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  Thursday, Jul. 27 10:05pm ET
O'Leary's RBI single ends it in 10th
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- With the Red Sox were shorthanded, Troy O'Leary came through just in time.

O'Leary hit an RBI single in the 10th inning to give Boston a 5-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night.

A few hours before the game, Boston acquired infielder Mike Lansing and pitchers Rolando Arrojo and Rich Croushore from Colorado in a seven-player trade that sent infielder Jeff Frye to the Rockies with pitchers Brian Rose, John Wasdin and Jeff Taglienti.

Because of the trade and Carl Everett's suspension for bumping an umpire on July 15, the Red Sox had just 23 players available for the game. Outfielder Trot Nixon was the only position player left late in the game, and Red Sox manager Jimy Williams decided to put him out in left field in the 10th inning.

"It (the trade) gave us one less player, that's what it did," Williams said."You have to take the roster your given on any given day. You have to pick your sports, and we did tonight."

O'Leary's RBI single came off Jeff Tam (3-3), who came in to pitch the 10th. The hit scored Manny Alexander, who singled and went to second when left fielder Ryan Christenson bobbled the ball. "I was going to get the base," Alexander said. "I just thought, 'I'm going to take it and make it go."'

Rich Garces (5-0) relieved in the eighth and Derek Lowe escaped a bases-loaded situation in the 10th for his 22nd save in 27 chances.

The Red Sox tied it in the ninth when Bernard Gilkey singled and Jason Varitek doubled off Jason Isringhausen.

"I watched the tape and everything looked normal. I just fell behind two guys," Isringhausen said. "I'm sure Tam's taking it hard, too. He shouldn't have been out there if I had done my job."

It was Isringhausen's fifth blown save in 28 opportunities. He has three saves, two blown saves and a loss in his last six outings.

Miguel Tejada had put the A's up 4-3 in the seventh inning with his 19th homer of the season, and 53rd overall for the A's. It's the most in a career for an Oakland shortstop, one more than Bert Campaneris hit from 1968-76.

Ramon Hernandez homered for the second straight game, a two-run drive in the A's second. Hernandez raised his season total to 12.

Olmedo Saenz added a solo shot in the third, but Boston tied it 3-all on Gilkey's two-run triple in the fourth and Nomar Garciaparra's homer in the sixth. Garciaparra, who is batting a major-league leading .393, went 2-for-3.

A's starter Barry Zito, who got his first major league victory Saturday against Anaheim, went seven innings, allowing three runs on four hits and striking out five.

"We should have gotten Zito the win and I screwed it up," Isringhausen said.

Boston starter Tim Wakefield, 4-0 since losing to the Blue Jays, allowed all four runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Game notes
The Red Sox plan to start Arrojo on Sunday against Oakland's Gil Heredia, and to move Ramon Martinez's next start to Monday. ... A's rookie pitcher Mark Mulder is to face the Pedro Martinez on Friday. A's manager Art Howe isn't nervous about putting the rookie up against the formidable All-Star. "Anyone can beat anyone on any given day," Howe said. "I'm not worried."

 


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