The Boston Red Sox will aim for their fourth consecutive win when they continue a three-game weekend series against the visiting Oakland Athletics on Saturday afternoon.
Boston’s recent form — winning three straight and six of seven — has vaulted it three games above the .500 mark, despite still sitting last in the American League East standings. The current series marks the team’s last before the All-Star break.
“We just want to play good baseball,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We know when we do that, we’re a good team.”
Left-hander James Paxton (4-1, 2.70 ERA) will make Saturday’s start after being reinstated from the paternity list before the series opener. After going 3-0 over five starts as June’s American League Pitcher of the Month, Paxton pitched a season-high 7 2/3 innings of scoreless ball to beat the Blue Jays on June 30 in Toronto.
The 34-year-old Paxton has been a consistent starter, allowing two runs or fewer in seven of his nine starts. His most recent outing was the fifth in which he gave up no more than one run.
Last weekend’s outing followed him being pulled June 24 against the Chicago White Sox due to right knee soreness.
“It was big,” Paxton said of his Canada Day weekend outing in his native country. “The knee held up really well. We did a lot of great work on it this week and it felt strong out there.”
Paxton will be supported by an offense that has racked up at least 10 hits in six consecutive games. Justin Turner is riding a seven-game hitting streak during which he has also recorded an RBI in each game.
Paxton is 4-0 across 10 career starts against the Athletics, but he has not faced them since 2018 as a member of the Seattle Mariners.
The A’s league-worst season has continued during a stretch of 15 losses in 21 games, which includes a 3-7 road mark in that span.
The series in Boston began with the news of MLB’s leading base stealer Esteury Ruiz being placed on the injured list (right shoulder).
“What he does, it’s unbelievable,” teammate Tyler Wade said of Ruiz. “Getting 40 bases in a whole year is impressive. The fact that we’re at the halfway point and he’s got that, it’s impressive.”
Seth Brown has been a bright spot with nine RBIs in his last 12 games after hitting a seventh-inning home run that cut Boston’s lead to 5-3 on Friday night.
Despite the signs of offensive life, Oakland has given it up on the opposite side. The A’s have allowed 843 hits, second only to the Colorado Rockies (864).
Paul Blackburn (1-1, 4.50) takes the ball for Oakland looking for his second win in a span of three starts. He did take the loss Sunday against the White Sox, however, after allowing five runs in five innings.
“Grinding through those five innings, it wasn’t easy for him, but he walked off the mound, we still had a chance to win that game,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said.
The 29-year-old Blackburn split his first two career starts against Boston last season, earning a June 16 win at Fenway Park.
–Field Level Media
