OAKLAND - Daniel Mengden was treated to a rough welcome back to the majors on Saturday night.
That wasn't a shock considering how the Boston Red Sox have treated A's pitching this season.
Another blowout unfolded at the Coliseum, with Oakland's injury-depleted starting pitching proving no contest for the majors' most feared offense. Mengden didn't make it past the third in the A's 11-2 defeat on Jose Canseco Bobblehead Night.
[STIGLICH: Notes: A's not closing door on Gray pitching again in 2016]
The Sox have won all five meetings with the A's this season, outscoring Oakland 67-19 and racking up a staggering 82 hits in those five games.
Oakland Athletics
Saturday's game followed a similar pattern to Friday's, as the Red Sox broke things open with a huge two-out rally. With the A's down 2-0, Mengden retired his first two hitters of the third. Then the next eight Boston hitters reached base in a seven-run rally that sent 11 men total to the plate.
Meanwhile, the A's didn't manage their first base runner until the sixth inning against right-hander Rick Porcello, who became the majors' first 19-game winner. David Ortiz and Mookie Betts each had two RBI to lead the Red Sox, who lead the majors in runs, batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
Starting pitching report
Mengden returned to the bigs having pitched very well at Triple-A Nashville since being sent down in late July. But for the second night in a row, the Red Sox put really good wood on the ball, spraying hits every which way. They scored twice in the first on Betts' two-run double to left. Then the roof caved on Mengden (1-6) with two outs in the third. Hanley Ramirez homered to start a chain of five consecutive batters reaching before Bob Melvin came to get the rookie right-hander. Mengden wound up charged with seven runs on eight hits over 2 2/3 innings.
Bullpen report
Chris Smith was great in an extended relief outing, holding Boston to one unearned run over four innings with five strikeouts.
At the plate
It was Jake Smolinski who broke through with the A's first hit off Porcello (19-3), lining a double over Chris Young's head in left with one out in the sixth to break up the perfect game. He would score on Bruce Maxwell's single. The A's got their other run in the seventh on Yonder Alonso's single that scored Stephen Vogt.
In the field
Porcello was helped out by some terrific outfield defense. Jackie Bradley Jr. leapt high to rob Vogt at the center field wall in the fourth. Then Young made another leaping grab in the left field corner on Alonso's drive in the fifth. A's shortstop Marcus Semien was charged with an error for the second consecutive game, and Khris Davis misplayed a ball in left that allowed a Boston run to score.
Attendance
The announced turnout was 30,045.
Up next
The A's will send their best starter to the hill Sunday to try to slow down Boston's vaunted offense. Kendall Graveman (10-9, 3.96) matches up against lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (2-6, 5.35), with first pitch at 1:05 p.m.
