Another solid pitching performance goes by the wayside as the Boston Red Sox (37-21) have lost their fourth game in a row and sixth out of their last seventh by a score of 3-2.
Tim Wakefield (5-7) went 6 2/3, on seven hits, three earned runs, two walks, and a season high eight strikeouts, but it was not enough as Oakland Athletics pitcher Joe Kennedy (2-4) outdueled Wakefield going 7 innings, on seven hits, two earned runs, two walks, and six strikeouts.
Both starting pitchers kept the game scoreless until the bottom of the third inning. Jack Cust ripped an RBI double off of Wakefield making it 1-0. Bobby Crosby batted in two more later in the inning on a single to center making it 3-0.
Kennedy cruised through his first six innings only allowing five runners to reach base. Two reached on walks and the other three reached on singles.
The Red Sox bats caught up to Kennedy in the seventh starting with an RBI triple by Kevin Youkilis and the second run was pushed across on a Wily Mo Pena groundout to second base. Boston closed the gap to 3-2 but failed to show any life after the seventh inning.
Boston managed one hit combined between the eighth and ninth inning giving way to Santiago Casilla in the ninth to pick up his first save and the third win for the Athletics in this four game series.
Manager Terry Francona was ejected during the ball game in the eight inning by homeplate Umpire Dan Iassogna. This at the time looked to energize the ballclub but it did not matter in the end.
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