Oakland Athletics (27-30) @ Boston Red Sox (30-26)
Josh Outman (1-0, 2.08) @ Clay Buchholz (4-3, 3.41)
7:10 PM EDT | Fenway Park (Boston, MA)
TV: NESN RADIO: WEEI 850, WWZN 1510
INJURY REPORT
Oakland: Tyson Ross, left oblique strain (Placed on 15 day DL May 20th); Brandon McCarthy, stress reaction in right scapula (Placed on the 15 day DL May 20th, retroactive to May 19th); Dallas Braden, stiff left shoulder (Placed on the 15 day DL April 18th retroactive to April 17th); Rich Harden, strained right shoulder (Placed on the 15 day DL March 30, retroactive to March 22nd, transferred to the 60 day DL April 18th); Adam Rosales, fractured right foot (Placed on the 60 day DL March 30th, retroactive to March 22nd);
Boston: Rich Hill, left elbow sprain (Placed on the 15 day DL on June 3rd, retroactive to June 2) Franklin Morales, left forearm strain (Placed on the 15 day DL May 29th, retroactive to May 26th); Darnell McDonald, sore left quad (Placed on the 15 day DL May 26th); Daisuke Matsuzaka, sprained elbow (Placed on the 15 day DL May 17th, transferred to the 60 day DL on June 3rd ); John Lackey, strained elbow (Placed on the 15 day DL May 16th, retroactive May 12th); Marco Scutaro, strained left oblique (Placed on the 15 day DL May 8th); Junichi Tazawa, right elbow surgery (placed on the 60 day DL March 26th)
GAME NOTES
The pitching-rich Oakland Athletics come to Fenway Park having lost three straight against the New York Yankees. The Red Sox are owners of a four-game losing streak, their second longest such streak of the year (the longest, of course, was the six-game losing streak that started the season). Oakland pitchers have a 3.01 ERA, tied with the Atlanta Braves for the best mark in the majors. Today’s starter for Oakland, Josh Outman, continues his comeback from Tommy John surgery, having gained a win against Baltimore on May 28th. In that start he lasted six innings and gave up two earned runs, six hits, two strikeouts and five walks. The only Red Sox players on the current 25-man roster to have faced Josh Outman are Carl Crawford (0-3), Jarrod Saltalamacchia (0-2) and Adrian Gonzalez (1 BB). Oakland reliever Grant Balfour has been placed on paternity leave (his wife Angie gave birth to a baby girl today); Fautino De Los Santos has been called up from Sacramento to replace Balfour in Oakland’s bullpen. Speaking of Tommy John surgery, the Red Sox received the news that Daisuke Matsuzaka and Rich Hill both need the procedure. Matsuzaka has informed the club that he will undergo the procedure; Dr. Lewis Yocum will perform the surgery next week. This may be the end of the Dice-K era in Boston, as the recovery time for the procedure is 12-18 months. Rich Hill is seeking a second opinion on whether to undergo surgery. Lefty Tommy Hottovy, who also had Tommy John surgery in 2008, will replace Hill on the 25-man roster. Clay Buchholz is coming off of his third no decision, the most recent coming against the Detroit Tigers on May 29th, when he gave up three runs on six hits, one walk and three strikeouts in six innings. Clay is 1-2 against Oakland in his career with a 7.31 ERA but did earn a win against the Athletics on April 20th. Watch out for Kurt Suzuki today; he is hitting .571 against Buchholz. Of concern, Buchholz has been susceptible to the long ball this season; he has surrendered 10 home runs, and gave up 2 in his last start.
Lineups
Red Sox
- Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
- Dustin Pedroia, 2B
- Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
- Kevin Youkilis, 3B
- David Ortiz, DH
- Jed Lowrie, SS
- Carl Crawford, LF
- Mike Cameron, RF
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Oakland
- Coco Crisp, CF
- David DeJesus, RF
- Josh Willingham, LF
- Hideki Matsui, DH
- Kurt Suzuki, C
- Daric Barton, 1B
- Mark Ellis, 2B
- Kevin Kouzmanoff, 3B
- Cliff Pennington, SS
Fun Facts
– Carroll Hardy was the only Red Sox player to have pinch hit for both Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski.
– On June 3, 1918, Dutch Leonard threw a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. The Sox won 5-0.
– When Reggie Jackson showed up to spring training in 1972 with a mustache, Oakland A’s owner Charlie Finley hated it. Finley ordered manager Dick Williams to tell Jackson to shave it, but Reggie “politely” refused. Finley then thought that if other players would grow mustaches, the individualistic Jackson would shave his off. However, once a few other players started growing mustaches, Charlie Finley began liking the look. He then offered $300 to any player who would grow a mustache by Father’s Day. All 25 players and manager Dick Williams took him up on the offer. Finley even held a Father’s Day promotion where anyone with a mustache would get free admission.
– Again, as a reminder, the Red Sox have switched the starting time for Saturday’s match-up against the Oakland Athetics from 7:10 p.m. to 1:10 p.m. to allow Boston fans to enjoy without conflict the Red Sox game and Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday night between the Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks. Go Bruins!
– And for today’s Totally Untrue Fun Fact: Tommy John served in the quartermaster corps for the British in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, was a horse groomer for the Army of Northern Virginia in the Civil War, stood shore watch while the charges that blew up the USS Maine in Havana harbor in 1898 were set, served as a German boot cleaner during World War I, was a pasta maker at an Italian prisoner of war camp during World War II, and was a toll booth attendant on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.