Actually, they don't. The A's have already clinched a winning record at home against Boston this year. It marks the sixth straight season that has been the case.
At the very least, the Sox will look for Josh Beckett to continue to make strides. If 2011 is going to go any better than this one Beckett will need to be right again and a promising stretch run can only help.
Beckett will be opposed by Dallas Braden. First pitch is set for 4:05 p.m.
Final, Athletics 4-3: A pair of two-out doubles by Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre cuts the A's lead in half and gets David Ortiz up with a chance to tie it or put the Red Sox ahead. On the ninth pitch of his at-bat Ortiz stares at a 95 mph fastball and the game is over.
That makes six losses in eight games for the sinking Sox. They blew a late two-run lead in this one and are now 8 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay in the wild card race.
Not that it matters anymore.
Back in a few to wrap this one up for you.
End 8th, Athletics 4-2: Darnell McDonald is the only player in the majors with as many as nine home runs and nine sacrifice hits. He also leads Red Sox outfielders with nine assists, his latest helping to keep this a two-run game.
Boston will try to rally against Oakland closer Andrew Bailey.
11:30 p.m.: You have to wonder if Daniel Bard is running out of gas. He has allowed six hits and five walks in 5 1/3 innings in September. Four of those free passes came in the eighth, which is still going on.
The A's have tacked on one run but had another cut down at home plate on a nice relay from Darnell McDonald to Victor Martinez.
Hideki Okajima is on with the bases loaded and two outs.
Mid 8th, Athletics 3-2: The Red Sox are three outs from losing for the sixth time in eight games. It would also be their fourth straight setback in Oakland.
Daniel Bard has taken over for John Lackey, who will fall to 12-10 if Boston does not rally.
End 7th, Athletics 3-2: There was a sense that the Red Sox would regret not getting a big hit at several different junctures in this game. They have left 10 on base already, and because of it see their lead vanish in a matter of moments in the seventh.
A series of fat pitches by John Lackey are hammered all over the park, including a go-ahead RBI triple by Rajai Davis.
Lackey was pretty hittable in that inning but probably deserves a better fate. The Sox should have at least a couple more runs in this one.
On a side note, is it possible to hustle too much? Ryan Kalish's diving effort to try to catch Davis's drive was extremely impressive but almost a bit scary. That's the definition of putting your body on the line.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 2-0: Five of Adrian Beltre's eight intentional walks this year have come in September and all eight have been issued since the All-Star break. Took opponents a long time to catch on that Beltre can hurt you.
The A's elect to put Beltre on with one out and a runner at second in the seventh. It pays off marvelously.
Brett Anderson strikes out Mike Lowell and gets Jed Lowrie to fly to right to escape unharmed.
Lowell is hitless in his last 15 at-bats and he looks pretty uncomfortable at times up there. That rib issues seems to really be bothering him.
End 6th, Red Sox 2-0: John Lackey has pitched eight innings in three of his last nine starts and may make it four of 10. He is through six with a relatively low pitch count of 81.
Lackey has recorded at least one complete game in every year of his career but has yet to do so in 2010.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 2-0: We just lauded Ryan Kalish for a nice display in the fifth. He adds a great at-bat in the sixth by taking a breaking ball from a lefty and lining it into left field for an RBI single.
The Sox got a break earlier in the inning when Jed Lowrie was caught too far off second base on a grounder to short but somehow slipped back in under the tag.
It gave them an extra out and Kalish made it pay off for his 16th RBI.
End 5th, Red Sox 1-0: Interestingly enough, Jeremy Hermida never hit into a double play in 52 games (171 at-bats) while with the Red Sox. Perhaps intent on showing them he could, Hermida helps John Lackey get through the fifth unscathed by bouncing into a 6-3 twin killing.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 1-0: Ryan Kalish seems to do something to impress almost every night. He doubles and takes third on a fly ball to left field in the fifth before being left right there.
Of course, Kalish threw out the speedy Coco Crisp trying to do the same thing Friday night. And Kalish was making his throw from center, a bit further out.
Not many things he can't do.
End 4th, Red Sox 1-0: While his ERA has remained in the mid-4s, John Lackey has dramatically increased his strikeout rate as the season has gone along.
He had 24 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings over his last three starts and has four already in this one. Lackey had 40 Ks in 40 2/3 innings in August.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 1-0: Terry Francona is out to get an explanation for the last out of the top of the fourth. Bill Hall chopped one down the line toward first and was convinced it was foul, as evidenced by his lack of hustle. It was fair, and Hall an easy out.
