Athletics edge Red Sox 2-1 as Early shines in second start

BOSTON — The Oakland Athletics rallied for a 2-1 victory at Fenway Park on Tuesday night, handing the Boston Red Sox a costly loss despite a dominant outing from rookie left-hander Connelly Early and further tightening a crowded American League wild-card race with just days remaining in the regular season.

Early, making his second big-league start after an 11-strikeout debut last week, tossed 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits, no walks and seven strikeouts before departing with one out in the sixth. Manager Alex Cora said Early was “really good,” moving the ball and keeping hitters off balance, and the Fenway crowd gave the 23-year-old a standing ovation as he left the mound. Over his first two major-league starts, Early has totaled 10.1 innings with 18 strikeouts, one earned run and one walk. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is the first pitcher since 1893 to reach at least 10 innings with 18 strikeouts while issuing one or fewer walks and allowing one or fewer runs in his first two appearances.

Boston took a 1-0 lead in the third on an unearned run, but the A's struck for two in the sixth after Cora turned to right-hander Greg Weissert to face right-handed slugger...