Game Info
Date: Thursday, September 15th, 2005
First Pitch: 7:05 pm ET
TV: NESN
Starting Pitchers:
http://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/baseball/mlb/players/7461.jpghttp://bellsouthpwp.net/c/h/chinigor/TALKSOX/VS.GIFhttp://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/baseball/mlb/players/4267.jpg
http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/mlb/images/team_logos/50x50/oak.gif #55 Joe Blanton (9-11, 3.60)
http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/mlb/images/team_logos/50x50/bos.gif #38 Curt Schilling (6-7, 6.28)
Ace looks to get straight A's in opener
Oakland (80-65) at Boston (85-60), 7:05 p.m. ET
Boston heads back to Fenway Park following a bittersweet win over Toronto on Wednesday. David Ortiz hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning to give the Red Sox a 5-3 win over the Blue Jays, but outfielder Gabe Kapler ruptured his left Achilles tendon in the win.
Boston went 3-3 on its recent road trip and is now back home, where the Red Sox are a Major League-best 48-22. Boston will face Oakland in a four-game series and is 4-2 against the A's this season.
Curt Schilling will take the mound in the first game. In his last start against the Yankees, the right-hander gave up two runs and struck out six in eight innings to lead Boston to its lone win during the weekend series in the Bronx on Saturday. The victory was the first for Schilling in four starts since returning to the starting rotation and his first as a starter since April 18.
Joe Blanton is 1-1 with a 4.38 ERA in September after picking up American League Rookie of the Month honors in August, when he went 3-1 with a 1.17 ERA. In his last outing, the right-hander earned a win against Texas after giving up four runs on six hits in six innings.
Pitching matchup
OAK: RHP Joe Blanton
•9-11, 3.60 ERA in 2005
•First career appearance vs. BOS
BOS: RHP Curt Schilling
•6-7, 6.28 ERA in 2005
•1-0, 3.65 ERA vs. OAK in 2004
Players to watch
Ortiz and Manny Ramirez have struggled this year against Oakland. Ortiz is hitting .208 (5-for-24) while Ramirez has a .111 (2-for-18) average against the A's.
Quotable
"I'm still trying to figure out how David Ortiz does it. We all would like to have a smidgen of what he's got going." -- Kapler, who left Wednesday's game with a ruptured left Achilles tendon
Quick hits
Ortiz has four home runs in his last three games and 11 homers in his last 18 games. ... Ortiz has 17 homers this season that have tied the game or given the Red Sox the lead. Eight of those have come in the seventh inning or later. ... Ortiz now has 38 long balls while serving as Boston's designated hitter, which breaks the single-season mark of 37 by Seattle's Edgar Martinez in 2000. ... The series win over Toronto was the first on the road since the Red Sox took two of three from Tampa Bay on July 25-27. ... Boston improved to 5-9 against Toronto this season.
On deck
•*Friday: vs. Oakland, 7:05 p.m. ET
•*Saturday: vs. Oakland, 7:05 p.m. ET
•*Sunday: vs. Oakland, 2:05 p.m. ET