ST. PETERSBURG -- James Kaprielian was low on energy after working four high-stress innings. But with the A’s only on day three of a stretch of 13 games in 13 days without an off-day, manager Mark Kotsay had no choice but to send him back for one more inning.

With his velocity down a couple of ticks from his average, Kaprielian showed resolve by retiring his first two batters in the fifth. Soon after, though, fatigue set in. Following a two-run homer by Harold Ramírez and Josh Lowe’s double, a five-pitch walk issued to Manuel Margot was the final sign for Kotsay that enough was enough, and he pulled the right-hander after he'd thrown a career-high 106 pitches.

“He handled it like a pro,” Kotsay said of Kaprielian. “He knew his teammates needed him to pick them up.”

While Kotsay was pleased with how Kaprielian responded, it’s a predicament he never wants to put a pitcher in, especially given Kaprielian’s laborious 33-pitch first inning. The nature of a rough weekend series against the Rays, however, which ended with Sunday’s 11-0 loss at Tropicana Field, necessitated such a decision.

Following an encouraging 2-4 homestand to begin the 2023 season, the A’s were swept by Tampa Bay over three games and outscored, 31-5. Giving some credit to the opponent is essential in this instance. Now 9-0 on the season, the Rays have matched the 2003 Kansas City club for the longest winning streak to start a season in the AL/NL Wild Card era.

For the A’s, though, this series encapsulated the issues that have plagued them just more than a week into the season.

It began in Friday’s series opener, when Ken Waldichuk lasted just three innings in a 9-5 loss. Shintaro Fujinami fared slightly better in Saturday’s 11-0 loss by going 4 1/3 innings, though his lack of efficiency led to the A’s sending backup catcher Carlos Pérez to pitch the eighth. On Sunday, Kaprielian went 4 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts.

“Starting pitching is the theme right now,” Kotsay said. “We’re leaning on them to get deeper into games. … Storyline here is we need to be better on the mound.”

Free passes are a problem. After seven more walks on Sunday, the 46 compiled by A’s pitchers through nine games are third most in the Majors, while their eight hit batters are tied for the most. With Trevor May issuing a bases-loaded walk in the sixth, Oakland’s three runs allowed via walk or hit batter this season are also tied for most in MLB.

“As a pitching staff, what we’re doing right now is unacceptable,” Kaprielian said. “We need to turn the corner here. We can’t be giving a free 90 feet. We all know it. It’s stuff that has been ingrained in us since we were little kids.

“For me, that means attacking guys more. We need to be the guys hunting on defense when we have the ball. Our job as pitchers is to attack guys. Unfortunately, we haven’t been doing that yet.”

It would be unfair to solely blame Kaprielian for Sunday’s outing. His four runs allowed in the fourth came on one swing, when Brandon Lowe sent a first-pitch fastball over the left-field wall for a grand slam. One pitch prior to that, however, shortstop Aledmys Díaz fielded what appeared to be a routine inning-ending grounder hit by Christian Bethancourt and lobbed a throw to second base that was late. Earlier in the inning, Jace Peterson fielded a short grounder by Ramírez and peered over to second base before firing a late throw to first that Ramírez also beat out.

As Kotsay put it, the A’s are “failing at the fundamentals” right now, with Sunday bringing some uncharacteristic mistakes from the same veterans they plan to lean on as they navigate through a rebuilding season.

“We didn’t do a great job on the defensive side right there,” said A’s second baseman Tony Kemp, whose throwing error in the sixth led to a two-run inning by the Rays. “We have to shore up some things. Early on in the season, it’s good that we’re getting the bad stuff out of the way. Tough pill to swallow getting swept, but you have to tip your cap. Tough series for us. Just stay positive and confident moving forward.”