Jake Peavy looks to secure his first victory in nearly two months on Thursday night when the Boston Red Sox begin a four-game series with the Oakland Athletics.
Peavy has not picked up a victory since April 25, though he did pitch well enough to win on Saturday against Cleveland. He did snap a two-start losing streak while getting charged with one run on seven hits and two walks in six innings, but the bullpen faltered late in a 3-2 setback.
"He was great. He deserved to win," Boston's A.J. Pierzynski said of Peavy. "He battled for six innings, one run, left with the lead."
Instead, the right-handed Peavy is 1-4 with a 4.53 earned run average on the season and will make his third career start versus the A's tonight. The last time the 33-year-old faced them, he logged a three-hit shutout on April 23, 2012 while with the Chicago White Sox.
Oakland counters with Scott Kazmir, who is 8-8 with a 4.04 ERA in 26 career starts versus Boston.
The left-hander is 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA in his last four starts, giving up three earned runs over 28 1/3 innings. He is 8-2 on the year with a 2.05 ERA.
Kazmir won his second straight start on Saturday with a 5-1 decision over the New York Yankees. The only run the 30-year-old allowed was unearned as he worked around three hits and three walks over six innings.
"He pitches. He lives on the edges and changes speeds really well," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of Kazmir.
Kazmir's outstanding campaign is just part of the reason that Oakland has the majors' best record at 44-28. The Athletics won for the fourth time in five games with Wednesday's 4-2 triumph over the Texas Rangers in the rubber match of a three-game set.
Sonny Gray threw seven innings, allowing two runs, while Brandon Moss hit a go-ahead RBI double in the fifth inning.
Boston, meanwhile, is coming off an unlikely three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins to post a 5-2 homestand. The Red Sox scored only five runs in the set and won Wednesday's finale 2-1 in 10 innings when David Ortiz and Mike Napoli hit back-to-back homers in the bottom of the final frame.
The blasts were just the second and third hits for the Red Sox all game.
"A good way to finish a well-pitched three-game series here," said Red Sox manager John Farrell, whose club now begins a 10-game road trip.
Though the Red Sox took two of three at Fenway Park from the Athletics earlier this season, Oakland has won eight of the previous nine encounters at home in this series.
[SportsNetwork.com]
