OAKLAND, Calif._On Jose Canseco Bobblehead Night, the Oakland A's once again got bashed by the Boston Red Sox.
After delivering a 16-2 bludgeoning in the series opener, the Red Sox followed up with a 17-hit onslaught en route to an 11-2 victory over Oakland on Saturday night at the Coliseum, the fifth straight game this year Boston has scored in double digits against the beleaguered A's, who lost their fifth straight before a crowd of 30,045.
As if the battering by Boston bats wasn't bad enough_the Red Sox led 9-0 after three innings_starter Rick Porcello (19-3) did not allow a baserunner until Jake Smolinski doubled over the head of the left fielder Chris Young with one out in the sixth. Smolinski subsequently scored on Bruce Maxwell's single to make it 9-1.
Oakland starter Daniel Mengden (1-6) gave up seven runs over the first 2 2/3 innings on eight Red Sox hits, including a two-run double by Mookie Betts in the first inning that got things rolling.
Boston broke things open with a seven-run third, and did it all after two out and nobody on. Hanley Ramirez hit his 20th home run to start the scoring parade, followed by doubles by Sandy Leon, rookie Yoan Moncada (his first major league hit), Xander Bogaerts and David Ortiz, who had three hits in the game, including a pair of doubles.
The A's, who managed just five hits, added their second run in the seventh on an RBI single by Yonder Alonso. Four of Oakland's hits and both runs came against Porcello, who pitched the first seven innings and didn't walk a batter while striking out two.
The Red Sox have now beaten the A's by scores of 14-7, 13-5, 13-3, 16-2 and 11-2 this year, an aggregate of 67-19 heading into Sunday's season finale between the two teams.
It was an important victory for Boston, which moved into a tie for first place in the American League East with Toronto. The A's, meanwhile, now are in last place by three games in the A.L. West. Oakland's "tragic" number from being officially eliminated from the postseason was reduced to three.
Manager Bob Melvin said that even though catcher Josh Phegley is out of the hospital, his season is done. Phegley has been suffering from synovitis, an infection in his right knee, and has also had to deal with a case of strep throat. The manager wasn't sure if the two maladies were related.
Sonny Gray's quest to pitch again this season is also in doubt. He continues to long-toss, but as Melvin said, "Until we get him on a mound (for a bullpen session), I think it's still kind of uncertain."
Canseco on his bobblehead likeness: "It looks like a pre-steroid-era bobblehead. It's got me kind of skinny. In the steroid era, I would have been more beefed up."
