Boston @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 31, 2012 ) Boston 2, Oakland 20

The Oakland Athletics are the latest team to use the fading Boston Red Sox to improve their playoff chances. The Athletics are also using several former Red Sox players against them in the process. Oakland has won seven straight and sits in first place in the American League wild card race, a game ahead of the Baltimore Orioles and 3 1/2 clear of the Tampa Bay Rays. Boston has dropped four straight.

Former Red Sox prospects Brandon Moss, Josh Reddick and George Kottaras combined for nine hits, three home runs and 13 RBIs against their former team as the A’s pounded Boston 20-2 on Friday. The worst hitting team in the majors for most of the season, Oakland’s offense has started to match its pitching lately by scoring a total of 47 runs in the past four games. Moss has homered in three of his last five starts while Reddick has gone 8-for-15 with a pair of home runs and eight RBIs in the last three contests. The Red Sox are just playing out the string at this point, trying to get as much out of the younger players as possible.

TV: 9:05 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), CSCA (Oakland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Felix Doubront (10-6, 4.79 ERA) vs. Athletics RH A.J. Griffin (3-0, 2.42)

Doubront came off the disabled list last week last week against Kansas City and struck out seven over five innings. The Venezuelan left-hander gave up four runs and did not factor in the decision. He has not completed seven innings since June 13 and has topped out at five innings in his last three turns. Doubront lost to the A’s on May 1, surrendering five runs on six hits in four innings. Jemile Weeks drove in two and scored a pair against Doubront.

Griffin will be activated off the disabled list, where he has been since suffering a strained right shoulder on Aug. 4 against Toronto. The 24-year old right-hander did not allow more than three runs in any of his eight starts between getting called up and going on the DL. One of those turns came against Boston on July 4, when Griffin allowed two runs on four hits in six innings but did not factor in the decision. Now-injured David Ortiz and since-departed Adrian Gonzalez drove in the two runs off Griffin in that game.

WALK-OFFS

1. Moss is 10-for-13 with three home runs and nine RBIs in four career games against the Red Sox.

2. Boston is expected to add LHP Rich Hill to the roster on Saturday. The team will wait to call up other players with the rosters expanding.

3. The A’s have already equaled their 2011 win total with 31 games left to play. They went 37-15 in July and August.