Final 9th, Athletics 5-3: From a standpoint of pitching, Doubront had his stuff working for him.
His changeup was devastating and helped him rack up eight strikeouts, but his fastball apparently wasn't as sharp as he'd wanted it to be.
Jarrod Parker, meanwhile, stepped up and shut down a potent Red Sox lineup in this one, including David Ortiz' hot bat. The Red Sox attempted a rally in the ninth, but it fell short.
Mid 9th, Athletics 5-1: The Athletics have stolen third base on four occasions this game. That's something you don't see everyday.
Before Tuesday's game, the Red Sox hadn't allowed more than three base swipes in a game.
On top of that, the Athletics haven't stolen second base at all this game. Go figure.
End 8th, Athletics 5-1: Darnell McDonald was supposed to be the initial pinch hitter for Ryan Sweeney.
After pondering it over, Bobby Valentine elected to go with Lars Anderson, who struck out swinging in the at-bat. He's likely stay in the game as a left fielder.
Mid 8th, Athletics 5-1: Although the Red Sox appear to be headed to a loss — barring any comebacks — the positive to take from this was Rich Hill's performance.
He fanned three batters in 1 2/3 innings to toss a spotless outing before giving way to Matt Albers to finish the job.
End 7th, Athletics 5-1: After walking Nick Punto for the second straight at-bat, Jarrod Parker's night ended.
Brian Fuentes, who is a four-time All-Star, then entered the game and handled business, getting Mike Aviles to ground into a force out.
Remember the days when Fuentes was one of the top closers for Colorado? Maybe, if the Sox promote Aaron Cook, he can give us a little insight on him.
Mid 7th, Athletics 5-1: That was an impressive return to Fenway Park for Rich Hill, who made his first appearnce at home since blowing out his elbow.
He struck out two and got Cespedes on a nasty curveball. Matt Albers told me on Monday that Hill's addition was much needed and would alleviate a lot of pressure.
End 6th, Athletics 5-1: Rich Hill is coming into the game for Scott Atchison.
Before the game, Hill said he wasn't surprised to see that his rehabilitation ended up going quicker than usual. He said he "worked his ass off" and rightfully so.
He's certainly happy to be back in the fold.
Mid 6th, Athletics 5-1: Entering this game, Scott Atchison was striking out a batter an inning this year. Not bad for a guy who was shuttling in and out of Pawtucket over the past few years.
Also, Felix Doubront's pitching line — he tossed four innings, allowed six hits and five runs while striking out eight. He threw 94 pitchs and 58 strikes.
End 5th, Athletics 5-1: Ryan Sweeney is 0-for-2 against his former team. On Monday, he recalled his fond memories from his time in Oakland.
He said he wished he got more of an opportunity during his last season there, but he's certainly made the most of his time with the Red Sox now.
Mid 5th, Athletics 5-1: Felix Doubront's start is over. The Red Sox yanked him before the inning started, in part because he had tossed 94 pitches already.
Efficiency has been the big thing with him. The strikeout ratio has looked nice for Doubront.
The Red Sox subbed in Scott Atchison to throw in relief of Doubront.
End 4th, Athletics 5-1: David Ortiz adds to his RBI total, hitting a groundout to bring in Dustin Pedroia to score.
That said, Parker is still throwing a gem, having only allowed two hits so far. The Athletics took quite the risk in trading All-Star pitcher Trevor Cahill for what seemed like nothing.
It seems to be that they've discovered something in Parker.
Mid 4th, Athletics 5-0: This has been Felix Doubront's toughest outing to date.
Despite notching two more strikeouts, he allowed Cliff Pennington and Jemile Weeks to drive in runs. A wild pitch ultimately capped the forgettable inning for the hurler.
End 3rd, Athletics 1-0: That was a 1-2-3 inning for Jarrod Parker. Two of those outs were flyouts to left fielder Jonny Gomes.
Remember when Gomes was a highly-touted prospect on the Rays. He was supposed to be a slugger, but also struck out too much for his own good. Let's see if he can recapture that stroke this season.
Mid 3rd, Athletics 1-0: Another inning, another strikeout for Felix Doubront.
You kind of forget that he's actually a rookie pitcher. Bobby Valentine certainly forgets that.
Before the game, he told us that Doubront carries himself like a big leaguer and that maturity has us forget he's only 24 years old.
End 2nd, Athletics 1-0: Instead of taking Josh Reddick over the right field wall, David Ortiz flew out to him this time around.
After Monday's game, Aviles said he was going to give Reddick some playfull ribbing for falling into the bullpen. He joked that Reddick was trying to show off in his first return to Fenway since the trade.
Mid 2nd, Athletics 1-0: Felix Doubront may be throwing a lot of pitches in this one, but he's capitalizing on every single one.
Through two innings, he's racked up five strikeouts. That's a pretty impressive total, considering this is Doubront's first appearance against the Athletics.
End 1st, Athletics 1-0: Look at Jarrod Parker stepping up as a rookie and striking out Adrian Gonzalez.
That's an impressive feat for any pitcher, let alone a 23-year-old rookie. He also got Dustin Pedroia to strike out swinging, so the A's may be onto something here.
Mid 1st, Athletics 1-0: Yoenis Cespedes belted an RBI single to tag Felix Doubront for his first run of the game.
Before the game, I had the chance to catch up with Cespedes, who told me he's still struggling to adjust to the American culture. He enjoys it, but the language barrier has been frustrating.
He said every day he makes an effort to learn a new word in English to improve his vocabulary.
6 p.m.: The game is expected to start as usual and on time. Also, here are the lineups.
Red Sox
Mike Aviles, SS
Ryan Sweeney, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
David Ortiz, DH
Cody Ross, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Marlon Byrd, CF
Nick Punto, 3B
Felix Doubront, P
Athletics
Jemile Weeks, 2B
Brandon Inge, 3B
Josh Reddick, RF
Yoenis Cespedes, CF
Jonny Gomes, LF
Kurt Suzuki, C
Kila Ka'aihue, 1B
Anthony Recker DH
Cliff Pennington, SS
Jarrod Parker, P
8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox (11-11) are back at .500 and looking to keep feasting on pitching against the Athletics (11-13). The team will have Felix Doubront, arguably the team's most consistent pitcher this season, on the mound. In his last outing, Doubront collected his first victory, but the lefty will be making his first career appearance against Oakland.
Doubront will go up against Jarrod Parker, a 23-year-old pitcher who came to town via the Diamondbacks in exchange for pitcher Trevor Cahill. During his lone outing for the Athletics, Parker allowed just one run on seven hits. He owns a 1.42 ERA.
For more details and analysis from Fenway, follow NESN.com's live blog. Tune into NESN for the pre-game show and the game. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
