Red Sox 6, Athletics 5
BOSTON -- For the Boston Red Sox, Wednesday afternoon and evening were a lot better than Tuesday night.
And we're not talking only about the weather.
Boston, drubbed 13-0 in the wind and rain Tuesday night, scored three times to wipe out a 3-0 deficit in the fourth inning and then scored three more in the fifth before hanging on for a 6-5 victory over the Oakland A's.
The victory, only the second in the last 11 games against Oakland, gave the first-place Red Sox (14-7) a 2-1 series win with new American League member Houston coming to town for four games.
Jon Lester (4-0) limped through 5 2/3 innings, walking five, one more than he'd walked over his first four starts, but stayed perfect. The Boston bullpen then managed to hang onto the lead, handing the A's (13-9) their fifth loss in the last six games.
Stephen Drew, hitting .114 coming in, tripled home two runs in the fourth and six straight Red Sox batters reached in the fifth to build a 6-3 lead.
Chris Young hit two homers (Nos. 3 and 4) for Oakland, a three-run shot in the fourth off Lester and solo job in the eighth of Koji Uehara. Former Athletic Andrew Bailey struck out the side in the ninth for his fifth save, second of the series.
Jed Lowrie had three hits for the A's, who had 13 runs on 13 hits Tuesday night.
David Ortiz, in his fourth game back from the disabled list, went 2-for-4 and drove in a run and is 8-for-16 with three RBIs.
Oakland's Brett Anderson continued his early season struggles, allowing six runs in four-plus innings. He fell to 1-4, with a 7.24 ERA.
Anderson, 5-2 with a 2.70 ERA against Boston before Wednesday's game, had a 3-0 lead on Young's first homer, but gave it right back and was gone in the fifth.
With one out in the fourth, back-to-back doubles by Ortiz and Mike Napoli (26th RBI) got Boston started. Drew's triple tied it.
Anderson didn't get an out in the fifth. Jacoby Ellsbury singled and stole second (tying his own club record for his 10th April steal) and scored on Shane Victorino's double that capped an eight-pitch at-bat. Dustin Pedroia's hit off the glove of third baseman Josh Donaldson moved Ellsbury to third and Ortiz singled him home.
Chris Resop relieved Anderson and hit Napoli with his first pitch. Daniel Nava hit for Jonny Gomes and singled home a run.
But with the bases loaded and no one out, the Red Sox failed to get more runs. Will Middlebrooks skied to short left and Jerry Blevins was summoned to face Drew. The shortstop struck out and David Ross popped to short right.
Victorino left the game in the seventh after apparently suffering more back trouble. He didn't play in Sunday's double-header because of the back.
NOTES: The Red Sox have been in first place all 24 days of the season, one shy of the club record for being in first from the start of the season, the record set in 1918. ... Home plate umpire Jerry Layne left the game in the fourth inning with what appeared to be a right hand injury. Mike Estabrook moved from second base to behind the plate and three umps finished. ... Game-time temperature was 64 degrees, 22 degrees warmer (and with much less wind) than Tuesday night. ... RH Daniel Bard, who has been struggling to get return to form, was recalled from Double-A Portland. The former eighth-inning set-up man will be used earlier in games. ... RH Joel Hanrahan (hamstring) will make a rehab appearance for Pawtucket Friday night. ... A's manager Bob Melvin held lefty swinging OF Josh Reddick out of Wednesday's game, even though he was 4-for-8 in the first two games of the series against his old team. But Melvin said Lester is the kind of lefty who can kill positive things. Reddick pinch hit in the eighth and struck out. ... RH Steven Wright, who made his major league debut Tuesday, was farmed out to make room for Bard. ... RH John Lackey (biceps) will throw Thursday and start Sunday if all is well. If not, RH Alfredo Aceves, could go but is not automatic because of his terrible Tuesday night. Prospect Allen Webster also possible. ... Clay Buchholz (4-0, 0.90) faces Houston's Phil Humber (0-4) Thursday night, while Jarrod Parker (0-3) opens Oakland's homestand against Baltimore's Jason Hammel (2-1). ... Tuesday night's 13-0 win was the A's largest shutout victory over Boston since 1932.
