Final, Angels 9-7: This one stings if you’re the Red Sox.
The Red Sox held a 7-3 lead with two outs in the ninth inning, but the Angels rallied for four runs off Alex Wilson and Koji Uehara to force extra innings. Josh Hamilton, who has had a difficult series, then launched a walk-off home run off Craig Breslow in the 11th inning to give the Angels a 9-7 win.
Even amid the Angels’ ninth-inning rally, the Red Sox should have secured a victory. Howie Kendrick, batting with the tying run on third base, hit a ground ball to the left side. Brandon Snyder made the play and tried to fire to second base to complete a game-ending forceout, but his throw sailed over Dustin Pedroia’s head and into right field. That allowed the tying run to score.
This is certainly a devastating loss for the Red Sox, who looked poise to pick up their second straight win to begin their nine-game West Coast swing. Their resiliency will certainly be tested Sunday, when the two teams play a rubber match that’s scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET.
Thanks for staying up late, folks — even if the outcome wasn’t what you were looking for.
Mid 11th, 7-7: Dane De La Rosa pitched the 11th inning for the Angels, and he had no problem breezing through it.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Brandon Snyder each grounded out to third base. Jose Iglesias popped out in foul territory along the first base line to end the inning.
Mike Trout, Brad Hawpe and Josh Hamilton are due up for the Angels in the bottom of the 11th. Craig Breslow will stay in the game for a second inning of work.
End 10th, 7-7: A big pickoff saved the Red Sox in the 10th inning.
Erick Aybar led off the inning with a single into left field, and you could sense that the momentum was still very much in the Angels’ favor.
Craig Breslow did a nice job of settling down to strike out Chris Iannetta for the first out, though. Iannetta tried to bunt, but he failed miserably.
Breslow then picked off Aybar to get an even better handle on the inning. Aybar took off for second before Breslow started toward the plate. Breslow fired to first base, where Mike Napoli turned and threw to second. Jose Iglesias came charging in to receive the throw, and he even stumbled over Aybar, who slid in hard at second base. Iglesias got the tag down in time, though, and the Red Sox were in much better shape.
Alberto Callaspo singled on a line drive that hit off Breslow and traveled into center field, but J.B. Shuck flied out to end the inning.
Mid 10th, 7-7: Ernesto Frieri came back out for a second inning of work, and he dominated the Red Sox.
Frieri struck out the side, sitting down David Ortiz, Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava with ease.
Frieri featured an explosive fastball that sat around 95-96 mph, and the Angels now have a chance to walk off with a win in the bottom of the 10th.
Craig Breslow is coming in to pitch for the Red Sox. Erick Aybar, Chris Iannetta and Alberto Callaspo are due up for the Angels.
End 9th, 7-7: Wow.
The Angels rallied for four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, and we’re heading to extra innings.
The final out was within reach, as Howie Kendrick grounded to third base with two outs. Brandon Snyder’s throw sailed over Dustin Pedroia’s head, though, and we’re looking at a tie ballgame.
Alex Wilson started the ninth for Boston and loaded the bases. Chris Iannetta and J.B. Shuck singled, and Wilson plunked Mike Trout with two outs. That prompted John Farrell to call upon the usually reliable Koji Uehara with the potential tying run at the plate in Albert Pujols.
Pujols went down and got a tough two-strike pitch. He drove a two-run single into center field to keep the game alive. Josh Hamilton, who has had a brutal series, then singled into right field to pull the Angels to within a run.
The game should have been over when Kendrick grounded to third base, but Snyder’s errant throw to second base allowed Collin Cowgill, who pinch ran for Pujols, to score the tying run.
Uehara bounced back to strike out Mark Trumbo with the potential winning run on third base, but it was an all-around tough outing for the Red Sox closer.
1:48 a.m., Red Sox 7-3: Alex Wilson got two outs in the ninth inning, but he couldn’t finish it off.
The Angels have loaded the bases, and John Farrell will now turn to Koji Uehara. Uehara will face Albert Pujols, who represents the potential tying run. Talk about a showdown.
Mid 9th, Red Sox 7-3: Ernesto Frieri was the new Angels hurler in the ninth.
