Red Sox Look to Go to Work Against Athletics.

The Precursor

After going just 2-4 against two formidable opponents in the Rays and the Angels to start off the season, the Red Sox look to bounce back in Oakland (2-4) as they take on the A's for a 3 game set.

The Matchups

4/13 - Jon Lester (0-1) vs. Dallas Braden (0-1)
4/14 - Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-1) vs. Dana Eveland (0-0)
4/15 - Tim Wakefield (0-1) vs. Brett Anderson (0-1)

Lester had a horrible outing against the Rays last time, going 5 innings while allowing 5 runs. The 2008 17 game winner will try to redeem himself as he faces a newly renovated A's team. Dallas Braden started on opening day on opening day for the A's as their staff is very inexperienced. Braden has a 10.80 ERA in one career start against the Red Sox. So expect some runs tonight. Lester is 2-2 against the A's in his career with a 3.94 ERA, but he is 1-1 at Network Associate's Colliseum (or whatever the hell they call it these days) with a 2.31 ERA.

Matsuzaka also had a bad outing his last time out against the Rays as he was also handed a loss while going 5 and a third innings and giving up 4 runs. However, Matsuzaka has enjoyed success against the A's before. He's 2-1 against the A's with a 2.55 ERA in his career. Like Lester, Matsuzaka is also 1-1 at Network Associate's and sports a 1.98 ERA. Dana Eveland has also struggled against the Sox, as he gave up 9 runs in 2 innings in one start against the BoSox. Once again, expect some runs.

Wakefield pitched a decent game against the Angels, as he posted a quality start, going 6 innings while giving up 3 runs. Nevertheless, he was handed a loss due to the exceptional game that Jered Weaver pitched for the Angels. Wakefield is 9-6 against the A's in his career with a ERA in the low 4's. However, he sports a 6 ERA at Network Associate's Colliseum, but holds a 5-4 record there. Brett Anderson has never faced the Red Sox before. But the rookie was not stellar in his season debut, going 6 innings while giving up 5 runs on 5 hits.

What to Expect

Both Matsuzaka and Lester have had success against the A's, while Wakefield has had moderate success in his prolonged Major League career against the Oakland team. On the other hand, the A's feature three young pitchers, two of which have struggled mightily against the BoSox and one that has never seen the sluggers from Bean Town before. This series can get ugly. Expect David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia to rebound from so-so first weeks. On the A's side of the spectrum, their club has improved. New acquisition Matt Holliday has yet to heat up, expect him to do something in this series (I actually need him to do something, he's on my fantasy team). Former White Sox prospect Ryan Sweeney is swinging a hot stick at leadoff, hitting .308 coming into the series. The A's had trouble scoring against a very average Seattle staff, expect the Red Sox starters to shut them down. I think 2 out of 3 is the least the Red Sox should do here.