The Oakland Athletics were projected to be relying upon a young, talented pitching staff to carry them through the 2011 season. On Tuesday night, the Boston Red Sox got a taste of that staff, and it left a sour taste in their mouths.

A’s starting pitcher Brett Anderson outdueled Oakland nemesis John Lackey, and the A’s scored four runs in the eighth to put the icing on the cake for a 5-0 shutout win.

Anderson (1-1) went eight innings, allowing just four hits, striking out eight and walking one. Lackey (1-2), who went into the game sporting a 17-5 career record against the A’s, once again showed his dominance against Oakland, allowing just one run on four hits in six innings.

However, with Anderson shutting down the Boston bats, it wasn’t enough.

Clinging to a 1-0 in the bottom of the eighth, Oakland teed off on Dan Wheeler, the just-recalled Hideki Okajima and Alfredo Aceves. Four runs and four hits later, the A’s were on their way to handing the Red Sox their seventh straight road loss to start the season, worst in franchise history.

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was trying to keep a positive spin on things, however.

“We’ll be all right,” second baseman Pedroia told the Associated Press. “We might be the first team to lose our first seven on the road and win the next seven, who knows.”

While that may be true, the Sox will have to start that streak on Wednesday afternoon against Gio Gonzalez, who has been lights out thus far to start the season (2-0, 0.47 ERA), and then head to Anaheim to face the hot Los Angeles Angels, winners of six of their last seven.

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