Not the kind of start A’s, Manaea wanted

OAKLAND >> A year after using Liam Hendriks as an opener in the American League wild-card game, the Oakland A’s put their faith in starter Sean Manaea against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.

The A’s were optimistic about Manaea’s ability to pitch at least five innings on Wednesday, but his outing against the Rays in this year’s wild-card game didn’t last much longer than Hendriks’ one-inning stint against the New York Yankees last year.

Manaea gave up three home runs, including two to Rays first baseman Yandy Díaz, in two-plus innings before he was lifted in favor of Yusmeiro Petit in what eventually became a 5-1 defeat to the Rays.

Manaea had never pitched in the postseason prior to Wednesday, and now the 97-win A’s will spend the rest of October watching from their couches.

Manaea allowed three home runs in five regular season starts this year, but opened Wednesday’s outing by surrendering an opposite-field leadoff homer to Rays first baseman Yandy Díaz.

Neither the A’s nor Rays expected Díaz to be in the lineup Wednesday after he played in just one game over the final two months of the year because of a foot injury, but Díaz earned the nod from Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash because the club wanted another right-hander in the lineup.

The home run didn’t appear to faze Manaea, however, as the lefty struck out each of the next three hitters he faced to end the first inning.

Any confidence Manaea may have gained by retiring three straight hitters didn’t carry over to the second inning.

Following a leadoff single hit by Tampa Bay third baseman Matt Duffy, Rays right fielder Avisaíl Garcia crushed a 437-foot two-run home run out to straightaway center field.

After being granted another opportunity to face Díaz in the top of the third, Manaea ended his night the same way he started it. For the second time in three innings, Díaz launched a home run into the right field seats, forcing A’s manager Bob Melvin to go to his bullpen.

Oakland’s decision to send Hendriks to the mound in New York in last year’s wild-card game came under fire after Yankees slugger Aaron Judge blasted a two-run home run off the right-hander in the first inning of a 7-2 A’s loss.

The A’s selected Manaea to start over veteran righthander Mike Fiers. Manaea didn’t pitch in the majors this season until Sept. 1 because of a shoulder injury, but his teammates expressed confidence in him prior to Wednesday’s game after the southpaw allowed just four earned runs in 29 2/3 innings last month.

“It probably would have been very easy for him to come back after waiting so long in the middle of a playoff race and trying to do too much,” first baseman Matt Olson said. “But he did a great job dialing it back, finding some rhythm on the mound and staying within himself.”