Red Sox 4, Athletics 2
BOSTON -- Joe Kelly finally got his second win of the season on Saturday.
The right-hander, who won his first start of the season but hadn't won since, pitched six strong innings and Hanley Ramirez had three hits, including a two-run homer, to send the Boston Red Sox to a 4-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics.
Kelly, 0-4 with five no-decisions since beating the Yankees in New York on April 11, is fighting to stay in the rotation and helped his cause. Throwing 100 pitches, he gave up a run and four hits, walking two and striking out six while raising his record to 2-4.
Right-hander Alexi Ogando came on in the seventh inning and surrendered a one-out solo homer to rookie first baseman Mark Canha, who went deep after leadoff man Max Muncy hit a ball to the fence in right field that was caught.
After a leadoff walk in the eighth, left-hander Tommy Layne came on and struck out two batters and walked one. Right-hander Matt Barnes replaced Layne and struck out shortstop Marcus Semien. Right-hander Koji Uehara worked a perfect ninth for his 13th save, his second in as many games.
Ramirez, back in left field where he has struggled after DHing in Friday night's win, followed a single by third baseman Brock Holt with his 13th homer of the season, only his third since the end of April. He drilled his shot to center field off loser Jesse Chavez (2-6).
Ramirez singled his next two times up, the first with two outs in the third on a ball that probably should have been fielded by the shaky Semien in the hole.
David Ortiz, back in the DH spot after sitting against left-hander Scott Kazmir on Friday, snapped an 0-for-11 spell and delivered Ramirez with a double that was misplayed off the wall by left fielder Ben Zobrist. First baseman Mike Napoli then brought Ortiz home with a single.
The two-out rally came after rookie center fielder Billy Burns had tripled home a run in the top of the inning.
Chavez came into the game with 16 straight scoreless innings and a 2.11 ERA, fourth best in the American League. He lasted five innings, yielding 10 hits and all four runs while fanning five.
Ortiz struck out his other three times up, the last against left-hander Drew Pomeranz, leaving Ortiz at 8-for-68 (.118) against lefties this season.
Napoli, who also had a walk, came through with his second hit, a one-out double in the seventh.
The A's, the worst-fielding team in the major leagues, were not charged with an error but played anything but tight defense in their second straight loss.
NOTES: The family of Tonya Carpenter, the woman who sustained life-threatening injuries when hit by the broken bat of Oakland 3B Brett Lawrie on Friday night, released a statement saying she was in "serious condition" and thanking people for their support. She was upgraded to serious but stable earlier. "All of us offer our prayers and our thoughts as we wish her a speedy recovery," the Red Sox said in a statement issued before Saturday's game. The Red Sox held a "moment of reflection" before the game. ... Lawrie wasn't in the lineup Saturday, resting a recurring back problem. ... Red Sox 3B Pablo Sandoval was out of the lineup for the second straight game, this time against a right-hander. ... Oakland manager Bob Melvin, alluding to switch pitcher Pat Venitte being part of his bullpen, said, "We have 3 1/2 lefties and 3 1/2 righties," in the pen. ... LHP Barry Zito, pitching at Nashville, Oakland's Triple-A team, has thrown 21 straight scoreless innings as he attempts to make it back to the majors. ... RHP Kendall Graveman faces Boston RHP Clay Buchholz in Sunday's finale. Buchholz has a 1.47 ERA in his last four starts.