs for the Red Sox, who beat the A’s for the fourth time in 11 days.

With star third baseman Rafael Devers (calf) on the bench, Boston put up single runs in the first and second innings before Pivetta (6-5) took the mound.

Making his third start of the season, Bernardino allowed a single to Ryan Noda, the third batter he faced, but no other hits before handing a 2-0 lead to Pivetta after two innings.

Pivetta was even more dominant, holding the A’s hitless over six innings while matching his career high with 13 strikeouts. The right-hander walked two. Martin struck out three of the four batters he faced in the ninth, giving the Red Sox trio 18 strikeouts among 27 outs.

Justin Turner’s sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Wong produced the 2-0 lead before Boston broke the game open with a four-run sixth. Wong had a two-run double in the middle of the uprising, which also featured a sacrifice fly by Adam Duvall and an RBI groundout by Yu Chang.

A’s starter Paul Blackburn (1-2) was pulled two outs into the inning, charged with six runs on nine hits. He walked two and struck out three.

Boston tacked on a run in the ninth when Turner capped a two-RBI game with a run-scoring fielder’s choice.

Turner, Duvall, Alex Verdugo and Jarren Duran joined Wong with doubles for the Red Sox, who won for the 11th time in their past 13 games. The visitors had as many doubles (five) as singles (five) in their 10-hit attack.

Eight of the nine hitters in Boston’s lineup recorded at least one hit.

The shutout defeat was the 11th of the season for the A’s, who have lost eight in a row, matching their second-longest losing streak of the season. They had an 11-game skid in May.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Expecting Return of Devers

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OAKLAND – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The visiting Boston Red Sox hope to have Rafael Devers back in the lineup when they go for a second straight win over the reeling Oakland Athletics tonight.

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With Devers being held out as a precaution due to a tight right calf, veteran Justin Turner slid over to third base and contributed a double, a run and two RBIs to a 7-0 triumph over the A’s in Monday’s series opener.

The double advanced Turner’s hitting streak to 13 games, during which he’s gone 20-for-49 (.408), raising his average from .271 to .290 in the process.

Should Devers return to action on Tuesday, Turner could move to second base — or first base or maybe even DH. The amazing part about his 13-game streak is that it’s come even as he has been shuffled among four different positions.

It also came immediately following a 4-for-28 (.143) stretch that saw his average drop 13 points.

When asked Monday to pinpoint what he’s done differently of late, Turner admitted: Nothing.

“There’s obviously a lot of variables and a lot of aspects to hitting,” he said. “Nowadays, with so many hitting coaches and swing coaches and swing gadgets, everyone’s so fast to overhaul or change things or use these gadgets because they think their swing isn’t working. The reality is: Your swing is fine but your timing is not.

“That is probably kind of a big issue in the game right now, (players) creating dependency on outside hitting people and all these drills and gimmicks to trick you into thinking you need all this stuff to be successful.”Turner was among eight Red Sox starters who had hits in the Monday win, Boston’s 11th victory in the past 13 games. At a position to be determined, he will take his cracks in the rematch against A’s right-hander Luis Medina (2-7, 6.34 ERA).

The 24-year-old rookie got a no-decision in Oakland’s 7-3 loss at Boston on July 7, allowing four runs in six innings while striking out a season-best nine. It was his first appearance against the Red Sox.

Medina won his previous start at home against the Chicago White Sox, a 7-4 victory in which he went five innings, allowing just one run.

The Red Sox used an opener approach in the Monday win, and it worked spectacularly. Three pitchers combined on a one-hitter in which the A’s got just five baserunners (a single, three walks and a hit batter) while striking out a total of 18 times.

Afterward, rather than blame fatigue following a hard-fought, three-game sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Twins that ended Sunday, A’s manager Mark Kotsay chose to praise Nick Pivetta, the second of Boston’s three pitchers on Monday. Pivetta pitched no-hit six innings and struck out 13.

“You run into a buzzsaw sometimes. This seemed to be one of those nights,” said Kotsay, whose team has lost eight in a row. “You just got to tip your cap sometimes.”

The Red Sox are expected to use a similar tactic on Tuesday, with left-hander Chris Murphy (0-0, 2.16 ERA) serving either as the opener or the bulk-innings reliever.

The 25-year-old California native worked the second through fourth innings in a July 9 home win over the A’s — the first time he’d ever faced them — allowing one run on two hits.

