The Red Sox started the nine-game road trip in Oakland last night, and ran into a buzzsaw called Brett Anderson.
He's given the Sox fits in his young career, and did so again last night, going eight solid innings, and allowed just four hits and no runs. In five starts, Anderson is now 3-1 with a 2.61 ERA against the Red Sox, and has become one of the better lefties in the AL.
The only time the Red Sox threatened was the 8th inning, but Mike Cameron interfered with catcher Kurt Suzuki's throw down to second trying to throw out pinch runner Jacoby Ellsbury, and it was ruled a DP (Cameron had struck out). The next two batters singled (it could have been a big inning), but Darnell McDonald struck out to end the 8th.
Best news of the night was six solid innings from John Lackey. He has historically pitched well in Oakland, and allowed just an RBI groundout in the first inning. But the bullpen collapsed in the 8th, especially Hideki Okajima, in his first game back with the Sox. He allowed an RBI double to his old friend Hideki Matsui that put the game on ice at 4-0.
Two-game series ends today (the only games the Sox play in Oakland) at 3:30 PM, with Clay Buchholz on the hill.