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(Sports Network) - Rich Harden shut down the Boston Red Sox' powerful offense in Japan last week. The oft-injured right-hander now aims for a repeat performance as his Oakland Athletics and the defending world champions wrap up their season-starting four-game series tonight at McAfee Coliseum.

Harden was in midseason form when he took the mound against Boston at the Tokyo Dome on March 26. The native Canadian yielded just a run on three hits over six innings, while striking out nine batters to lead the Athletics to a 5-1 decision.

The 26-year-old has already matched his win total from the entire 2007 season, when he went just 1-2 in seven appearances (four starts) during an injury- shortened campaign. The victory was also the first of Harden's career against the Red Sox, as he entered last week's contest 0-1 with an ugly 17.61 earned run average in two previous starts versus Boston.

Jon Lester opposed Harden in that Tokyo matchup but wasn't nearly as sharp as his counterpart. The young lefty lasted just four innings and surrendered four runs while issuing three walks to suffer the loss. Three of those runs came on a home run by the A's Emil Brown in the third inning.

Lester, the winning pitcher for Boston in the decisive Game 4 of last year's World Series, is now 0-1 with a 6.08 ERA in three career starts against Oakland.

After the teams split a pair of games over in Japan to start up the 2008 season, Boston gained the upper hand in the series with last night's 2-1 victory at the Coliseum. Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka worked 6 2/3 strong innings to earn his first win of the year, while Jason Varitek snapped a 1-1 deadlock with an RBI double in the top of the sixth frame.

Matsuzaka (1-0) allowed only a run on two hits and struck out nine in a dominant effort on the mound. The Japanese sensation retired the final 13 batters he faced before giving way to countryman Hideki Okajima in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Okajima preserved the lead until closer Jonathan Papelbon came on to get the final four outs and register his second save of the season.

Kevin Youkilis scored the go-ahead run on Varitek's double and ended the night 3-for-4 while crossing the plate twice.

Jack Cust accounted for Oakland's lone run when he homered off Matsuzaka to lead off the bottom of the second inning. A's starter Joe Blanton (0-1) pitched well in defeat, permitting only two runs on seven hits through the first six frames.

Boston has now won five of their last six encounters with Oakland. However, the Red Sox are just 2-7 in their nine most recent visits to McAfee Coliseum.