–Field Level Media.    

Sox, Cubs: Rubber Game at Wrigley

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Chicago Cubs host the Boston Red Sox on Sunday in the rubber match of both teams’ first series since the All-Star break.

Following an 8-3 loss on Friday in which five different Boston batters homered, Chicago evened the series on Saturday with a 10-4 romp.

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Cody Bellinger hit a third-inning grand slam that gave the Cubs a 6-0 lead. The gap never dipped below five runs the rest of the way.

“He’s been more than expected since he’s been here,” Chicago manager David Ross said of Bellinger. “He’s the total package, right? The defense, the clubhouse presence, the at-bat. And the power is showing up.”

Bellinger homered twice in Friday’s loss and is hitting .476 (20-for-42) in the month of July.

Every Chicago batter connected for at least one hit in Saturday’s win. Five drove in runs, led by Bellinger, who had the four RBIs thanks to his eighth career grand slam. Patrick Wisdom drove in two with a fourth-inning home run, and Nico Hoerner, Christopher Morel and Miguel Amaya each had one RBI.

Cubs All-Star left-hander Justin Steele (9-2, 2.56 ERA) looks to pitch Chicago to the series win on Sunday. Steele has won in each of his last three starts in which he earned a decision, though his most recent outing — a six-inning appearance on July 5 at National League Central rival Milwaukee — was a no-decision.

Steele gave up three earned runs and nine hits in that contest, a 4-3 Cubs win. Both were the most Steele has allowed since giving up 10 hits and five earned runs on May 26 against Cincinnati.

The appearance against Cincinnati was Steele’s most recent loss. Sunday marks Steele’s first time facing the Red Sox.

Right-hander Kutter Crawford (3-4, 4.11) will take the mound for Boston for his first career appearance against the Cubs.

Crawford last pitched on July 6, giving up three runs and seven hits over four innings in a no-decision against Texas.

The right-hander has struck out 58 over 61 1/3 innings on the season and recorded two of his three wins in 2023 over his last four starts prior to the All-Star break.

Boston aims to bounce back from its first loss since July 4. The Red Sox had won six straight games prior to Saturday’s setback.

“People make a big deal out of one game,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We’ll show up (Sunday) and play good baseball. We just didn’t make one play (Saturday), and that was it. We walked two, we hit one guy, we don’t make a play, they score six (runs).”

By scoring six runs in the third inning on Saturday, the Cubs matched the most runs scored by an opponent in a single game during Boston’s recent winning streak. The 10 total runs Chicago scored were just two fewer than Boston surrendered in its four previous games combined.

Though the Red Sox are five games above .500, Saturday’s loss dropped Boston to last place in the American League East.

–Field Level Media

Power to the Red Sox

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – When the Boston Red Sox signed left fielder Masataka Yoshida to a five-year, $90 million deal this offseason, few expected him to put his name on a list with Ted Williams.

But he did just that.

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Yoshida is Boston’s first left-handed hitter to string together eight straight multi-hit games since Williams accomplished the feat in 1940. He will try to keep the hits coming on Saturday when the Red Sox play the second game of a three-game set against the host Chicago Cubs.

During his impressive run, Yoshida has gone 17-for-34 (.500) with two homers, five RBIs and eight runs. He went 2-for-5 on Friday, helping the Red Sox pick up an 8-3 victory over Chicago in the series opener.

It wasn’t just Yoshida powering Boston to its sixth straight win, though, as the Red Sox clubbed a season-high six homers. Rafael Devers hit a pair of solo shots, while Adam Duvall, Triston Casas, Justin Turner and Yu Chang also went deep.

“We’re gonna hit, we know that. It’s just a matter of staying with an approach,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We’re playing good baseball right now. It’s a good brand of baseball, it’s fun, and hopefully we can continue (Saturday).”

Left-hander James Paxton (5-1, 2.73 ERA) will hope the lineup can produce similar results on Saturday when he makes his 11th start of the season.

Paxton has been stellar over his past seven outings, going 4-0 with a 1.93 ERA.

In his most recent start, Paxton allowed two runs on six hits in six innings during a victory against the Oakland Athletics on July 8. He walked one and struck out three.

Paxton has never faced the Cubs.

Right-hander Marcus Stroman (9-6, 2.96 ERA) will get the nod for Chicago as he attempts to get back on track.

