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Athletics Open MLB Odds Series At Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox return home from an eight-game road trip on Friday and will host the Oakland Athletics in the series opener of a three-game set. The Red Sox guaranteed themselves of a winning trip with a 13-2 rout of the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.
Friday's contest in Boston is slated for a 4:10 p.m. (PT) first pitch.
Boston will be playing for the 11th day in a row, and will finally get a day off for the first time in two weeks on Monday before hosting the New York Yankees in a crucial three-game series starting Tuesday. The Red Sox moved two games ahead of the Yankees in the win column heading into Thursday’s action after New York lost to Oakland in 10 innings on Wednesday, 6-4.
The A’s won their first two games to begin a 10-game road trip that will wrap up with four games against the Cleveland Indians following this visit to Boston. However, they have struggled this season against the Red Sox with a 1-4 record, losing the last four meetings.
Oakland was swept in three games at Fenway Park at the beginning of June but will get to face Tim Wakefield for the first time since last July. The A’s were 2-0 in games Wakefield started against them a year ago, winning each game by one run.
Wakefield (6-5, 4.97 ERA) has been a better pitcher record-wise at Fenway this season with a 4-1 mark, although his ERA is higher there at 5.15 compared to 4.83 on the road. He has made his last three starts away from home along with four of his past five, losing two straight as a favorite at Kansas City and Seattle.
Boston has won each of his last four home starts since losing to the Chicago White Sox on June 1. The Red Sox have, however, dropped each of his last two starts during which Wakefield allowed eight earned runs in 13 1/3 innings. This will be his sixth attempt to pick up career victory No. 200.
Lefty Gio Gonzalez (10-11, 3.24) will get the call for Oakland, and he has made his last two starts at home. Gonzalez is coming off a victory against Toronto on Saturday that broke a personal five-game losing streak. He allowed only one run to the Blue Jays in eight strong innings, walking one and striking out nine.
Gonzalez has struggled on the road this season with a 2-7 record and 4.50 ERA in 11 starts. The A’s have lost his last eight road starts with Gonzalez going 0-6 and walking away with two no-decisions in a pair of one-run defeats.
The ‘over’ is 8-1 in his past nine outings overall and 3-0-1 in Oakland’s last four meetings with the Red Sox.
The weather forecast for Friday in Boston calls for a high temperature of 83 degrees under mostly sunny skies, cooling down to around 79 for first pitch.
Saturday's middle game of the set finds rain chances increasing in advance of Hurricane Irene that is threatening the entire Atlantic Coast this weekend. Guillermo Moscoso is in the rotation for Oakland with Jon Lester the listed starter for the Sox.
The Boston Red Sox return home from an eight-game road trip on Friday and will host the Oakland Athletics in the series opener of a three-game set. The Red Sox guaranteed themselves of a winning trip with a 13-2 rout of the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.
Friday's contest in Boston is slated for a 4:10 p.m. (PT) first pitch.
Boston will be playing for the 11th day in a row, and will finally get a day off for the first time in two weeks on Monday before hosting the New York Yankees in a crucial three-game series starting Tuesday. The Red Sox moved two games ahead of the Yankees in the win column heading into Thursday’s action after New York lost to Oakland in 10 innings on Wednesday, 6-4.
The A’s won their first two games to begin a 10-game road trip that will wrap up with four games against the Cleveland Indians following this visit to Boston. However, they have struggled this season against the Red Sox with a 1-4 record, losing the last four meetings.
Oakland was swept in three games at Fenway Park at the beginning of June but will get to face Tim Wakefield for the first time since last July. The A’s were 2-0 in games Wakefield started against them a year ago, winning each game by one run.
Wakefield (6-5, 4.97 ERA) has been a better pitcher record-wise at Fenway this season with a 4-1 mark, although his ERA is higher there at 5.15 compared to 4.83 on the road. He has made his last three starts away from home along with four of his past five, losing two straight as a favorite at Kansas City and Seattle.
Boston has won each of his last four home starts since losing to the Chicago White Sox on June 1. The Red Sox have, however, dropped each of his last two starts during which Wakefield allowed eight earned runs in 13 1/3 innings. This will be his sixth attempt to pick up career victory No. 200.
Lefty Gio Gonzalez (10-11, 3.24) will get the call for Oakland, and he has made his last two starts at home. Gonzalez is coming off a victory against Toronto on Saturday that broke a personal five-game losing streak. He allowed only one run to the Blue Jays in eight strong innings, walking one and striking out nine.
Gonzalez has struggled on the road this season with a 2-7 record and 4.50 ERA in 11 starts. The A’s have lost his last eight road starts with Gonzalez going 0-6 and walking away with two no-decisions in a pair of one-run defeats.
The ‘over’ is 8-1 in his past nine outings overall and 3-0-1 in Oakland’s last four meetings with the Red Sox.
The weather forecast for Friday in Boston calls for a high temperature of 83 degrees under mostly sunny skies, cooling down to around 79 for first pitch.
Saturday's middle game of the set finds rain chances increasing in advance of Hurricane Irene that is threatening the entire Atlantic Coast this weekend. Guillermo Moscoso is in the rotation for Oakland with Jon Lester the listed starter for the Sox.
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