The Oakland A's put runs on the board early and Jarrod Parker made them stand up. But it took Jordan Norberto to bail out scuffling Grant Balfour as the A's defeated Boston 5-3 tonight at Fenway Park.
Parker went a solid 6 2/3 innings. He allowed a single run on four hits and two walks while striking out four. The key was getting ahead in the count and Parker threw 59 strikes in 98 pitches.
Up 5-1 in the ninth, Balfour could only record one out before allowing a two-run, bases-loaded single to Boston shortstop Mike Aviles. Norberto entered and struck out pinch hitter Lars Anderson and retired Dustin Pedroia to end the game.
Yoenis Cespedes continued his trend of timely hitting with a one-out RBI single in the first to score Jemile Weeks. In the fourth inning, Cliff Pennington hit a two-out double to center field to score Kurt Suzuki. Weeks followed with a single that plated Kila Ka'aihue and Pennington and would later score himself on a wild pitch by losing pitcher Felix Doubront.
The Red Sox scored their only run off Parker in the bottom of the inning on an RBI ground out by designated hitter David Ortiz.
But the story of the night was Parker, who earned his first major league victory by keeping the Red Sox lineup off balance and spotting his fastball, which varied from 89 to 94 miles per hour.
Good: Jarrod Parker.
Congrats are in order for his first major league victory. Nights like this make Billy Beane's offseason moves look smarter and smarter.
Bad: Jonny Gomes.
He was 0-4 with three strikeouts. He has been feast or famine all season as his .189 batting average and .488 slugging percentage can attest.
Ugly: Grant Balfour.
He's had two blown saves and a shaky outing in a week. His ERA has ballooned to 4.72 and he seems unable to consistently locate his pitches. Not a good formula for late-inning success.
With the win, the A's improve to 12-13 and will look to even their mark in the finale tomorrow. Brandon McCarthy takes the ball for the A's and will be opposed by Boston's Daniel Bard.
First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m.
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