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Tavarez to kick off West Coast trip
Boston (37-18) at Oakland (28-27)
10:05 p.m. ET
TV: NESN Radio: WRKO 680 AM
By Mike Petraglia / Special to MLB.com


The Red Sox knew well in advance that their first West Coast trip of the season would begin with a big challenge.
Following a nationally televised game against the Yankees, the team had to hop on an early morning red-eye flight to California to open a four-game series with the A's starting Monday in Oakland.

For that reason, the team decided to send out starter Julian Tavarez (4-5, 5.40 ERA) and Tuesday's starter Daisuke Matsuzaka a day early so they wouldn't have to battle jet lag.

"We got Tavarez out and Dice-K," Red Sox skipper Terry Francona said. "Best case scenario, we're going to pull in around 6 a.m. PT. Worst case, who knows?"

Adding to the challenge, the bleary-eyed Sox will be facing baseball's ERA leader for starters in Dan Haren, who is 6-2, with a 1.64 ERA. Haren's teammate Chad Gaudin is second with a 2.32 ERA.

Francona said the team is grateful to ownership for making the extra effort to accommodate the pitchers.

"The Red Sox have always been terrific about doing that when we ask, and we really appreciate it," he added. "If everybody's going to feel bad, maybe our starting pitcher won't and that hopefully will help."

The Red Sox split their two games against Oakland on May 1 and 2 at Fenway, losing the first game 5-4 in 10 innings, their lone extra-inning game of the season. Boston bounced back to win the second behind Josh Beckett's sixth consecutive win to start the season.

This is Boston's only trip to Oakland but the first of three different West Coast swings this season. The Red Sox will travel to San Diego and Seattle beginning June 22 and will head to Seattle and Anaheim as part of a three-city, nine-game trip beginning Aug. 3.

Pitching matchup

BOS: RHP Julian Tavarez (3-4, 4.50 ERA)
Tavarez will make this start on seven days of rest, as the Red Sox used their off-day to make some adjustments to the rotation. Tavarez has been solid in May, going 2-2 with a 3.99 ERA in five outings. In his last start, he surrendered a 3-0 lead by giving up four runs in the bottom of the sixth. He took a no-decision in a game the Red Sox went on to win. Tavarez is 1-1 lifetime against the A' with a 4.85 ERA.

OAK: RHP Dan Haren (6-2, 1.64 ERA)
Haren was brilliant yet again his last time out, holding the visiting Rangers to a run on four hits and three walks in eight innings. Haren, who has won his past six decisions after starting the year 0-2 despite a 0.69 ERA, hasn't lost in 10 starts and has worked at least seven innings in eight of his past nine assignments. He's won all six of the starts in which he's received at least two runs of support.

Player to watch
Right fielder J.D. Drew will make the trip and could return to the lineup Monday night, after missing the last two games of the Yankees series with a strained right hamstring. Drew is hoping the rest will help break him out of a .155 slump over his last 32 games, dropping his average to a season- low .222.

I kinda like staying up late in the summer to watch a 10:05 start. Makes me happy that school is out

Wily MO!!!

Holy crap.

Why is Joel still on this team? mahalo
~Chach~

Julio Lugo is the worst.

Do I smell Edgar Renteria in a year or two? Moving Lugo and paying part of his deal simply to get him out of town? mahalo
~Chach~

I'd consider just saying, "Hey, Julio, here is 20 million dollars. Go away."

Just give the job to Cora.

Wily Mo with a nice night, a homer and two RBIs. Ok, he still struck out two times but he was also facing one of the premier pitchers in all of baseball right now.

Keep it coming Wily Mo!

If Wily Mo can get enough at bats he will hit homeruns. And what the hell is up with Eric Hinske? His hitting hurts my eyes.

Lenny DiNardo is a great pitcher.

Sure, but he's no JC Romero.

WE GOT SHUT OUT BY LENNY DINARDO, WTF We are 1-5 in our last six games, i feel a choke coming on....

