Rich Harden looked like Rich Harden of old pitching a gem against the Boston Red Sox in the 5-1 win. Harden threw six innings, gave up three hits, walked three, gave up one run (solo shot to Manny Ramirez) and struck out nine to grab his first victory of the season.
Looking at the box score it is easy to see why Harden had success with nine strikeouts to a casual baseball fan, but a die hard fan would know otherwise. As a pitcher the key to success is not letting the lead off man on and Harden did just that. The A’s ace did not allow any Red Sox lead off batter on base in the six innings he pitched.
Goat of the Game: Jon Lester
If Lester wanted to prove he belonged in this rotation his performance suggested otherwise. Four innings pitched, five hits, four runs, four earned, three walks, four strikeouts and a home run given up to Emil Brown did not suggest that Lester is ready this season.
Preview of Next Game: Probables – None for Boston vs. Joe Blanton (OAK)
Hopefully Boston’s offense gets enough sleep to be able to hit in the spacious Coliseum.