Red Sox Wrap: Boston Capitalizes On Sloppy Athletics In Shutout Win

The Boston Red Sox defeated the Oakland Athletics, 9-0, on Monday night at Oakland Coliseum.

With the win, the Red Sox improved to 3-2 while the A’s dropped to 1-3.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston’s early 2-2 record didn’t necessarily speak for the team’s encouraging early signs, particularly in the pitching department, but the first of a three-game trip to Oakland certainly did.

The Athletics didn’t belong on the same diamond as the Red Sox, and it became more clear as the innings progressed and the error total for Oakland continuously piled up. While Boston held an 8-0 lead after just the first three innings, the Athletics had recorded five errors, increasing their MLB lead to 13 committed through their first five games played.

Needless to say, scoring runs was extremely easy for Boston’s offense.

Tanner Houck continued the red-hot stretch by the starting pitching staff, striking out a career-best-matching 10 hitters and throwing 63 of his 83 pitches for strikes before handing the ball off to the Red Sox bullpen. From there, Chase Anderson pitched three shutout innings to close the door on the Athletics and send Boston to the win column for a second straight time.

The Red Sox improved to 17-9 in their last 26 games versus Oakland, a stretch dating back to 2019.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Houck completed a five-game stretch of dominant starting pitching, going six innings while holding the Athletics scoreless. The right-hander surrendered just three hits while walking zero batters throughout the night.

— Trevor Story had a solid night in the batter’s box, going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs (both with two outs).

— Jarren Duran picked up right where he left off last season, punishing teams with his speed on the basepaths. Duran stole three bases in Oakland, raising his season total to five in five games, which sets a new all-time Red Sox franchise record.

WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Ceddanne Rafaela totaling two-plus RBIs at +650 before the Red Sox took the field in Oakland. The 23-year-old cleared those odds early, raising his RBI total for the season to three before Boston had played three full innings on the West Coast. A $100 wager on Rafaela would’ve netted a solid $750 total payout.

ON DECK AT NESN
Boston continues its series in Oakland on Tuesday night in the second of three against the Athletics. First pitch from the Oakland Coliseum is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, plus a full hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN+.