The Red Sox fell to the Athletics 6-2 Sunday, marking their sixth straight loss and second straight sweep on this West Coast road trip.
As per usual, the troubles started early for Red Sox pitchers. A leadoff walk to Coco Crisp set up Seth Smith to take a big hack on the third pitch he saw, a terrible cut fastball, and launch a two-run shot into the seats high above the center field wall. Not even an out was on the board.
Things would continue to get worse for Daisuke into the fourth. A second homer in the second on an almost identical pitch, another pair on three singles and two walks in the third, and another in the fourth. By the time the Red Sox pulled Matsuzaka for Andrew Miller, there were six runs on the board.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox offense sans-Ellsbury was doing about as well as the Red Sox offense with Ellsbury over the past two games. Brett Anderson never threatened a perfect game, with Dustin Pedroia singling in the first, but they had trouble putting together even two baserunners in an inning, and went 1-2-3 as often as not.
As the Boston Bullpen managed to settle down the Oakland offense, the Red Sox finally got on the board after loading the bases with one out in the sixth. Even then, however, Cody Ross' RBI single ended with the second out of the inning, as Scott Podsednik ran into an out at home, with just the one run a perhaps disappointing end to the frame.
The Sox would get little more from there, however, even as the pen continued to put up zeroes; only a Mauro Gomez sacrifice fly in the ninth got them to two runs. It's their best finish of the series, but at 6-2, it's hardly good.
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