The Red Sox won their second straight series and the fourth game in a row when they defeated the Oakland Athletics, 10-3, at Fenway Park on Saturday.
The Red Sox improved to 47-43 while the A's dropped to 25-66 on the season.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Red Sox welcomed James Paxton back from paternity leave by giving the southpaw run support in each of the first six offensive innings.
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The 34-year-old took the mound and did his part, giving up two runs on six hits to the A's over six complete innings of work while striking out three and walking one. He threw 70.9% of his pitches for strikes (66-of-93 pitches) and retired the side in order in the first inning.
Paxton handed the ball over to Brandon Walter who secured the win for Boston, allowing one run on three hits while striking out three.
On the other side of the mound, the Red Sox tagged Oakland pitching with 10 runs on 15 hits, nine of which were extra-base (seven doubles, two home runs).
STARS OF THE GAME
-- Jarren Duran got the start in center field and as the leadoff hitter. The speedy 26-year-old continued his hot streak by singling to left in his first at-bat. In the same inning, Duran stole second for his 17th of the season, finishing the night 3-for-5 while knocking in three runs.
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-- Alex Verdugo added to his resume after being left off the All-Star roster by hitting a two-run homer 377-feet to right in his first at-bat. He finished 2-for-4 from the plate and is slashing .290/.360/.457 on the season.
-- Justin Turner got the scoring started for the Red Sox with a single in the first innings. The designated hitter finished the game going 1-for-3 from the plate, extending his hitting streak to eight straight, and knocking in 11 runs during the stretch.
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WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Verdugo hitting the first home run of the game at +2100 entering the contest. Verdugo cleared those odds with his two-run shot in the first inning, which gave the Red Sox the 3-0 lead. A $100 wager on Verdugo would've netted a $2,200 payout.
ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox will look to sweep the A's in the series finale on Sunday before heading into the All-Star break. First pitch from Fenway Park is slated for 1:35 p.m. ET, and you can catch all the action, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
Featured image via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
