The arm has life but the results have been a concern.

So the Boston Red Sox decided that right-handed pitching prospect Ty Buttrey needed a change of scenery – to the Portland Sea Dogs’ bullpen.

Buttrey made his relief debut for the Sea Dogs on Tuesday night. He allowed no earned runs in two innings but the game was already out of hand as the Bowie Baysox routed Portland 11-5 at Hadlock Field.

Bowie jumped on starter Mitch Atkins (1-2) for six runs in the first three innings.

Cole Sturgeon of the Sea Dogs homered, tripled and doubled with three RBI.

The other notable event for Portland was Buttrey’s entry in the seventh inning.

Buttrey, 23, was a fourth-round draft pick out of high school in 2012. To sway him from his University of Arkansas scholarship, the Red Sox signed him for $1.3 million.

He was a starter his previous three seasons – 8-10 last year in Salem with a 4.20 ERA – and entered this season in the Sea Dogs’ rotation. Baseball America ranked him as Boston’s 18th-best prospect.

But after nine starts with Portland, Buttrey was 0-6 with a 6.08 ERA.

“(The Red Sox) felt it was the right time for a move,” Sea Dogs pitching coach Kevin Walker said. “He has a really good fastball and really good change-up. We’ve done this in the past with quite a few guys.”

Walker pointed out the success of Pat Light, a high draft pick (37th overall) who moved to the bullpen at the start of the 2015 season in Portland. Light was soon in Triple-A and made his major league debut this year.

There are other examples, including Red Sox relievers Junichi Tazawa and Matt Barnes, both starters for the Sea Dogs.

Of course, it is an adjustment.

“I was weirded out at first when they told me,” Buttrey said. “I’ve been a starter my whole life … but I look at it as an opportunity.”

Bullpen roles often offer a quicker path to the big leagues.

“He could thrive in this role,” Walker said. “You’re always looking for quality arms, whether they’re starting or relieving.”

Atkins, 30, is taking Buttrey’s place in the rotation. A starter most of his 13-year pro career, Atkins has pitched 10 major league games for the Cubs and Orioles, the last coming in 2011. He pitched in Taiwan last year, then signed with the Red Sox.

Atkins has been mostly effective this year in 12 games (three previous starts) until Tuesday.

Taylor Grover, just up from Salem, relieved Atkins. On his second Double-A pitch, Adrian Marin homered to left. Grover allowed four runs, three earned, in three innings.

NOTES: Andrew Benintendi (1 for 4) doubled and scored in the first. … Ryan Court (.323) singled twice. … Jake Romanski (.309) doubled in a run. … The announced paid attendance Tuesday was 2,652. … Pitcher Michael McCarthy, who left a recent game with a sore elbow, received a positive diagnosis of an impingement that will only require rest and a rehabilitation. … Bowie infielder Tucker Nathans is the younger brother of former Sea Dogs catcher John Nathans, an assistant attorney general for the state of Maine.

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