Mark it seven, dude.
The Boston Red Sox entered Los Angeles having won four games in a row, and the Angels are happy to see the Sox leave town after Boston completed a three-game sweep Thursday, topping the Angels 8-2 at Angel Stadium for its seventh consecutive win.
Boston continued to hit the long ball in the series finale, as Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi each went yard off Angels starter Nick Tropeano. Rafael Devers (two RBIs), J.D. Martinez (3-for-4, RBI, two runs) and Mitch Moreland (RBI) also contributed to the offensive output while Eduardo Rodriguez tossed six innings of three-hit ball to earn his second win of the year.
With the win, the Red Sox improve to 16-2, while the Angels fall to 13-6.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Broom.
The series wasn’t close, as the Sox outscored the Angels 27-3 in a three-game sweep.
ON THE BUMP
— Rodriguez turned in his second straight quality start. The left-hander was impressive from the opening pitch, keeping the Angels at bay with good fastball command and a devastating changeup that helped him register 20 swing-and-misses.
L.A. tied the game in the second inning when Zack Cozart plated Andrelton Simmons with a two-out, RBI single to left field. The Angels got to Rodriguez again in the fifth inning when former Red Sox outfielder Chris Young crushed a 3-2 offering over the left-center field wall for a home run.
— Heath Hembree pitched a scoreless seventh inning.
— Carson Smith recorded a 1-2-3 eighth.
— Joe Kelly finished off the win by putting up a zero in the ninth.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— For the third game in a row, the Red Sox struck in the first inning. In a moment of deja vu, Betts obliterated a high fastball from Tropeano, sending it deep over the left-field fence for a leadoff home run.
— Boston reclaimed the lead in the fourth inning. After Hanley Ramirez led off the inning with a walk, Martinez chased him home with double to left field. Two batters later, Devers rifled a single to right field to plate Martinez and make it 3-1 Sox.
— The Sox’s power display continued in the sixth inning when Andrew Benintendi crushed a solo home run to right field to make it 4-2 Boston. It was his first home run of the season. The Red Sox tacked on another run in the inning when Devers ripped an RBI single to center to score Martinez.
— Moreland increased Boston’s lead to four with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.
— The Red Sox added some insurance runs in the ninth. Benintendi drove in Brock Holt and Betts with a two-run single off Noe Ramirez.
— Devers went 3-for-3 with two RBIs.
— Benintendi went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs.
— Christian Vazquez and Eduardo Nunez both went hitless for Boston.
TWEET OF THE NIGHT
Benny is on the board.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox will travel to Oakland to take on the Athletics on Friday night. Drew Pomeranz will make his season debut for Boston, while the A’s will counter with Kendall Graveman. First pitch is scheduled for 10:05 p.m. ET.
