by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea heads to the dugout after being lifted in he third inning of Tuesday night’s game at Fenway Park

The Boston Red Sox, for the second straight night, pounded the A’s starting pitcher. The Red Sox won a laugher 13-5. The A’s were hoping to have their starting pitcher, Sean Manaea, go deep into the game so that the overtaxed bullpen could get a rest. That did not happen as the Red Sox scored early and often to send the A’s down to their thirteenth loss in their last seventeen games. The A’s find themselves at 14-20, and the A’s starters are finding themselves pitching batting practice. The A’s starters, in the last seventeen games, have yielded seventy-six earned runs in their last eighty-three innings to produce a dismal 8.24 ERA. It is no accident that they have lost thirteen of those games.

The Red Sox wasted no time in solving Sean Manaea. Mookie Betts led off the bottom of the first with a home run on a 2-2 pitch. Xander Bogaerts singled with one out. Red Sox first baseman, Hanley Ramirez hit a monster shot that went way over the Green Monster to put the Red Sox in the lead 3-0. The ball traveled an estimated 468 feet. It was the second longest home run of the season.

In the bottom of the third, the Red Sox scored five times to send Manaea to an early shower. Manaea pitched just 2 and 2/3rds of an inning and gave up eight runs and ten hits.The Red Sox scored three more in the bottom of the fifth to take an 11-0 lead. The big blow was a three-run dinger by Travis Shaw over the Monster. The A’s scored four times in the top of the sixth to end Sean Sullivan’s night. The A’s added another run in the seventh, but the Red Sox scored two in their half of the frame. There was no more scoring as the Red Sox won going away 13-5.

Game Notes- There were not too many bright spots for the A’s and manager Bob Melvin. The A’s did manage to score five times and had fifteen hits, but the pitching has to be a major concern. The starters are not going deep into the game, and the bullpen is being heavily taxed. The bullpen leads the league in most innings pitched, and that is not a good sign so early in the season.

The A’s have allowed eleven or more runs in three straight games. The last time that happened was August 9-11 against the New York Yankees in 2001.

The A’s made several roster moves Tuesday. Mark Canha went on the 15-day disabled list with a back strain. He was joined on the DL by pitcher Liam Hendricks, who has a right triceps strain. J.B.Wendelken was optioned to Triple-A Nashville. The A’s recalled infielder Tyler Ladendorf, pitchers  Andrew Triggs and lefty Daniel Coulombe.

Eric Surkamp was also recalled from Nashville, and he will face The Red Sox Wednesday night. Rick Porcello will go for Boston

Tuesday night’s game lasted three hours and two minutes, and 32,167 fans filled the seats at Fenway to see their beloved Bosox down the A’s.

Game time will be at4:10 PM PT