BOSTON — The best thing about Jason Bay’s first home run for the Red Sox, a mammoth three-run first-inning blast to left-center?

He simply dropped the bat and started running in a nice professional trot around the bases.

Bay didn’t jettison his bat, stand at home plate and watch the ball’s majestic flight. He didn’t pound himself on the chest or point to the sky or the fans. He didn’t stare down the pitcher and then milk the moment for all it was worth by sauntering around the bases, though the adoring crowd would have continued its standing ovation for as long as he wanted to take to reach home plate.

It was refreshing to see.

Offensive woes

The Red Sox’ offense had been pretty anemic over the first seven games of the homestand.

Not only had it been difficult for Boston to score runs, it was even difficult stringing two hits together. Over their previous 53 innings heading into last night’s game, the Red Sox had managed back-to-back hits on only eight occasions. One of those times they had three hits in a row, and the other times were only two hits.

No wonder there had been precious few rallies over that stretch, which produced a 2-5 record.

So maybe the offense was just due to finally break out.

Last night, the first five batters hit safely, including homers by Youkilis and Bay that produced a 5-2 lead. In the third inning, Boston banged out three straight hits in carving out a four-run rally and a 9-2 bulge.

Youkilis makes contact

The pitch was inside, maybe close enough to nick the corner. It might have even been out of the strike zone.

Still, Youkilis, a right-handed hitter, swung at the 1-and-1 fastball from Oakland left-hander Dana Eveland. He made solid contact.

It was a tough pitch to hit hard and keep fair. Youkilis, though, was able to do it, crushing the pitch into the Monster seats maybe 10-15 feet inside the foul pole.

Youkilis didn’t hit it foul because he was able to pull his hands in as he swung, which allowed him to drive the ball and not hook it foul.

His second homer of the game landed in almost the same spot in the Monster seats, but this was a pitch from Lenny DiNardo that was on the outer half of the plate that Youkilis pulled for his 20th homer of the year, making it a 12-2 game in the eighth.

Athletics hung tough

The Athletics got skunked last night, but they didn’t cave in mentally.

Oakland center fielder Ryan Sweeney deserves a little credit for making a diving catch of Jason Varitek’s looper in the first inning.

Sweeney and the rest of the Athletics were standing in the field a long time in the inning as Eveland struggled badly. The first five Red Sox hit safely, producing five runs. Then there was a strikeout and a walk.

By the time Eveland threw a 3-and-2 pitch to Varitek, it represented his 39th pitch of the arduous inning.

Nevertheless, Sweeney still was on his toes, getting an outstanding jump on the ball that was headed his way. Sweeney charged in, dived head-on for the ball and snared it.

Also deserving of similar praise was Oakland third baseman Jack Hannahan.

With the Red Sox in the midst of another big inning in the third, and already ahead, 9-2, Hannahan was able to keep his head in the game and his reflexes sharp.

When Coco Crisp rifled a first-pitch line drive down the third-base line, Hannahan wasn’t back on his heels with the Athletics getting drubbed. He was wide awake, leaping for a highlight-reel catch that robbed the struggling Crisp of an extra-base hit and an RBI.

Then in the fifth, with the score now 10-2 and runners at second and third with one out, second baseman Mark Ellis made a diving grab to his left of Dustin Pedroia’s liner. Ellis gloved the ball an inch or so from the dirt, robbing Pedroia of a two-run single.

skrasner@projo.com