Photo credit: @Athletics

By Matthew Harrington

OAKLAND, Calif. — Kendall Graveman’s woes continued Friday night at the Coliseum. The Oakland A’s opening day starter failed to record an out deeper than the fifth inning for the fifth time in as many 2018 starts. Graveman gave up six runs to the Majors’ best offense, the Boston Red Sox, in a 7-3 A’s loss. The Red Sox (17-2) continue to hold the best record in baseball.

The A’s (9-11) took a three-run lead off former Athletic Drew Pomeranz, who was making his 2018 debut in the first inning, but the Red Sox rode a three-run Jackie Bradley Jr. homer and a Mitch Moreland grand slam to continue an eight-game win streak. Jed Lowrie went 4-5, adding to his American League lead in RBIs with 22.

Graveman (0-4, 10.07 ERA) entered play with a 9.87 ERA, more than a run an inning, and somehow managed to see it rise to 10.07. He lasted longer Friday night than he had in his previous two starts. The sinkerballer went four innings in a 10-8 loss to the Mariners April 14th and lasted just 3 1/3 innings in a 6-1 defeat to the Angels on April 8th. He departed the game Friday with the bases loaded after coughing up four straight hits with no outs in the 6th after retiring 11 straight batters to enter the inning.

Manager Bob Melvin called for reliever Emilio Pagan with the score tied 3-3 and Graveman responsible for the three runners on base. It didn’t take long for Graveman to learn his fate on the night, with Pagan grooving an 83 miles per hour slider that Mitch Moreland crushed to the right field bleachers for a 7-3 Red Sox lead. The Red Sox lead the majors with five grand slams after hitting zero in 2017.

The Red Sox found it easy to string together hits off Graveman, using a trio of hits in consecutive bats to erase their early 3-0 deficit. After Graveman got Mitch Moreland out on strikes to open the second, Rafael Devers and Eduardo Nunez hit back-to-back singles. Bradley Jr. then squared up on a 2-2 cutter, taking the righty to right field for his second long ball of the year.

The A’s had Pomeranz on the ropes early, with the lefty looking like he wasn’t going to last more than an inning in his first start after returning from a mild flexor strain that sidelined him since mid-Spring Training. Stephen Piscotty scored on Jed Lowrie’s RBI double, Matt Chapman knocked in Lowrie with a single and Mark Canha singled home Chapman for a 3-0 lead.

Pomeranz returned to form too late to factor into the outcome, finishing the game with 3 2/3 innings in the books and seven strikeouts. He gave way to eventual winner Hector Velazquez (3-0, 2.70), the Red Sox starter turned long man. Oakland wouldn’t score again the rest of the game despite loading the bases in the seventh inning off the right hander from Mexico. Matt Barnes came in to the inning with two outs, striking out pinch-hitter Matt Joyce to end the threat. The A’s wouldn’t pose a threat the rest of the night.

Oakland’s best shot at taking a piece out of the league’s best team standings-wise comes Saturday night at the Coliseum. Lefty Sean Manaea takes the bump for the Green and Gold. The Throwin’ Samoan enters play with a scant 1.63 ERA after a brilliant start to the year and an early delivery on the promise that made him the center piece of the Ben Zobrist trade. He’ll draw up against early Cy Young contender Chris Sale. Sale has a 1-0 record and a 1.23 ERA.