Through his first 16 starts this season, Stroman went 9-4 with a 2.28 ERA. In three outings since then, he is 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA, most recently surrendering four runs on four hits in five innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 6.

Due to his recent struggles, Stroman opted to sit out of Tuesday’s All-Star Game and focus on getting ready for the second half of the season.

“It’s been a huge process,” Stroman said. “I’m very thankful for everybody who’s helped me get to this point. I’m definitely looking forward to having a little bit of a break — kind of just reset my energy, clear my mind and have a good second half.”

Stroman will be presented with a good opportunity to find his early-season form on Saturday, as the right-hander is 6-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 15 career starts against the Red Sox.

Although the Cubs have alternated wins and losses over their past six games, center fielder Cody Bellinger has been a beacon of consistency. He has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games, going 26-for-59 (.441) with four homers, nine RBIs and 15 runs during that span.

Bellinger accounted for most of Chicago’s offense during the loss on Friday, smacking two solo home runs.

–Field Level Media

Bello Starts-Off Sox Second Half

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report)Taking advantage of a starting pitching staff ravaged by injuries, Boston Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello is quickly starting to establish himself as an ace.

Bello has been rolling since late April and will look to continue dominating opposing lineups when the Red Sox open a three-game series against the host Chicago Cubs on Friday night to begin the second half of the season.

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After seeing left-hander Chris Sale hit the 60-day injured list due to a stress reaction in his shoulder blade, the Red Sox suddenly found themselves in more danger when right-handers Garrett Whitlock (elbow) and Tanner Houck (facial fracture) both landed on the 15-day IL.

But Bello (6-5, 3.04 ERA) has come to the rescue.

Over his last 12 starts, the 24-year-old has gone 6-4 with a 2.35 ERA. In addition to allowing no more than three earned runs in each of those 12 outings, Bello has worked at least five innings on 11 occasions during that stretch.

In his most recent start, Bello held the Texas Rangers’ high-octane offense at bay on July 5, surrendering two runs on eight hits in seven innings. He didn’t issue a walk while striking out three.

“The sinker is my best pitch and it always gets me out of trouble, and (July 5) was no exception,” Bello said through a translator. “(July 5) was a really good day for me, everything was working well, the changeup and sinker, and I was glad to be able to get quick outs after those first couple innings.”

Bello has never faced the Cubs.

Right-hander Kyle Hendricks (3-3, 3.04) will oppose Bello and try to bounce back from a rough outing against the New York Yankees on Sunday.

Hendricks was tagged for four runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings, but he escaped with a no-decision after Chicago scored six unanswered runs en route to a 7-4 win.

“That’s a really nice team win, something I think we needed going into the break,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “These guys have fought really hard. The way we’ve come back here lately has been really impressive.”

Chicago has won four of its last six games after going 1-7 over its previous eight. The Cubs have received a boost from right fielder Seiya Suzuki, who is 9-for-22 (.409) with a home run, two RBIs and three runs in his last six games.

Suzuki would be the hottest hitter heading into Friday’s matchup had it not been for Japanese countryman and Boston left fielder Masataka Yoshida, who is on a historic run.

Yoshida has logged seven consecutive multi-hit games, becoming the first rookie in Red Sox franchise history to accomplish the feat since Johnny Pesky did so in 1942. He is batting .517 (15-for-29) with two homers, five RBIs and seven runs during his streak.

If Hendricks wants to contain Yoshida and the rest of Boston’s lineup, he will need to replicate his only previous performance against the Red Sox. On April 30, 2017, Hendricks limited Boston to two runs on three hits across six innings while walking three and striking out six.

The Red Sox and Cubs last met in July 2022, when Chicago took two games of a three-game set at home. Prior to that, the clubs hadn’t faced each other since 2017.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Draft Teel, Zanetello

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Red Sox selected catcher Kyle Teel out of the University of Virginia with their first-round pick (14th overall) in the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft. The club also selected shortstop Nazzan Zanetello out of Christian Brothers College High School (MO) in the second round (50th overall). Red Sox Director of Amateur Scouting Devin Pearson made the announcement.

Teel, 21, was ranked among the top 10 prospects available in this year’s draft by MLB.com (No. 7) and Baseball America (No. 10). Named the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and a consensus First Team All-American, the left-handed hitter batted .407 (105-for-258) with a 1.130 OPS, 25 doubles, 13 home runs, and 69 RBI while starting as the catcher in all 65 of the Cavaliers’ games as a junior this season. He threw out 15 of 24 runners attempting to steal while managing Virginia’s pitching staff to the fourth-lowest ERA in Division 1 (3.81), earning honors as the Buster Posey Collegiate Catcher of the Year and Top NCAA Male Baseball Catcher as part of the Johnny Bench Awards.

