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Athletics-Red Sox Preview

Jun 1, 2010 - 4:20 AM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Oakland (27-24) at Boston (29-23), 7:10 p.m. EDT

When John Lackey became a free agent during the offseason, the Oakland Athletics probably weren't sorry to see him sign outside of the AL West.

They may wish he'd left the AL altogether.

Lackey hopes his career-long dominance of Oakland continues as a member of the Boston Red Sox, but the A's arrive at Fenway Park on Tuesday night having won eight of 10 to take over first place in their division.

A member of the Los Angeles Angels before signing a five-year, $82.5 million contract with Boston in December, Lackey (5-3, 4.84 ERA) has consistently plagued the A's.

He's 16-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 29 career starts against Oakland - easily his most wins over any opponent and his lowest ERA against any club he's faced more than twice.

"He's been tough on us in the past, so it should be a good game," A's manager Bob Geren told his team's official website. "He's one of the more fierce type of competitive pitchers."

Lackey has competed through some recent struggles. He had allowed 15 runs in 18 innings spanning three starts before Wednesday, when he held Tampa Bay to two runs in 6 1-3 innings of an 11-3 win.

The right-hander will try to pitch Boston (29-23) to a third straight win. The Red Sox had Monday off after winning 10 of their last 13, thanks to improved pitching and a rejuvenated David Ortiz.

Boston's staff has a 2.72 ERA in the last 13 games after posting a 4.99 ERA before that. Ortiz recovered from a difficult April to bat .363 with 10 homers and 27 RBIs in May.

"He's really taking good swings," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said after Ortiz homered during Sunday's 8-1 win over Kansas City. "He's gotten to the point where he really feels good about himself. You can see it in his body language. When they make a mistake he hits it a long way."

While the Red Sox have a better record than Oakland (28-24), they remain fourth in the AL East while the A's lead the West.

Oakland has claimed that spot during its current road trip. The club slipped to 5-14 on the road after a 5-1 loss to Baltimore to begin the swing, but the A's have since won five of six, including three of four at Detroit over the holiday weekend.

"We're a deadly team when we hit the ball well, pitch well and field well, and that's what we are doing right now," third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff said after Monday's 4-1 victory.

Gio Gonzalez (5-3, 3.54), 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA in his last three starts, will try to help keep the A's surging. The left-hander didn't factor in the decision Thursday at Baltimore, but held the Orioles to three runs in 6 1-3 innings of Oakland's 7-5 win.

"Young pitchers are going to have their ups and downs, but if that's a down ... it's still a pretty good game," Geren said. "We'll take that. I know he can be a little bit sharper. He has been and he will be."

Gonzalez also didn't get a decision in his only previous start against Boston, allowing three runs in 5 1-3 innings of Oakland's 8-5 loss at Fenway last July 30. The A's have dropped 10 of their last 13 in Boston.