G57: Athletics 2, Red Sox 0

Cy DiNardo shuts us down on two hits and six walks over six innings, the A's turn five double plays, and Dice gives up single runs in the fourth (Chavez HR) and fifth (Kendall leadoff BB and 2-out double by Swisher).

The key pitch of the night was to Youkilis with one out and the bases loaded in the sixth. DiNardo's 3-1 pitch was up and away -- which should have brought in a run, making it 2-1 and leaving the sacks loaded for Lowell -- but it was called a strike. Yook lined the next pitch to third, and Pedroia had to hit the dirt between first and second to avoid his shattered bat and was easily doubled off first. Inning over.

The Red Sox have a season-high three-game losing streak. Toronto scored six times in the bottom of the ninth to beat Tampa, 12-11, and close to within 9 GB.

***

Daisuke Matsuzaka (4.83, 93 ERA+) / Lenny DiNardo (1.80, 239 ERA+)

Redsox.com:

DiNardo threw the ball well -- 5.1 innings, four hits, two walks, three strikeouts, one unearned run -- on Wednesday against the Rangers but made one of two Oakland fielding miscues in the sixth inning, allowing the Rangers to score three unearned runs on the way to a 4-0 victory. It was DiNardo's first big-league start since Sept. 14, 2006 -- when he was with the Red Sox.