The New Jersey native is a graduate of Mahwah High School (NJ), where he was named the 2020 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year and the No. 1 overall player in the state according to Perfect Game. He played eight games for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2022 and was selected to play on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in both 2021 and 2022. His brother, Aidan, played alongside him on the University of Virginia baseball team. Their father, Garett, was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 12thround of the 1989 MLB Draft (316th overall) and spent five years with the organization as a player and catching coach.

Zanetello, 18, was a 2023 First Team All-State selection in Missouri, batting .421 (45-for-107) with nine doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 33 RBI, and 21 stolen bases in 38 games during his senior season. In 2022, the right-handed hitter was a Perfect Game All-American and participated in their National Showcase, while also being named MVP of the Breakthrough Series and playing for Team USA in an 18-and-under World Cup qualifying tournament, during which he led the team in hitting (.429). The Missouri native had committed to play for the University of Arkansas.

Less than two weeks after helping LSU win the College World Series, right-hander Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews were not done making history. Skenes was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the No. 1 overall pick and the Washington Nationals followed by taking Crews at No. 2 at the 2023 MLB Draft in Seattle on Sunday night. It marked the first time in MLB draft history that a pair of teammates were taken with the top two picks.

Skenes is the sixth No. 1 draft selection in Pirates franchise history, joining third baseman Jeff King (1986), catcher Henry Davis (2021) and right-handers Kris Benson (1996), Bryan Bullington (2002) and Gerrit Cole (2011).

“It’s cool,” Skenes told ESPN, referring to his feelings about being the top pick. “But I think the biggest part is that my college career is over now (and) I get to keep playing baseball and hopefully do it for a long time.

“So I’m just super grateful for that.”

After spending the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Air Force, Skenes shined during his time with the Tigers, going 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA in 19 starts in 2023. He was named National Player of the Year and National Pitcher of the Year before helping LSU prevail at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., where he earned CWS Most Outstanding Player honors.

In addition to his time with the Tigers and Falcons, Skenes also played for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2021.

Crews hit .380 with 58 homers and 184 RBIs across three seasons with the Tigers. He put up video-game numbers in 2023, recording the third-best batting average in the nation (.426) while ripping 18 home runs and racking up 70 RBIs.

In addition to being named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year this past season, Crews won the Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur baseball player in the country.

Red Sox Streak Into MLB Break

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BOSTON –  (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Masataka Yoshida went 2-for-4 with a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Boston Red Sox rallied to sweep the visiting Oakland Athletics with a 4-3 win on Sunday afternoon.

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After dropping the first two games of the series, Oakland scored first and held a 3-1 lead through six innings.

Boston tied the game on Adam Duvall‘s solo homer and Christian Arroyo’s RBI double in the sixth inning before Yoshida’s solo shot into the Green Monster seats two innings later, extending its winning streak to five games entering the All-Star break.

Duvall finished with a pair of RBIs, while Yoshida also scored two runs.

Chris Martin (3-1) earned the win.

Brent Rooker went 3-for-3 with a solo homer for Oakland, which held an 11-6 advantage in the hit column but committed three errors in the field. Jace Peterson and Manny Pina both had two hits.

Ken Waldichuk (2-6) allowed the winning run over 1 1/3 innings after Paul Blackburn, who had been scheduled to start Saturday before an illness scratch, pitched in relief of starter JP Sears.

The A’s got out to a first-inning lead as Ryan Noda hit a one-out double before advancing on a wild pitch and scoring on Red Sox catcher Jorge Alfaro’s subsequent throwing error.

Red Sox opener Tayler Scott got out of the first inning, allowing just the one unearned run.

Rob Refsnyder drew a leadoff walk and scored a tying run on Duvall’s sacrifice fly in the Boston half of the opening frame.

Oakland took the lead when Noda drew a bases-loaded, two-out walk against Boston reliever Chris Murphy in the second. Murphy worked three innings in relief of Scott, striking out four, walking four and yielding two hits.

Rooker added to the A’s lead with a one-out solo shot to left in the fifth.

–Field Level Media