Frieri issued a one-out walk to Jacoby Ellsbury, who stole his major league-leading 36th base, but he also struck out two while keeping Boston off the scoreboard.
After Ellsbury moved up into scoring position, Frieri struck out Jonny Gomes, who pinch-hit for Shane Victorino, and Dustin Pedroia.
Victorino appeared to be limping a bit earlier in the game. He ended up staying in, but perhaps that played a role in John Farrell bringing up Gomes.
Alex Wilson will pitch the ninth inning for the Red Sox. Daniel Nava will shift to right field while Gomes will remain in the game and play left field.
End 8th, Red Sox 7-3: Perhaps this is the type of outing that can send Andrew Bailey in the right direction.
Bailey, who needed just one pitch to escape a seventh-inning jam, pitched the eighth inning. He worked through a leadoff single and did a very nice job.
Bailey struck out Josh Hamilton and Mark Trumbo in the inning. Bailey went to the curveball to get Hamilton swinging, and he went with a fastball to sit down Trumbo.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 7-3: As bad as Josh Hamilton has been offensively this season, he’s been even worse defensively.
Hamilton stumbled all over himself in the eighth inning, and it led to another run for the Red Sox. He now has seven errors this season, which matches his total from last season and ties Giancarlo Stanton for the major league lead among outfielders.
Kevin Jepsen took over on the mound for the Angels to begin the eighth inning, and Dustin Pedroia greeted him with a leadoff single.
Jepsen retired David Ortiz and Mike Napoli, but Daniel Nava continued his fantastic night by delivering a hit into right field. Hamilton fell down while running over to gather it, and he struggled again to get a handle on it after getting back to his feet. When all was said and done, Pedroia scored all the way from first base and Nava ended up on third base.
Nava, who was snubbed from the All-Star Game Saturday, has four hits, an RBI and has scored two runs.
End 7th, Red Sox 6-3: Andrew Bailey is still a work in progress, but perhaps we just witnessed a confidence booster.
Bailey took over for an injured Andrew Miller, and he needed just one pitch to get out of a first-and-third jam.
Mike Trout, who represented the potential tying run, hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
12:58 a.m., Red Sox 6-3: Andrew Miller has been very good this season, so losing him for any length of time would be a big blow to the Red Sox’ bullpen.
Miller exited the game after facing one batter. J.B. Shuck singled into center field, at which point Miller came off the mound and started heading toward home to back up a potential play at the plate. Miller appeared to twist his ankle, and the left-hander fell to the ground awkwardly.
Miller was helped off the field by John Farrell and the Red Sox’ trainer, as he couldn’t put any weight on his left ankle.
Andrew Bailey is now coming in with runners at first and third with one out.
12:53 a.m., Red Sox 6-3: Ryan Dempster faced two batters in the seventh inning. He’ll now be relieved by Andrew Miller.
Dempster walked Chris Iannetta and struck out Brendan Harris before John Farrell went out to get the ball.
Dempster got Harris to chase a slider out of the zone to pick up the strikeout, which was the right-hander’s 100th of the season.
Miller enters with one out and a runner on first. He’ll face the top of the Angels’ order.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 6-3: The Red Sox stretched out the inning with two down, but Michael Roth kept the Angels’ deficit at three runs.
Roth began the seventh inning with back-to-back strikeouts. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was the first victim, and Brandon Snyder, who pinch-hit for Brock Holt, ended an eight-pitch at-bat by waving at a changeup.
Jose Iglesias worked a walk with two outs, and Jacoby Ellsbury reached on a catcher’s interference call, putting two runners on for Shane Victorino, who flied out to J.B. Shuck along the left field line for the third out.
Ryan Dempster will come back out to begin the bottom of the seventh. Andrew Miller is warming up in the bullpen, though.
End 6th, Red Sox 6-3: Ryan Dempster has only surrendered three runs, yet it took until the sixth inning for him to enjoy a 1-2-3 frame.
Dempster faced Howie Kendrick, Mark Trumbo and Erick Aybar in the sixth inning, and none of those guys were able to generate any offense.
