Oakland Athletics pitcher Aaron Brooks on Monday reminded himself to hustle and back up home, even though he had zero doubt that strong-armed center fielder Ramon Laureano would throw out the Boston Red Sox runner at the plate.
Brooks did not have to do a thing and a run got saved at an early stage of the game, when momentum means so much.
The Athletics’ Khris Davis hit his fifth home run over their first seven games, as Laureano saved the run with a perfect throw, allowing Oakland to score their first five runs on homers and beat the struggling Red Sox 7-0.
Photo: AP
“Those ones are kind of like in the moment, so adrenaline gets you going,” Laureano said. “It’s the same thing we practice every day.”
Davis, who led the majors with 48 homers last season, went deep leading off the second inning against Red Sox pitcher David Price (0-1).
Price struck out three straight before giving up Laureano’s leadoff drive the next inning.
“Sometimes I stay up at night trying to think of more superlatives to say about Khris Davis, because I know I’m probably going to have to when I come in here after the game,” manager Bob Melvin said. “But I’m kind of all out of them. Go ask him, go ask his teammates. It’s amazing. He just keeps getting better and better.”
Chad Pinder added a two-run homer in the sixth inning for the A’s to back Brooks (1-0) in his first start since 2015.
The right-hander tossed six scoreless innings with six strikeouts and a walk to continue a stretch of stellar outings by A’s starters, who have given up just one run over 30 innings in the past five games since the team returned from an 0-2 trip to Tokyo, all allowing three hits or fewer. There has been a pair of shutouts, too.
“Obviously when the first four games go that well you kind of have to keep the roll going, or at least try,” Brooks said.
Pinder’s first home run of the year was the 11th surrendered by Red Sox starters in 20 innings to begin this year. Matt Chapman homered leading off the eighth inning before pinch-hitter Kendrys Morales’ RBI single.
Xander Bogaerts doubled and went home on Mitch Moreland’s single, but Bogaerts was out at the plate on a 154kph throw home by Laureano. The call stood after going to replay review, although it appeared that Bogaerts’ foot beat the tag by catcher Nick Hundley.
“It seems like we were putting something together and Laureano changed the game with that throw,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.
There was a short drizzle before Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth inning for his 900th career appearance. It tied him for 25th all-time with Arthur Rhodes.
Left-handed Price struck out nine with two walks over six innings, tagged for four runs and five hits — with the three homers. It was his 300th major league appearance, 290th start.
It has been a slow start for defending champions the Red Sox, who lost three of four at Seattle to open the year and begin the season with an 11-game road trip. It is the most road games to begin a season in franchise history.
“There isn’t any panic in the clubhouse or the dugout. Just nothing good is happening right now,” Price said. “We’d rather it happen right now than the last two weeks of September or whatever. We’ll get through this time and we’ll be better for it.”
Also on Monday, it was:
‧ Cardinals 6, Pirates 5
‧ Indians 5, White Sox 3
‧ Mariners 6, Angels 3
‧ Diamondbacks 10, Padres 3
‧ Rays 7, Rockies 1
‧ Braves 8, Cubs 0
‧ Giants 4, Dodgers 2
‧ Mets 7, Marlins 3
‧ Astros 2, Rangers 1
‧ Brewers 4, Reds 3
‧ Yankees 3, Tigers 1
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