End 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: John Lackey has mowed through the first three innings in easy fashion. He has allowed just one earned run in his last 10 innings overall.
Mid 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: The shoulder pain has sapped Marco Scutaro's arm strength but seems to have increased his muscle at the plate. He now has three home runs in his last two games after a solo shot to start the third.
Scoots is one shy of matching his career high in homers (12), which he set last year.
End 2nd, 0-0: Jeremy Hermida rips a double in his first career at-bat against John Lackey. Remember when we were all ga-ga over Hermida and his knack for clutch hits? A long time ago, my friends.
Mid 2nd, 0-0: That makes 12 straight innings the Red Sox have failed to score a run. Brett Anderson struck out both Bill Hall and Ryan Kalish to end the second.
End 1st, 0-0: John Lackey was not entirely pleased with home plate umpire Mike Winters in the first inning but he still sets the A's down in order, finishing it with a strikeout.
Mid 1st, 0-0: The Red Sox had three hits all of Friday night. They had three in the first four batters of this one, yet still remain without a run in the series.
Mike Lowell strikes out with the bases loaded and Jed Lowrie follows with a grounder to third as Boston wastes an early opportunity.
9:03 p.m.: Pregame news was pretty limited, except for the fact that Mike Lowell confirmed that he would retire, according to the Boston Herald. Lowell will have 20 games left after this one.
8:18 p.m.: Marco Scutaro deserves a ton of credit for playing through the pain in his right shoulder. But he has had to be moved from shortstop to second base twice now and needed a complete night off Friday after the team had a day off of its own on Thursday.
My gut, now filled with peppers and steak and cream soda, tells me if there is no some miraculous turnaround on this road trip that Scutaro will be shelved at some point.
7:49 p.m.: The Red Sox have made a position swap in the middle of their infield. Marco Scutaro moves to second base while Jed Lowrie goes to shortstop. The new lineup is reflected below.
7:34 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury is 27 on Saturday. That's generally considered the age at which a player begins to reach his prime. It's safe to say he did not do that this year.
There is plenty of talk as to whether Ellsbury will be shopped this offseason. Those itching to rid themselves of Ellsbury are citing his inability to stay healthy this year and perhaps a detachment with the team.
Those who might want to hang onto him recall that with just a slight improvement in his production you would have a guy who hits. 300, steals 80 bases and scored 110-120 runs.
That's hard to find.
Is one lost year enough to write off a player who is still young and incredibly dynamic when healthy? That's the big question.
Ellsbury is under team control through the 2013 season. He could finally enter that prime as a pretty affordable player before becoming a free agent at the age of 30. If Carl Crawford heads to the Angels, as many seem to think he will, Ellsbury remains your left/center fielder of the future and should patrol with Ryan Kalish and perhaps Josh Reddick for years to come.
Ellsbury's trade value may not be very high right now anyway. Chalk it up to a lost season, hope he comes to Fort Myers with no lingering issues and move on.
5:52 p.m.: The Rays have already won, dropping their magic number for clinching the wild card to 14. With hope at an all-time low, the Red Sox are giving David Ortiz a rare rest. Here are the lineups for Saturday night's affair:
Red Sox
Marco Scutaro, 2B
Darnell McDonald, RF
Victor Martinez, 1B
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Mike Lowell, DH
Jed Lowrie, SS
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Bill Hall, LF
Ryan Kalish, CF
Athletics
Coco Crisp, CF
Daric Barton, 1B
Kurt Suzuki, C
Jack Cust, DH
Mark Ellis, 2B
Jeremy Hermida, RF
Rajai Davis, LF
Jeff Larish, 3B
Cliff Pennington, SS
8 a.m.: The Red Sox' six-game road trip began in dismal fashion. They will try for their first win of the excursion Saturday in Oakland, a town which has caused all sorts of issues in recent years.
Boston is 9-18 when visiting the Athletics since 2005. The latest setback saw Clay Buchholz last just one inning and the Sox produce three hits in a 5-0 decision.
The result reduced the magic number for Tampa Bay to clinch the wild card to just 15.
John Lackey goes for Boston on Saturday. He is 17-4 with a 2.86 ERA in his career vs. the A's.
Brett Anderson is on the mound for Oakland. First pitch is 9:05 p.m.
