Wakefield ends Red Sox’s slump

OAKLAND — Tim Wakefield took a no-hitter into the eighth inning with a masterful display of the knuckleball, finishing with a four-hitter Wednesday in Boston’s slump-ending 8-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

Wakefield (1-1) got to within five outs of the first no-hitter of his 17-season major league career.

Kurt Suzuki broke it up with a one-out single, and Landon Powell had a run-scoring single later in the inning. Wakefield also gave up Matt Holliday’s run-scoring double in the ninth inning.

Before the game, the Red Sox put right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right shoulder after his second straight poor start to open the season.