Milone can't cool off Ortiz and Red Sox

BOSTON – Just 10 starts into his career, Oakland's Tommy Milone was looking forward to taking the mound for the first time at Fenway Park on Monday night.

The Boston Red Sox made certain it was a game he'd soon want to forget.

David Ortiz capped the best April of his career with a pair of solo home runs off Milone and the surging Red Sox jumped all over the left-hander early and often on their way to an 11-6 victory.

"It can be pretty difficult," Milone said of pitching in Fenway. "It's something that you look forward to, not ever pitching in Boston. But once I got out there it was just kind of the same thing. You're out their pitching, doing the same thing and hopefully you get the same result. Today we didn't but move onto the next one."

Milone (3-2) allowed eight runs — seven earned — and eight hits over 4 2-3 innings, striking out five and walking one as Boston bolted to an 11-1 lead after five innings.

Acquired from the Washington Nationals during the offseason, Milone had surrendered just six runs — all on the road — in four starts this season. He hadn't permitted a run in two outings at home, both times going eight innings in earning wins.

His road woes continued, though.

"I felt like I made some good pitches but that was obviously a good-hitting team and they took advantage of those mistake pitches," said Milone, whose ERA rose from 2.00 to 3.70.

Darnell McDonald hit a two-run homer and Marlon Byrd drove in a pair of runs to support a decent start by Clay Buchholz, who held Oakland to one run until he gave up five in the seventh. It was Boston's seventh win in eight games, coming off a 6-1 road trip.

Former Red Sox outfielder Josh Reddick hit a three-run homer for Oakland, which dropped its third straight.

The Red Sox nearly reverted to their last home game, when they blew a 9-0 lead in a loss to the rival Yankees. But Vicente Padilla escaped a bases-loaded jam by striking out Daric Barton in the seventh, and Reddick bounced into an inning-ending double play with the bases-loaded in the eighth.

Buchholz (3-1) gave up six runs on seven hits, walking five and striking out five in 6 2-3 innings.

Oakland cut it to 11-6 in the seventh, with Coco Crisp getting a two-run single before Reddick hit his homer.

Trailing 1-0, the Red Sox scored four in the second. Ortiz, in his 15th season, led off with a homer into the A's bullpen, the first hit of the season by a lefty off Milone. Left-handers had been 0 for 13 against him this year and 3 for 23 in his career.

"He was throwing strikes," A's manager Bob Melvin said, "but I think he probably caught a little more of the plate with a few of them."

Byrd and Aviles added RBI singles, with Aviles later scoring on second baseman Jemile Week's throwing error.

McDonald homered off a light-tower in left-center to make it 6-1 in the third.

The Red Sox then chased Milone during a five-run fifth. Ortiz homered into the Red Sox bullpen to make it 7-1, a drive that right fielder Reddick made a leaping attempt on, and had the ball tip off his glove before he fell into the pen.

Ortiz hit .405 in April with six homers and 20 RBIs, going .543 in Fenway (19 for 35).

"The Fenway short wall kind of hurt me because when I jumped it kind of just jack-knifed me in half and that's all I needed to get a little tip of the glove and go over," Reddick said.

Byrd had an RBI double against reliever Jordan Norberto and Aviles hit his three-run homer into the Green Monster seats to make it 11-1.

The A's had taken a 1-0 lead in the second when Kurt Suzuki scored from third as the Red Sox caught Barton in a rundown.

NOTES: It was Ortiz's 38th career multihomer game, 36th with Boston. He's one behind Ted Williams for most in club history. ... Red Sox 3B Kevin Youkilis was a late scratch with tightness in his lower back. He also missed Sunday's loss in Chicago with the same injury. ... Reddick, traded from the Red Sox in an offseason deal that brought OF Ryan Sweeney and injured closed Andrew Bailey, played his first game against his former team. "I hope I can go out and have a few good games and show my former team what they're missing," he said before the game.