Wakefield looks to bounce back
Boston (37-20) at Oakland (30-27)
Wednesday, 10:05 p.m. ET
TV: NESN Radio: WEEI 850 AM
By Rick Eymer / Special to MLB.com


Boston manager Terry Francona doesn't bother thinking about how far in front his Red Sox are in the American League East standings, or how low the New York Yankees have sunk.
"This is baseball," he said. "You show up and you play. And our guys want to play the game right. We don't hold a lot of team meetings. If we're having a meeting, it means something has gone too far."

Tim Wakefield knows about extremes. At one point he was among the AL ERA leaders. Now he's looking to lower his ERA below 4.00 when he takes the mound against the A's on Wednesday night.

After allowing just nine earned runs in his first 45 1/3 innings, Wakefield has given up 23 in his last 22 2/3 innings.

There's good news, though. He's 9-4 in 34 games against the A's and hasn't lost in Oakland since Aug. 9, 2001.

Pitching matchup

BOS: RHP Tim Wakefield (5-6, 4.24 ERA)
Not since Sept. 4, 2004, had Wakefield been pounded for eight earned runs before his last start, on Friday night. But Wakefield's control deserted him against the Yankees, who touched him for five hits and six walks and scored eight times in 3 2/3 innings. Wakefield's ERA has ballooned from 1.79 to 4.24 in four starts since May 15.

OAK: LHP Joe Kennedy (1-4, 3.30 ERA)
Kennedy bounced back from a seven-run beating at the hands of the host Orioles to put together his strongest start of the season Friday night against the visiting Twins, holding Minnesota to a run on six hits over eight innings while throwing a season-high 110 pitches. As has often been the case this year, though, the A's offered little offensive support, so Kennedy, who has allowed one run in six of his 10 starts and has allowed more than three runs only once, was stuck with his fifth no-decision.

Players to watch
Catcher Jason Varitek and outfielder Manny Ramirez can't wait to grab a bat against Kennedy. Varitek is a .538 hitter against the A's left-hander, with a pair of doubles and a triple. Ramirez is 9-for-17 (.429) with five doubles and five RBIs against Kennedy.

Yep, were are choking this lead away.. wow

Schilling set to close series vs. A's
Boston (37-21) at Oakland (31-27)
3:35 p.m. ET
TV: NESN Radio: WEEI 850 AM
By Rick Eymer / Special to MLB.com


The Boston Red Sox haven't gotten off to the best of starts on their current western road swing.
Curt Schilling, who makes his 13th start of the season and the 425th of his career on Thursday, hopes to give the Red Sox a lift on the eve of their first DH-free contest of the year.

"He's a great team leader," Boston shortstop Julio Lugo said. "Even when he doesn't have his best stuff, you know he'll find a way to win."

Schilling does not have a great track record in Oakland. He's 1-1 with a 6.43 ERA in four starts there.

Schilling does, however, know how to silence Eric Chavez. The A's third baseman has managed one hit in 17 at-bats against Schilling. Chavez is heating up, too. He's hit home runs in the first two games of this series and has an extra-base hit in all three so far.

Mark Kotsay, just back from the disabled list, has been a strikeout victim against Schilling 16 times.

Pitching matchup

BOS: RHP Curt Schilling (5-2, 3.91 ERA)
Schilling couldn't build on his dominant previous start against Cleveland, allowing five earned runs and nine hits against the Yankees at Fenway. He struck out only two Yankees, Hideki Matsui and Alex Rodriguez, neither of them on the revived split-finger fastball that allowed him to punch out 10 Indians on May 28. He has allowed 89 hits in 76 innings this season. Schilling is 3-3 in 12 career games against the A's.

OAK: RHP Joe Blanton (5-3, 3.81 ERA)
Blanton will have a hard time matching his effort from his last outing, but he'll give it a try. Blanton took just an hour and 49 minutes to pitch a shutout on Saturday night against the Twins, holding them to three hits and striking out six. Blanton is 2-0 in three career starts against the Red Sox.

Player to watch
If shortstop Julio Lugo is still looking for a way out of his hitting slump, Blanton could be just the tonic he needs. Lugo is a career .357 hitter against the right-hander, and that includes a pair of doubles. He's the only active Red Sox player with more than one RBI against Blanton.

Ugh so close for Schill. Now get the win.

Wow. Hats off to 38pitches, helluva game.

Schill did what he had to do, he was the stopper. As for Lugo, if he didn't make that error, perfect game for Schill.