Dempster started off the inning by striking out Kendrick, who has a home run each of the last two nights. Kendrick chased a couple of pitches out of the zone, including a 1-2 splitter located low and away.
Trumbo flied out down the right field line for the second out, and Aybar ended the inning with a line drive right at Mike Napoli at first base.
Dempster is up to 91 pitches thus far, so we’ll see if John Farrell squeezes another inning out of him.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 6-3: Dustin Pedroia has an even 50 RBIs this season.
Shane Victorino hammered a ball down the right field line with one out. The Flyin’ Hawaiian appeared to be thinking three bases out of the box, and he easily ended up with a triple after Josh Hamilton overshot the cutoff man.
Pedroia knocked Victorino in two pitches later with a line-drive single in left-center field.
Michael Kohn, who replaced Garrett Richards before the inning began, retired David Ortiz on a flyout to center for the second out. He then walked Mike Napoli before Daniel Nava popped out into shallow left field to end the inning.
Victorino appeared to be limping a bit as he returned to the dugout after scoring, but he’s staying in the game.
End 5th, Red Sox 5-3: Shane Victorino picked up his team-leading sixth outfield assist in the fifth inning.
J.B. Shuck doubled to lead things off. Jacoby Ellsbury cut off Shuck’s hit before it got into the gap, but Shuck was hustling out of the box and he dived in safely with a two-bagger.
Shuck stayed aggressive on the bases when Mike Trout skied a fly ball to right field. Victorino made the play, and Shuck tagged up and tried to advance to third base. The only problem for Shuck was that Victorino got himself into great position, fielded the ball with his momentum going toward the infield and fired a strike to third base. Brock Holt fielded Victorino’s throw on one hop and slapped a tag on Shuck to complete the double play.
Ryan Dempster walked Albert Pujols with the bases empty and two down, but Josh Hamilton grounded back to the mound to end the inning.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 5-3: Garrett Richards worked around a single and a walk in the fifth inning.
Daniel Nava hit a ground ball back up the middle and into center field with one out after Mike Napoli struck out to begin the inning. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who has two doubles, then walked on five pitches to put runners at first and second.
Brock Holt, whose sac fly in the second inning plated Boston’s second run, was the first to take his cuts with a couple of runners on. He hit a ground ball to first base that Albert Pujols fielded cleanly and took to the bag himself. Pujols made the mistake of getting too aggressive in the fourth inning, but he took the sure out this time around while Nava and Saltalamacchia moved up to third base and second base, respectively.
Jose Iglesias hit a comebacker with two runners in scoring position. Richards fielded his position well, though, and he flipped to Pujols at first base to get out of the inning.
End 4th, Red Sox 5-3: Jacoby Ellsbury’s speed already caused havoc on the bases, resulting in a run. In the fourth inning, Ellsbury used his speed in the field, perhaps preventing a run.
Ryan Dempster started the inning with back-to-back outs. Mark Trumbo struck out looking on a fastball on the outside corner, and Erick Aybar flied out to left field.
Chris Iannetta kept the inning alive by dropping a double down the right field line.
Brendan Harris threatened to give the Angels a run with a fly ball toward the left-center field gap, but Ellsbury made a running grab just before the warning track to end the inning and keep the Halos off the scoreboard.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 5-3: Garrett Richards played damage control upon entering.
Albert Pujols made a great diving play for the first out of the inning. Jacoby Ellsbury hit a chopper, and Pujols sprawled out before tossing to Richards, who covered the bag, for the out.
Richards struck out Shane Victorino for the second out. He then lost Dustin Pedroia and walked him on seven pitches to load the bases for David Ortiz, but Big Papi chased a 1-2 slider in the dirt to end the inning.
The Red Sox scored three runs and now have a two-run lead. It actually could have been much worse, though.
11:21 p.m., Red Sox 5-3: The Red Sox went back to work against Jerome Williams, and he’ll now exit without recording an out in the fourth inning. The Angels’ defense deserves plenty of blame for the current score, too.
