Porcello throws 8 shutout innings as Sox topple A's

*Photo from Boston Globe*

   Rick Porcello gave the Boston Red Sox the start they needed, and that the fans wanted to see. Porcello pitched 8 shutout innings, striking out 8 batters as the Red Sox beat the Oakland Athletics last night, the A's 5th straight loss. It was the deepest outing of the season by any Sox starter, and Porcello has won his last 2 starts after starting without a win in his first 3. Porcello said that ''I haven't pitched the way I've wanted to up to this point so it was nice to get that one rolling, we're doing whatever we can to get it on track and it's starting come around. I think everybody's throwing the ball a lot better.''

   Porcello walked 2 batters and only allowed 2 hits, the lowest since last year, when Porcello one hit the Yankees at Fenway Park. The Sox starters have slowly started to pick up the slack, taking stress off the bullpen. Manager Alex Cora said that "I've got confidence in all of them." Tyler Thornburg pitched the 9th, giving up the only run, a solo homer by Robbie Grossman. Mookie Betts and Mitch Moreland homered for Boston, giving them their 4th win in 6 games. Moreland said that ''We know we've got some work ahead of us. We're going in the right direction right now. We've just got to kind of keep our heads down and keep moving forward."

   Aaron Brooks pitched 4 1/3 innings for Oakland, allowing all 5 runs on 6 hits. the A's didn't have a runner past second base until Grossman's homer in the 9th. Oakland's only hits were from Ramon Laureano, Nick Hundley, and Grossman. Manager Bob Melvin said ''A little funk going on right now, across the board. We haven't played great defense. We haven't pitched very well. We haven't swung the bats very well.''

   Betts put the Sox up 1-0 in the first inning with his 6th homer of the season, this one to dead center field. Sandy Leon had an RBI single in the second, and Moreland hit a 2 run homer in the 4th to make it 4-0 Boston, Moreland's 8th of the year. Mike Fiers will start for Oakland in the series finale today, going up against Hector Velazquez for Boston.