Boston starter David Wells, just off the disabled list, digs his teammates a huge early hole that they can't escape.

10:02 AM EDT on Thursday, May 19, 2005

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

OAKLAND, Calif. -- All along, David Wells insisted that, no, he wouldn't require a tune-up. But as he trudged off the mound from his first major league start in three weeks yesterday, his afternoon over almost before it started, the veteran lefty looked more in a need of a full-scale overhaul.

Last summer, while pitching for the San Diego Padres, Wells had parachuted from the disabled list right back into the rotation, and made the transition seamlessly, shutting out the Red Sox for 5 2/3 innings.

That same feat could not be replicated yesterday. Not hardly. Wells, who had been sidelined with a sprained right foot on April 26, was shelled for seven runs on nine hits in just 1 1/3 innings of work, paving the way for a lopsided 13-6 shellacking by the Oakland A's, sending the Red Sox back home on a decidedly sour note.

"If I felt like I needed (a rehab appearance in the minor leagues), then, yeah (I would have made one)," he said. "Because the game looked bad today, you guys are probably going to write that I needed one. That's up to you. You can write what you want."

For a time in his brief stint, Wells must have felt like he was in the middle of a shooting gallery. Six of the first eight Oakland hitters reached against him, and one of the two who didn't provided a run-scoring sacrifice fly.

It got no better in the second, when, after a hard lineout to start the inning, Eric Byrnes and Jason Kendall singled and Eric Chavez hammered a cut fastball into the seats in right, bringing Wells' start to a close. It was his briefest outing since June 8, 2001, when he faced five Chicago Cubs and didn't record an out.

"He never got a chance to get his legs underneath him," said Terry Francona. "I wanted to let him stay out there, but at some point. . . . I wanted to give him a chance to gather himself and pitch a little bit. We've got a chance to come back (from 4-0 after the first). But then, (the lead) got too big."

Francona said he wouldn't second guess the decision to bypass a minor league appearance or two in favor of plugging Wells directly back into the rotation, citing Wells' appearance at Fenway under similar circumstances as proof that the approach had succeeded before.

"I didn't like the crispness there," he said of his starter. "Sometimes, it just gets away and it doesn't matter. It gets contagious and once it gets rolling, sometimes you can't stop it."

AP photo

David Wells trudges off the mound after allowing seven runs in just 1 1/3 innings.

Added Johnny Damon : "It was his first game back; we're not too worried. He was awful. He'll admit it."

Not exactly.

While Wells termed the afternoon "very discouraging," and expressed remorse that he "didn't come close to keeping the team in the game today," he hinted that his poor showing was the result of bad luck more than anything else.

"I got the ball down," he said. "I felt, for the most part, I had pretty good command. But the ball found a lot of holes. That's something you can't do anything about."

Seemingly growing more defiant as he answered questions, Wells added: "I don't think I have to work on anything. A bad day is a bad day. It's over and done with. I felt good -- that's the bottom line. I left a couple of pitches up, but I'm going to do that even when I'm at the top of my game."

Catcher Jason Varitek said the game plan was pitch the A's backwards -- meaning the Sox intended to throw fastballs on breaking ball counts and vice versa -- but it didn't fool the A's, who came into the game ranked last in the American League in virtually every significant offensive category -- batting average, runs, total bases, home runs and slugging percentage.

"He knows himself," assured Varitek. "It's easy to second guess now. But I'm looking forward to the next one."

Trailing 7-0 just 13 batters into the game, the Sox turned to Jeremi Gonzalez, whose regular turn was taken by Wells. But Gonzalez wasn't much of an upgrade, allowing a walk and three hits to the first five hitters he faced. His line: 3 2/3 innings pitched, six hits and three runs.

The A's led 13-2 -- the Sox got solo homers from Varitek and Mark Bellhorn off Oakland starter Seth Etherton -- before Boston added four more runs in eighth-inning garbage time against former Sox minor leaguer Tim Harikkala.

The final score neither reflected the true one-sided nature of the game, nor prettied up the afternoon.

In six games on the West Coast, the Sox allowed five runs or more in five of them. Twice, their opponents scored in double figures, something that had happened only twice in the first 34 games combined.

"We need to grind out some games," Varitek said. "That's what the Boston Red Sox do -- in tough times, they grind. We've got to find a way to get some wins. We don't make excuses. We got hammered today."