A's Rally in Ninth, 3-2

You could blame Alfredo Aceves, who blew his fourth save of the season, or you could credit Coco Crisp (pictured), who had a solo homer, a single to spark a rally that the Sox escaped, and a sacrifice fly to win the game in the ninth.

Jon Lester pitched well, and Vicente Padilla struck out two to kill one rally. But the A's came back.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit his 16th homer, which ties his total for last season, and Adrian Gonzalez extended his his streak to 14 games, the longest in the majors. That's the good news.

And then there's this:

The Sox had seven hits, six of them singles, and were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position. They are hitting .215 on the road trip and have scored either one or two runs in every game except one. They are 4 for 42 with runners in scoring position.

“Not stringing the hits together,” Valentine said. “We will tomorrow.”

Aaron Cook, coming off a great start, looks to benefit from such a string of hits today.