Breakdown of Game 2 vs Oakland

Pitching: Jon Lester had a good first inning before he ran into trouble in the second. He once again had control problems that would lead to a run. He had 3 walks and 4 earned runs in just 4 innings and gave up a home run. A typical start for Lester of late; good stuff at times but erratic. The pen looked pretty good, especially Aardsma who struck out 3 in 1.2 innings of work. Lopez and Delcarmen also pitched well before Corey entered the game and gave up another run.

Offense: Harden was pitching very well and it was tough for the Sox to get much going. Manny had the only RBI with a solo shot. Big Papi is still hitless in ’08 but his swings did not look bad; his timing is slightly off but not a big concern. Tek looked lost at the plate going 0-4 with 3 K’s, he wasn’t even close on most swings, this may take a while to come around. Sean Casey’s first at bat as a Red Sox: GIDP. Pedroia was 0-4 in the lead-off spot. Not much positive here.

Game Notes: Red Sox retreads Keith Foulke and Alan Embree both pitched well for Oakland in the 8th and 9th giving up just one hit.