Oakland @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 14, 2013 ) Boston 2, Oakland 3

The Oakland Athletics are quietly emerging as the best team in the American League and will try to make some noise on a bigger stage when they open up a three-game series at the Boston Red Sox on Friday. The Athletics, who swept a three-game series at the Texas Rangers earlier in the week, are No. 1 in runs allowed and No. 2 in runs scored in the AL. The Red Sox are having a tougher time getting things moving and have been uncharacteristically weak at home.

Boston took the opener of its homestand with a win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday but rain forced the cancellation of Wednesday game and the Red Sox suffered a pair of one-run defeats in the doubleheader on Thursday. Boston went 4-for-20 with runners in scoring position in the doubleheader and fell to 6-10 at home and three games under .500 overall. Oakland posted a 12-1 victory over the Rangers on Wednesday and outscored Texas 25-4 in the series.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CSN California (Oakland), NESN (Boston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics RH Dan Straily (1-1, 5.14 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Clay Buchholz (1-2, 6.66)

Straily is slowing coming around and posted a quality start by holding the Houston Astros to three runs on four hits while striking out seven in 6 1/3 innings on Saturday. The 25-year-old has surrendered at least one home run in each of his five starts and a total of seven in 28 innings. Straily is making his first ever appearance against Boston.

Buchholz finally got his first win on Saturday at Toronto, allowing three runs on six hits in a season-high seven innings. The Texas native issued a season-high three walks in that start but limited the damage by inducing 11 groundouts. Buchholz has not had a lot of success against Oakland in his career and owns a 2-2 record with a 7.90 ERA and .342 batting average against in six starts.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox RF Shane Victorino is 6-for-12 with three doubles and three RBIs in the last three games.

2. Oakland split six games with the Red Sox in 2013.

3. Boston RHP Koji Uehara has surrendered a home run in two of his last three appearances.

PREDICTION: Athletics 5, Red Sox 3