Mike Napoli began the fourth inning with a walk, and Daniel Nava followed up with a hit into left field. J.B. Shuck, who has had a tough series defensively, didn’t charge the ball all that hard, and Napoli took advantage. Napoli aggressively took third base, while Nava advanced to second base.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who doubled back in the second inning, delivered another double that scored two runs. He went to the opposite field with a line drive into the left field corner.
Brock Holt hit a hard ground ball to first base with Saltalamacchia on second base, and Albert Pujols made the play. Pujols got a little too aggressive, though. He tried to throw out Saltalamacchia at third base, but his throw was in the dirt. Salty slid in safely, while Holt reached at first.
Jose Iglesias knocked in Boston’s fifth run with a single past a diving Erick Aybar. Garrett Richards enters with runners at first and second and no outs in the fourth inning.
End 3rd, Angels 3-2: Mike Trout has really become a thorn in the Red Sox’ side.
Trout crushed a home run to lead off the bottom of the third inning, and the Angels have now jumped ahead after falling behind, 2-0, to begin the game.
Ryan Dempster fell behind in the count, 2-0, to Trout. He then left a slider over the plate that Trout sent sailing over the bullpens in left field for his 14th home run of the season.
Albert Pujols, Howie Kendrick and Josh Hamilton went down in order after Trout’s blast.
Jerome Williams will now head back out to the mound for a big inning. He has retired six in a row, so we’ll see whether or not he can settle into some sort of groove.
Mid 3rd, 2-2: Jerome Williams kept the Red Sox off the scoreboard for the first time.
Shane Victorino, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz went down in order in the third inning after Boston had put up a run in each of the first two innings.
Victorino grounded out, and Pedroia flied out to right field. Ortiz then hit into the shift on the right side to end the inning.
End 2nd, 2-2: And just like that, we’re all tied up.
Howie Kendrick led off the second inning with his 11th home run of the season. Kendrick also went deep in Friday’s game. This one came on a 3-1 pitch and landed on the green hitter’s backdrop in center field.
Erick Aybar opted to bunt with one out in the inning. His bunt bid shot into the air but landed up along the first base line. Ryan Dempster ranged over and tried to shovel it with his glove in one motion. He never had a chance at retiring Aybar, though, so his aggressive effort simply made matters worse. Aybar moved up to second base as an error was charged to Dempster.
Chris Iannetta, whose errant throw to third base resulted in Boston’s first run in the first inning, atoned for his mistake by hitting an RBI single into center field.
Dempster bounced back to retire both Brendan Harris and J.B. Shuck, but the damage was done.
Mid 2nd, Red Sox 2-0: The Red Sox added a run in the second inning.
Daniel Nava, who you could consider an All-Star snub, led off with a ground-ball single into left field. The threat really picked up when Jarrod Saltalamacchia stayed back on an offspeed pitch and yanked it into the right field corner for a double.
Brock Holt, who is making his Red Sox debut, dug in with runners at second and third. He lifted a fly ball down the left field line. J.B. Shuck ran over to make the play, but he put himself into a terrible position when it came to throwing home. Shuck was forced to spin before throwing, and Nava was able to tag up and score successfully.
Shuck made a defensive miscue in Friday’s game as well. Between those gaffes, Josh Hamilton’s seventh-inning error Friday and Chris Iannetta’s errant throw in the first inning of this game, we’re really seeing how poor the Angels’ defense is this season.
Jose Iglesias popped out for the second out, and Jacoby Ellsbury grounded back to the mound to end the inning.
End 1st, Red Sox 1-0: Mike Trout connected on a one-out double, but Ryan Dempster left him hanging in scoring position.
After J.B. Shuck flied out to begin the inning, Trout jumped on a first-pitch fastball and sent it into left field. The ball briefly rattled around at the wall, causing Trout to take a wide turn at second base. He ultimately decided to throw on the brakes, though.
Albert Pujols was the first to try to knock in Trout, and he had history in his corner. Pujols entered the game hitting .350 (21-for-60) with eight home runs and 17 RBIs in his career against Dempster. This battle went to the pitcher, though, as Dempster retired Pujols on a ground ball to short.
Josh Hamilton, who made a costly error in the seventh inning of Friday’s game, gave one a ride with two outs, but Jacoby Ellsbury tracked it down in center field.
