OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – The Boston Red Sox finally got to one of Oakland’s aces.
Manny Ramirez and Kevin Millar homered and drove in three runs apiece as the Red Sox again pulled even with Oakland in the AL wild-card race, beating Mark Mulder and the Athletics 7-3 Wednesday night.
Bill Mueller had a run-scoring single among his three hits as the Red Sox won for just the second time in seven games. After losing the first two games of the series, Boston matched Oakland’s 69-51 record atop the wild-card standings with an overdue outburst from its prolific offense. Tim Hudson, Barry Zito and the A’s bullpen shut down the Sox in the previous two games, but Boston canceled Mulder’s plans for his 16th victory with a bevy of singles in the third, followed by Ramirez’s two-run homer – his 28th of the season – in the seventh.
The expected pitchers’ duel between Mulder and Derek Lowe didn’t exactly materialize. Lowe (12-6) struggled through five innings, allowing five hits and two walks, but stayed in just long enough to get his first win in four starts.
Mulder (15-9) lost consecutive starts for just the second time this season.
, yielding nine hits, three walks and five earned runs in 6 1-3 shaky innings.
Jose Guillen homered for the A’s, who lost for just the third time in their last 14 home games.
Four Boston relievers pitched one inning apiece.
Millar, who had a two-run single in the third to give Boston its first lead, followed Ramirez’s seventh-inning blast with a solo homer off reliever Chad Harville. It was Millar’s 20th of the season, matching his career high set with Florida in 2001.
In front of a noisy sellout crowd of 44,868, the A’s took a 2-0 lead on Miguel Tejada’s RBI single and Chris Singleton’s sacrifice fly in the second.
Damian Jackson, Johnny Damon and Bill Mueller got consecutive one-out singles for Boston in the third – and after Nomar Garciaparra struck out, Ramirez drew a bases-loaded walk.
It was just the third bases-loaded walk of Mulder’s career. Millar followed it with a two-run single to center, putting Boston up 3-2.
The A’s loaded the bases in the fifth on two walks and a hit, but Lowe struck out Erubiel Durazo to end the threat – and then pumped his fist while looking into Oakland’s dugout in a rare display of emotion from the right-hander.
Durazo had a horrific night, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Every one of his outs ended an inning, and he stranded seven runners.
Notes: Oakland activated RHP Jim Mecir from the 15-day disabled list and designated OF Adam Piatt for assignment. The move gives the A’s 12 pitchers. … The Red Sox hit back-to-back homers for the 10th time this season. … The series ends on Thursday with Ted Lilly pitching against Tim Wakefield. The teams meet again in Boston for three games next week. … Dave McCarty, acquired by the Red Sox off waivers from Oakland last week, went 0-for-5.
AP-ES-08-14-03 0105EDT
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