G1: Red Sox 6, Athletics 5 (10)

Red Sox   - 000 003 001 2 - 6  11  0
Athletics - 200 002 000 1 - 5   7  0

Matsuzaka surrendered a line-drive home run to Ellis on his 3rd pitch of the game and had early control problems (though at times, he was getting seriously squeezed). He threw 30 pitches in each of the first two innings, walking four, hitting one, and tossing a wild pitch. Oakland stranded two runners in the first and left the bases loaded in the second.

Dice (5-2-2-5-6, 95) recovered, retiring 10 of his last 11 batters, allowing only one ball out of the infield.

Boston grabbed the lead in the sixth. Pedroia doubled to right, Youkilis walked and Manny drove brought them in with a double down the left field line. Ramirez scored on a single from Moss, who got the last-minute start after Drew's back tightened up.

Kyle Snyder relieved Dice in the 6th and promptly gave the lead back as Crosby singled and Hannahan donged. Javier Lopez came in and got out of the inning quickly. Tito gave the 8th to Bryan Corey, a move which paid off. Ellsbury had to make a leaping catch at the center field wall on Brown's leadoff drive, banging his shoulder a bit, but Corey got the next two A's on weak grounders. That let Jeemer take the 9th and Bot the 10th.

In the ninth, two outs away from defeat, Moss hit his first major league home run -- down the right field line off Huston Street -- to tie the game. And the Sox tagged Street again in the 10th. Lugo reached on an infield single to third and was bunted over by Pedroia. Yook fanned and Ortiz was intentionally walked. Ramirez came through again, with a double off the wall in right center. Four RBI for Manny today. He watched it for awhile from the plate, but still slide easily into second.

Snuffer wasn't his snuffin' self in the bottom of the 10th. He walked Barton and Brown cracked a one-out double. Barton scored, cutting the lead to 6-5, but Brown was caught in a rundown between second and third -- 9-4-3-5-6-3 -- for an important out. Crosby and Hannahan both singled, putting the winning run on first, but Suzuki grounded out 3-1 to end the game.

***

Daisuke Matsuzaka (2007 ERA+ 108) / Joe Blanton (2007 ERA+ 106)

Red Sox                  Athletics
Dustin Pedroia, 2B       Travis Buck, RF 
Kevin Youkilis, 1B       Mark Ellis, 2B
David Ortiz, DH          Daric Barton, 1B 
Manny Ramirez, LF        Jack Cust, DH
Mike Lowell, 3B          Emil Brown, LF
J.D. Drew, RF            Bobby Crosby, SS
Jason Varitek, C         Jack Hannahan, 3B
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF      Kurt Suzuki, C
Julio Lugo, SS           Ryan Sweeney, CF
Daisuke Matsuzaka, P     Joe Blanton, P