A’s beat Red Sox for third game in a row

Joe Kennedy shut down Boston for seven innings, Bobby Crosby drove in two runs and the Oakland Athletics handed the Red Sox their season-high fourth consecutive loss, 3-2, on Wednesday night in Oakland.

The A’s have ridden their strong starting staff to win the first three games of the four-game series, extending their home winning streak over Boston to seven. The games this week have all been close, a 5-4 extra-inning win Monday, a 2-0 decision Tuesday, and the one-run game Wednesday.

Kennedy (2-4) followed the performances by Dan Haren and Lenny DiNardo, holding Boston scoreless until the seventh inning to win for the second time in 11 starts this season. He has given up more than three runs only once but has rarely gotten the support he needed to win.

But with run-scoring hits by two slumping players -- Crosby and Jack Cust -- in a three-run fourth inning against Tim Wakefield (5-7), Kennedy had enough runs to get the win. He gave up two runs and seven hits and was also helped by three double plays. Red Sox Manager Terry Francona was ejected by home plate umpire Dan Iassogna for arguing balls and strikes in the eighth inning.

Around the majors

Roger Clemens is set to make his 2007 major league debut Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates after throwing 55 pitches during batting practice at the New York Yankees’ minor league complex in Tampa, Fla.

The 44-year-old right-hander originally planned to start Monday night against the Chicago White Sox but was scratched because of a groin problem.

If Clemens is added to the major league roster on Saturday, he will earn $17,442,637 this season and cost the Yankees $6,977,054 in luxury tax, a total of $24,419,691.

*

The Chicago White Sox put Joe Crede on the 15-day disabled list because of lower back inflammation and the third baseman could be headed for surgery.... Four years after winning the American League rookie-of-the-year award, infielder Angel Berroa was designated for assignment by the Kansas City Royals.