A’s skid now at five after Boston stifles Oakland bats

BOSTON – The road woes continued for the A’s on Tuesday night at Fenway Park, with a lacking offense only able to muster three hits on the night as they lost to the Red Sox, 5-1.

The loss was the fifth in a row for Oakland, all on the road, their longest such streak of the season. Last year the club never lost more than three games in a row away from Oakland Coliseum.

Entering the night, the team was hitting just .172 over the first four games of this road stand, before Rick Porcello lowered that exponentially.

The Boston starter was dazzling on the evening, inducing weak contact while allowing just a single and a double, along with 2 walks, striking out 8 over eight innings, his longest outing of the season.

No Oakland base runner advanced past second base through the first eight innings and they were in danger of being shutout for only the second time this season until Robbie Grossman took a Tyler Thornburg offering into the bullpen to lead off the ninth.

Meanwhile the defending World Series champions got their bats going early, putting up at least one run in four of the first five innings.

Of the first five frames, A’s starter Aaron Brooks was only able to get through one cleanly. He served up long, center-field home runs to both Mookie Betts and Mitch Moreland, and was run from the game after allowing 5 runs, 4 earned, on 6 hits and 3 walks over 4 1/3 innings. It was the second straight night and third time in four games that an Oakland starter was unable to get through five innings.

The bullpen did well to not extend the damage any further. Liam Hendricks struck out 2 and allowed just a hit in his 2 1/3 innings, Ryan Buchter recorded an out on the lone batter he faced and Joakim Soria retired the side in order in the eighth.

After taking 3-of-4 from Boston earlier in April, the teams are now all squared up in their season series with the final game between the two scheduled for Wednesday at 10:05 a.m.