Oakland led for most of the night. Then the eighth inning happened, and Boston walked away with a 5-4 win at Sutter Health Park.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
| OAK | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
Willson Contreras drove in the go-ahead run with a home run to center, part of a night that saw him finish 2-for-3 with a home run, an RBI and a walk. He is now 5 home runs from 200 for his career. Wilyer Abreu backed him up, finishing 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI of his own.
Oakland took a 4-3 lead in the sixth when Cortes hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Butler. That lead held until the eighth, when Abreu tied it with a home run to center that traveled 422 feet, pulling Boston level at 4-4. Contreras followed with a home run to center of his own, 414 feet, putting the Red Sox in front 5-4 for good.
Oakland starter Mason Barnett allowed 3 runs (3 earned) over 5.0 innings with 6 strikeouts, but the bullpen could not hold the lead, surrendering 2 runs over 4.0 innings. Sonny Gray worked 7.0 innings for Boston, allowing 4 runs (4 earned) on 7 hits with 5 strikeouts to earn the win, and Aroldis Chapman closed it out with a scoreless inning for his 26th save. Oakland's rally fell short despite Lawrence Butler's 2-for-4 night with two doubles and an RBI, and Jacob Wilson's 2-for-4 effort with a double and an RBI.
The loss dropped Oakland to 45-64, extending its losing streak to two games. Boston improved to 57-51, its second straight win.