Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Kurt Suzuki hit a pair of homers and drove in three as Oakland outslugged Boston, 9-8, in the finale of a three-game set from Fenway Park.
A’s Lose Anderson, Win Game As Four Homers Power Oakland Past Boston
Mark Ellis finished 2-for-3, drove in two runs and scored once for the Athletics, who had dropped the first two games in the series and lost three of four coming in.
Jack Cust added three hits, an RBI and scored three times while Kevin Kouzmanoff and Gabe Gross also knocked in a run each.
Vin Mazzaro (1-0) allowed nine hits and three runs over 3 1/3 relief innings for the win. Starter Brett Anderson left after two innings with left-elbow soreness after giving up five hits and two runs in two frames.
Andrew Bailey recorded the final six outs to earn his 12th save.
Bill Hall went 4-for-5 with a homer, two RBI and scored four times for the Red Sox, who saw their four-game win streak halted. Jeremy Hermida went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and Marco Scutaro homered and drove in three in a losing cause.
Tim Wakefield (1-4) allowed eight hits and six runs over six innings to take the loss.
Oakland took a 9-6 advantage in the eighth after back-to-back solo homers from Cust and Kouzmanoff.
Scutaro just barely reached the seats in left to start the home half, and the blast was confirmed after a review. The Sox later had runners on first and second with one out, but Bailey got Adrian Beltre on a fly out and fanned David Ortiz.
Hall hit a solo homer with one out in the ninth into the photographer’s area in left-center which got the Sox within 9-8, but Hermida and Scutaro were retired on easy grounders to end the contest.
Boston picked up a run in the first on an RBI single from Beltre, who knocked in Victor Martinez.
Suzuki’s leadoff shot in the second tied the game, but the Sox came back in the home half on a run-scoring groundout by Scutaro after Hall singled and Hermida doubled.
Suzuki hit a two-run shot over the Green Monster in the fourth for a 3-2 Oakland edge, and following a Cust single and Gross double, Ellis smacked a two-run double for a 5-2 score.
The Sox got a run back in the home fourth on a Scutaro sacrifice fly to score Hall, then climbed within 6-5 in the sixth on Hermida’s two-run blast to right.
In the seventh, a throwing error by Beltre allowed Oakland's seventh run to score on a Rajai Davis single, but Boston countered in the home half after Hall's grounder plated Ortiz who had walked earlier in the frame.
Despite the setback, Boston has won six of the last nine games against Oakland...A's right fielder Ryan Sweeney also left the game in the third with a head injury suffered when he collided with Ellis when trying to track a foul ball...Martinez finished 2-for-4, as did Gross...During the game, the Athletics announced that they have claimed third baseman Adam Heether off waivers from Milwaukee and optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento...Both teams are in action on Friday as the A's return home to face Minnesota and the Red Sox head to Baltimore.
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