Mid 1st, Red Sox 1-0: Jacoby Ellsbury wasn’t selected to the All-Star Game, so he’s now playing with an even bigger chip on his shoulder. Or so it seems.
Ellsbury extended his hit streak to 16 games with a leadoff single into right field.
Jerome Williams then picked up back-to-back outs, striking out Shane Victorino and getting Dustin Pedroia to fly out to center. But David Ortiz kept the inning going with a little dribbler off the end of his bat.
Third baseman Brendan Harris scooped up Ortiz’s slow roller with his bare hand, but he had no play at either base, so he ate it. That put runners at first and second for Mike Napoli, who homered in the ninth inning of Friday’s game.
The Red Sox stayed aggressive on the bases, as Ellsbury took off for third base. Chris Iannetta came up firing, but his throw sailed into left field. Ellsbury popped up at third base and continued on to the plate with Boston’s first run.
10:08 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury digs in, takes a ball, and we’re underway.
10:02 p.m.: It’ll be interesting to see if Koji Uehara gets into the All-Star Game. He certainly has plenty of support in the Red Sox’ clubhouse, though.
A number of Red Sox players said before Saturday’s game that they absolutely think Uehara deserves to be an All-Star. David Ortiz even said that he’s bringing Uehara no matter what.
“That’s my boy,” Ortiz said.
9:55 p.m.: The Red Sox enter Saturday’s game with a 5 1/2-game lead in the AL East. It’s their largest division lead since Sept. 15, 2007. We all know what happened that season.
9:06 p.m.: Brock Holt not only got called up, but he’ll also be in the Red Sox’ starting lineup.
Holt will play third base and bat eighth. The rest of Boston’s lineup is pretty standard.
Check out the lineups below.
Red Sox (54-34)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Brock Holt, 3B
Jose Iglesias, SS
Ryan Dempster, RHP (5-8, 4.11 ERA)
Angels (41-45)
J.B. Shuck, LF
Mike Trout, CF
Albert Pujols, 1B
Josh Hamilton, RF
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Mark Trumbo, DH
Erick Aybar, SS
Chris Iannetta, C
Brendan Harris, 3B
Jerome Williams, RHP (5-4, 3.89 ERA)
8:36 p.m.: The Red Sox will send three players to this year’s All-Star Game, with the potential to add a fourth.
The MLB All-Star rosters were revealed Saturday, and David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and Clay Buchholz will represent Boston at the annual Midsummer Classic.
Koji Uehara also has a chance to earn an All-Star selection. He was named one of five American League finalists for MLB.com’s Final Vote, in which fans can vote for who — of the finalists — they think should have the 34th and final All-Star roster spot in each league.
Click here to vote for Uehara >>
Click here to see the All-Star rosters >>
7:56 p.m.: The Red Sox are swapping out infielders.
The club announced Saturday that Brock Holt has been called up from Triple-A Pawtucket. Jonathan Diaz was optioned back to Triple-A to make room for Holt on the active roster.
This is the first big league stint of 2013 for Holt, who was acquired in the Joel Hanrahan deal during the offseason. The 25-year-old has hit .263 (55-for-209) in 60 games with Pawtucket this season.
8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox are off and running on their 10-game road trip.
After an 8-1 homestand, the Red Sox kicked off their West Coast swing with a 6-2 win over the Angels Friday. Josh Hamilton’s error in the seventh inning allowed Boston to take the lead, and David Ortiz and Mike Napoli added home runs late to secure the victory.
Felix Doubront pitched 6 2/3 solid innings Friday, and the left-hander has had an impressive turnaround of late. Ryan Dempster will take the ball Saturday as the Red Sox look to keep rolling. Dempster didn’t factor in the decision his last time out, as he surrendered two earned runs over 5 1/3 innings against the Blue Jays in a game that Boston eventually won in walk-off fashion.
Saturday will be another late night for Red Sox fans, as the first pitch is scheduled for 10:05 ET. Hopefully, that doesn’t stop you all from tuning in on NESN and following along right here at NESN.com, though. After all, it’s Saturday.
