End 8th, Red Sox 8-6: Jarrod Saltalamacchia just hit an absolute bomb over the Red Sox bullpen. It was a nice, added piece of insurance, one the Sox will surely take, especially as they look to snap this skid.
Jonathan Papelbon will be on to work the ninth.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 7-6: Just like that, we're into late-inning shutdown mode from the Red Sox. Daniel Bard comes on to work the eighth, and he's able to work around a two-out single from Cliff Pennington.
It's just Bard's third appearance since May 27, which, when you consider how much he was used early on this year, is encouraging in terms of kind of starting to try and limit him some.
With the way this week has gone, though, that was a no-brainer time to use him, and the righty responded in kind.
End 7th, Red Sox 7-6: Carl Crawford has a knack for the clutch you could say. He just sailed a 3-2 pitch into centerfield with a broken-bat single to give the Sox a 7-6 lead.
I'm not sure how the Red Sox now have the lead, but they do.
Bottom 7th, A's 6-5: Adrian Gonzalez got things started with (another) hit, before Craig Breslow battled with a bout of wildness, hitting Kevin Youkilis and then walking David Ortiz.
But, Breslow gets what so far has been the biggest out of the game, when he got Jed Lowrie to pop out to shortstop.
The A's are turning to Brian Fuentes with two outs in the seventh with left-handed-hitting Carl Crawford due up.
Mid 7th, A's 6-5: Bobby Jenks comes on to work the seventh, and he was good enough to work a scoreless inning. He was a little bit erratic, but he got the job done, and he hit as high as 97 on the gun, so that is encouraging.
Jed Lowrie made a nice play to make a firm underhanded toss to Dustin Pedroia on what would prove to be an inning-ending double play.
It's pretty impressive that to think that the Sox are only down by a run right now, and if they do come back to win this, that double play may be a key turning point.
End 6th, A's 6-5: The misery continued in the sixth for the Red Sox. Once again, they fail to cash in on the second Oakland error of the evening. Daric Barton couldn't handle a J.D. Drew (pinch-hitting for Cameron) ground ball, allowing Drew to reach. The next batter, Jarrod Saltalamacchia grounded into a double play.
Solid inning for old friend Craig Breslow. He went to Yale. He's smarter than me. And probably you, too. Good times.
Mid 6th, A's 6-5: Nice little debut there for the lefty Hottovy as he gets a groundout to end the inning.
Top 6th, A's 6-5: Scott Atchison gets the first two, but then gives up a single, and Tommy Hottovy comes on to make his debut.
End 5th, A's 6-5: The Red Sox get the first two runners on behind singles from Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis, but that's where it ends for them, as Moscoso settles down and works out of it.
We suggested earlier that this could be a frustrating night for the Red Sox. And it has been.
Mid 5th, A's 6-5: Just one of those nights for Clay Buchholz, who never seemed to get comfortable. It looked like he was trying to pitch underwater or something. Just no comfort or rhythm.
Scott Atchison replaces him, but it's not before Buchholz gives up the go-ahead run on a Daric Barton single.
End 4th, 5-5: The Red Sox go quietly in the fourth with a strikeout and a couple of popouts against Moscoso.
Random thought: Kevin Kouzmanoff looks a little like Gabe Kapler. Check it out.
Mid 4th, 5-5: This game will not go on the Clay Buchholz highlight reel.
He just gave up another run during what was a pretty lengthy inning. He just doesn't have it tonight, and he seems out of rhythm, much like this game.
Through four innings, he's already thrown 83 innings. That's not a recipe to stay around long, not at all.
End 3rd, Red Sox 5-4: Moscoso gets Mike Cameron to strike out after falling behind 2-0 and then throwing three straigh 91 mph fastballs down the gut. Not Cameron's finest moment.
Alas, the Red Sox have grabbed the lead for Clay Buchholz, who all of a sudden, looks like, you know, Clay Buchholz.
Bottom 3rd, Red Sox 5-4: The comeback is complete, and the Red Sox now even have the lead.
David Ortiz just hit the definition of a Fenway Park wall ball. He hit a sky-scraping fly ball to left that grabbed a piece of the Green Monster on the way down.
Kevin Youkilis made a great read running from first with one out, and was able to score all the way from first base.
Jed Lowrie then knocked in Ortiz with his 23rd RBI of the season, a bounding ball through the middle that scored Ortiz from second, aided in large part by the fact that Coco Crisp still doesn't have an arm to speak of in center field.
Guillermo Moscoso comes on in the middle of the inning to try and clean things up for the A's.
