Red Sox - 200 100 000 - 3 6 0 Athletics - 300 302 00x - 8 13 0Hector Velazquez (5-9-6-2-4, 101) allowed three home runs, including back-to-back shots in the first inning.
The Red Sox made Sonny Gray (6-4-2-3-8, 103) throw 31 pitches in the first inning. Mookie Betts and Dustin Pedroia both singled. Hanley Ramirez's single scored Betts and, after a walk to Mitch Moreland loaded the bases, Chris Young's fly to center scored Pedroia.
The A's wiped that lead away very quickly. Rajai Davis singled, but was thrown out trying to steal second. Matt Joyce walked and went to second on a wild pitch. Jed Lowrie crushed a two-run homer to center and Khris Davis followed by hitting a solo shot to right an 0-2 pitch.
Velazquez retired the A's in order in the second and wriggled out of trouble in the third. Davis appeared to have tripled to center, but after the Red Sox challenged the call at third, he was ruled out. (After his slide, he came off the bag for a split second and Deven Marrero tagged his leg.) Joyce and Lowrie then both singled, but Davis grounded into a double play.
Moreland tied the game with a home run in the fourth, but Oakland retook the lead in the bottom half. Ryon Healy singled and scored with one out on Trevor Plouffe's double. Chad Pinder followed with a two-run home run. The bottom of the order added two more runs off Robbie Ross in the sixth.
Boston remains 4 GB in the East.
Betts, RFHector Velazquez, who was signed out of the Mexican League exactly three months ago, will make his major league debut in Oakland. In five starts for Pawtucket, Velazquez, a 28-year-old right-hander, has a 1.55 ERA.
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ramirez, DH
Moreland, 1B
Young, LF
Bradley. CF
Vazquez, C
Marrero, 3B
You can find Velazquez's PawSox game log here. In each start, he pitched a little deeper than the start before: 4.2 innings, 5.0, 6.0, 6.1, 7.0. He has allowed five earned runs in those starts, but three of them came in his first start. Since then, he has an 0.74 ERA (two earned runs in 24.1 innings). Overall, he has walked five and struck out 20.
If you are asking "Who Is Hector Velazquez?", SoSH's Brandon Magee has the answer. After seeing Velazquez pitch in spring training, manager John Farrell offered this assessment: "A very efficient delivery. Repeatable. He threw strikes. There was a decent depth to his cutter, slider. But he looked very comfortable on the mound for just joining camp."
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The Red Sox have designated infielder Chase d'Arnaud for assignment making room for Hector Velazquez. Steven Wright was moved to the 60-day DL. The team has one open 40-man slot.
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