Oakland @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( May 2, 2014 ) Oakland 1, Boston 7

The Boston Red Sox have been searching for someone to deliver the big hit and finally got it when Dustin Pedroia belted a grand slam on Friday. The Oakland Athletics will attempt to keep the ball in the park and even the series when they visit the Red Sox again on Saturday. Boston went 4-for-20 with runners in scoring position in dropping both ends of a doubleheader by one run on Thursday but got the big hits they needed in a 7-1 victory in the series opener.

The Athletics came in hot after pounding out 25 runs in a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers earlier in the week but were limited to five hits on Friday as former Red Sox players Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie, Brandon Moss, Josh Reddick and Nick Punto combined to go 1-for-17. Oakland was the team having trouble hitting in the clutch in the series opener, going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The loss dropped the Athletics to 12-5 on the road while Boston - traditionally a strong team at Fenway Park - rose to just 7-10 at home.

TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, CSN California (Oakland), NESN (Boston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics LH Tommy Milone (0-2, 4.56 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH Jon Lester (2-4, 3.10)

Milone put together his longest outing of the season on Sunday but was charged with four runs on five hits and a pair of walks over 6 2/3 innings to suffer a loss at Houston. The 27-year-old had posted two straight quality starts prior to the loss but could not come up with a win. Milone has made only one regular-season start against the Red Sox in his career and was pounded for eight runs - seven earned - in 4 2/3 innings on April 30, 2012.

Lester bounced back from his worst start of the season on Sunday but could not come up with the win after allowing two runs in the seventh to finish with four runs allowed on five hits at Toronto. The Washington native walked four in 4 2/3 innings to suffer a loss to the Yankees on April 22 but cleaned it up by not walking a batter in Toronto. Lester is 4-4 with a 4.21 ERA in 12 career starts against Oakland.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pedroia’s grand slam was the 100th home run of his career, making him the second player in Red Sox history (Carl Yastrzemski) to collect at least 100 homers and 100 stolen bases with the team.

2. Oakland LHP Fernando Abad struck out a pair on Friday in his 12th straight scoreless appearance to start the season.

3. Boston SS Xander Bogaerts has reached base safely in 14 straight games.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 8, Athletics 3