(SportsNetwork.com) - The Boston Red Sox will continue their 10-game road trip with the third matchup of a four-game series against the Oakland Athletics on Saturday.

The Red Sox will see which Rubby De La Rosa shows up to pitch, as the youngster takes the mound for his fifth start of the season. Half of his four starts have been dominant, and half have been subpar.

De La Rosa enters the contest with a 2-2 record and an impressive 2.84 earned run average. His last outing against the Twins on Monday mirrored his blazing season debut against Tampa Bay at the end of May. De La Rosa pitched seven innings of scoreless ball and surrendered just one hit to the Twins. It matched his longest outing of the season.

"He got into a much better rhythm from the second inning on," Red Sox manager John Farrell said after the game.

His two losses, though, have both come on the road. At home, De La Rosa has allowed five hits and no earned runs in two starts, as opposed to 16 hits and eight runs away from Fenway Park.

Oakland counters with Jesse Chavez, who sits on a 6-4 record through 14 starts this season, but with a strong 2.93 ERA and a .248 batting average against. The 30-year-old righty has recorded 78 strikeouts to 21 walks this season.

Chavez is coming off a strong start against the Yankees in which he tossed six innings of one-run ball. Chavez allowed just five hits and picked up four K's to no walks in the 10-5 win for the Athletics. He's won two of his last three starts.

Chavez has pitched in three games against the Red Sox in his career, but they've all come in relief. In 5 1/3 innings, Chavez has surrendered just one run and struck out six Boston batters for a 1.69 ERA.

After sweeping a three-game series against the Twins during the week, the Red Sox dropped a Thursday night contest to the Athletics, and then were narrowly defeated Friday night, 5-4, by Oakland in the second leg of the four-game series.

Felix Doubront got the start for Boston, and managed just 4 2/3 innings on the mound before being chased. He surrendered just two hits but gave up three runs, and Andrew Miller picked up the loss for Boston.

Josh Donaldson smacked a three-run home run in the first inning off Doubront to give the Athletics the early lead. Coco Crisp was the one to single off Miller in the eighth inning that provided the winning run.

"One run shy again," Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes said. "We're right there. We just got to find a way to capitalize and get one more run than that."

Fernando Abad picked up the victory for the A's, and Sean Doolittle came in to shut the door for the save in the ninth.

Oakland has played eight consecutive games at home, and has been victorious in six of them. They now hold a 3-2 mark against the Red Sox this season.