Projo Sox Blog

By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer

OAKLAND, Calif. _ After dropping 2 of 3 to the Angels over the weekend, the Red Sox continued their west coast trip with another loss Monday night.

With the help of a solid pitching performance by starter Dallas Braden, the Athletics handed Boston its fifth loss of the season, 8-2. The left-hander worked six innings and allowed only two runs on six hits.

Red Sox starter Jon Lester drops his record to 0-2 after the A's pounded the lefty for six runs on 10 hits, including two home runs. He lasted six innings (106 pitches) and surrendered the roundtrippers to Jack Cust and Nomar Garciaparra.

In two starts this season, Lester has allowed 11 earned runs in 11 innings.

The Sox took the early lead when Kevin Youkilis hit a solo homer to lead off the top of the second inning. But it was in the home half when the A's exploded offensively.

Oakland pushed across five runs on five hits off Lester to gain a 5-1 lead. Cust led off with a solo home run before Orlando Cabrera added a two-out RBI-single. Jason Giambi followed with a two-run double and Matt Holliday contributed a RBI-single for the four-run advantage.

Braden did the rest.

The left-hander settled in nicely and kept the Red Sox hitters off balance.

Garciaparra, the former Red Sox star, and current A's third baseman, took Lester deep for a solo shot with two outs in the bottom of the fifth for a 6-1 lead. Boston pushed across its second run of the game on David Ortiz's RBI single in the top of the sixth inning.

Oakland tacked on another run in the bottom of the seventh when Holliday posted his third hit of the game. He provided a RBI-triple off Sox reliever Takashi Saito to give the A's a 7-2 lead.

The A's added one more in the bottom of the eighth thanks to an RBI-double by Kurt Suzuki for an 8-2 final.

The Sox' Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-1, 6.75 ERA) will face Oakland's lefty Dana Eveland (0-0, 4.50) Tuesday night.

 Tags  A's game Red Sox

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