The Boston Red Sox continued their three-game series with the Oakland Athletics with a 5-2 loss on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.
With the loss, Boston fell to 50-41 while Oakland improved to 35-59.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston went down early when Nick Pivetta struggled with his control and allowed three runs in the third inning.
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Despite a string of right-handed bats in the lineup, the Red Sox struggled to break through against left-hander J.P. Sears, tallying just one run through six innings on a Rob Refsnyder solo home run.
The game looked quite the opposite of last season when Pivetta dominated the Athletics out of the bullpen. Meanwhile, Sears built on five innings of one-run ball against the Red Sox in 2023.
The Red Sox did add a run in the seventh and load the bases before Rafael Devers grounded into a force out to end the chance. Oakland tacked on against Josh Winckowski to preserve the lead in Boston.
Oakland picked up its first win at Fenway Park as Boston dropped the middle game, setting up a rubber match with a series victory on the line in the finale.
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STARS OF THE GAME
-- Pivetta tied a career-high with eight consecutive strikeouts and finished with 10 total. He tossed 6 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on six hits with two walks.
-- Refsnyder launched his fourth home run of the season. It traveled 394 feet over the Green Monster.
-- Oakland's Lawrence Butler plated a pair of runs in a multi-hit game. He's now 4-for-8 in the series with five RBIs.
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UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Athletics close out their three-game series on Thursday night. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
Featured image via Paul Rutherford/USA TODAY Sports Images