Mid 3rd, A's 4-3: Nice, tidy inning for Buchholz, who has settled in after a rough first.
He has thrown 56 pitches through three, but his first 1-2-3 inning of the night will help.
Buchholz is really mixing things up tonight. He's already thrown 10 changeups and 10 curveballs, and he's mixing in the two-seamer as well. We haven't seen much of the cutter yet, though.
End 2nd, A's 4-3: Weird inning. First, it was Carl Crawford giving the ball a ride to right, only to have DeJesus make the catch right in front of the Red Sox bullpen.
The Sox got a run back, though, without registering a hit. Mike Cameron reached on a Kevin Kouzmanoff throwing error. He then moved to third when Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out, but on a wild pitch. Then, a line drive to left from Jacoby Ellsbury turns into a sacrifice fly.
Fittingly, it's Kouzmanoff making a diving stop to end the inning. So, yeah. Baseball.
Mid 2nd, A's 4-2: Much better frame for Buchholz in the second. He got Cliff Pennington and Coco Crisp to strike out and then wiggled around a walk to David DeJesus by getting a Josh Willingham groundout.
Buchholz seems to be showing the A's everything early on. He struck out Kevin Kouzmanoff in the first with a changeup, Pennington with a curve and then Crisp with a fastball.
End 1st, A's 4-2: The Red Sox do a good job of responding in the bottom of the first, as they were able to cut the Oakland lead in half.
Adrian Gonzalez was able to drive in Jaocby Ellsbury with a groundout to the right side before David Ortiz singled home Kevin Youkilis who had doubled.
This next inning is actually a pretty big one for Buchholz who would love nothing more than to have a quick, bounce-back inning and get his guys back to the plate as quickly as he can.
Mid 1st, A's 4-0: We mentioned that Clay Buchholz has had troubles with the A's in the past. So far, it's been no different.
Mark Ellis had the back-breaking hit, a two-run, two-out single to give the A's a 4-0 lead.
Those runs were able to move up after Mike Cameron tried to throw Hideki Matsui out at home, but failed to do so when he scored on a Daric Barton single.
Not a good start for Buchholz and the Red Sox.
6:45 p.m.: Quick note on a roster move by the Red Sox, as they sent lefty reliever Rich Hill to the 15-day disabled list.
Of course, there have been various reports that have said that Hill could have Tommy John surgery looming in his future, but for now, it's the 15-day DL.
To replace Hill, the Sox have recalled Tommy Hottovy from Pawtucket. To make room for Hottovy on the 40-man roster, the Sox placed Daisuke Matsuzaka — also likely headed for surgery — to the 60-day DL.
Hottovy has allowed just five runs in 14 appearances this season at Triple-A, striking out 28 in 27 innings.
5:45 p.m.: Wondering how the A's will start? You're in luck. Here's their lineup.
Coco Crisp, CF
David DeJesus, RF
Josh Willingham, LF
Hideki Matsui, DH
Kurt Suzuki, C
Daric Barton, 1B
Mark Ellis, 2B
Kevin Kouzmanoff, 3B
Cliff Pennington, SS
As you may have read in Eastern Bank Leading Off, the A's have had some relative success against Boston starter Clay Buchholz. When you pair that with the fact that the Sox have a tendency to struggle against pitchers they've rarely or never seen — like Outman — breaking that losing streak could be a tough proposition.
4:30 p.m.: Good afternoon, all. The Red Sox will continue their homestand on Thursday night by welcoming the Oakland Athletics to town, and here is how the Sox will start:
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Jed Lowrie, SS
Carl Crawford, LF
Mike Cameron, RF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
8 a.m.: It's amazing what difference a week can make.
After fighting tooth and nail for much of May, the Red Sox open a three-game weekend series with the Oakland Athletics looking to snap a four-game losing streak. The Sox did an incredible job of getting back into the AL East picture — even taking over first place — before losing on Sunday in Detroit and then being swept at home by the White Sox.
All the while, the Yankees, who like the Red Sox were idle on Thursday night, have grabbed a two-game lead in the AL East standings.
With Oakland in town, the Red Sox turn things over to Clay Buchholz with the hopes that he can be the stopper. The young right-hander is coming off a weekend start in Detroit in which he picked up the win, but it didn't come easy. Buchholz went six innings giving up three runs, with two of those coming on home runs.
He'll be opposed by Oakland southpaw Josh Outman, who just picked up his first win of the season. Control has been an issue for the 26-year-old, however, as he's issued eight walks in just 13 innings of work.
First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
