G41: Athletics 6, Red Sox 5

Athletics - 001 301 010 - 6 11  2
Red Sox   - 002 010 110 - 5  9  0

After the Athletics grabbed the lead from the Red Sox in the fourth, every time Boston scored a run and crept a little closer, Oakland answered with a run of its own. And so the Red Sox fell out of first place and are now 0.5 GB the Yankees.

Rick Porcello (6-9-5-0-5, 108) had allowed only two home runs in his first eight starts (51.2 innings). He allowed two more tonight, including a solo shot by Matt Joyce, which put the A's on the board in the third after stranding men at first and third in the second.

Boston scored twice in its half. After two outs, Mookie Betts singled. On Sean Manaea's (6-8-4-1-4, 80) first pitch to Andrew Benintendi, Betts stole second. Manaea's second pitch to Benintendi was wild and Betts went to third. Benintendi reached on an infield single down the third base line (and Betts scored) and went to second on third baseman Matt Chapman's throwing error. Hanley Ramirez singled to right and Boston had a 2-1 lead.

Porcello then had a very rough fourth inning. With one out, Matt Olson and Chapman both singled. Porcello got the second out, but Jonathan Lucroy doubled home two runs. Dustin Fowler tripled and Lucroy's run gave Oakland a 4-2 lead.

In the fifth, Sandy Leon singled and went to third on Betts's double. After Benintendi flied to right, Ramirez grounded to shortstop - and Betts was caught off second base. Leon scored as Betts was put out in a 6-4-5-6 rundown. A's 4-3. (It was the Red Sox's 21st unforced out on the basepaths this year. Manager Alex Cora: "Bad decision by Mookie. Very surprising, but he's human.")

Olson got that run back for the A's when he opened the sixth with a home run. A's 5-3.

Rafael Devers led off the seventh by hitting a home run into the Monster Seats. A's 5-4.

Khris Davis donged off Carson Smith in the eighth. A's 6-4.

J.D. Martinez drove Yusmeiro Petit's first pitch of the eighth out of the park to right. A's 6-5.

Petit went to a 2-2 count on Xander Bogaerts before getting three outs on four pitches, two grounders to short and a fly to right. Blake Treinen retired the Red Sox in order in the ninth. Devers grounded to the mound, Mitch Moreland hit for Leon and flied to left, and Betts grounded to short.

Sean Manaea / Rick Porcello

Betts, RF
Benintendi, CF
Ramirez, 1B
Martinez, LF
Bogaerts, SS
Nunez, 2B
Swihart, DH
Devers, 3B
Leon, C

The Red Sox are home for three games against Oakland and three games against Baltimore.

Boston will play 19 of its next 26 games at home. They lead the majors in runs per game (6.80), average (.291), slugging (.485), and OPS (.840) at home. They have an 11-4 record at Fenway Park. Only the Twins have played fewer home games so far this year (14).

The Red Sox have scored five or more runs 25 times this season, more than any other team, and are 20-5 in those games.

Sean Manaea pitched a no-hitter the last time he faced the Red Sox, in Oakland on April 21.

Also: Steven Wright was activated, with Hector Velazquez going on the 10-day disabled list with a low back strain.

The MFY are off today. They begin a series against the Nationals in Washington tomorrow.