Final, Angels 3-0: The Red Sox received a very solid outing from John Lackey, but Boston’s offense was held in check, and the Angels coasted to a 3-0 victory.
Lackey pitched seven very good frames despite suffering the loss. He allowed just two runs on five hits while striking out nine. The two runs came on a pair of solo homers from Mike Trout and Hank Conger.
Jered Weaver lived up to his status as an ace Sunday. He tossed 6 2/3 shutout innings while striking out six to improve to 3-4 on the season.
Trout went deep in the first inning, and Conger made it 2-0 with a long ball in the fifth. The Angels added another run in the eighth inning when Erick Aybar tripled and scored on a Mark Trumbo sacrifice fly.
The Red Sox, who have suddenly dropped two in a row, will head to Seattle for four games beginning Monday. Jon Lester will go up against Felix Hernandez in the series opener, and the first pitch is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET.
Good night, everyone.
End 8th, Angels 3-0: The Angels came up with some ninth-inning magic Saturday. Can the Red Sox find some in this one?
Boston’s deficit grew one run larger in the eighth inning, as Erick Aybar tripled and scored on Mark Trumbo’s sacrifice fly to deep center field.
Junichi Tazawa, who began the eighth inning, walked Mike Trout after Trumbo’s sac fly. That forced John Farrell to make a pitching change, as he called upon Alfredo Aceves, who was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket before the game.
The Angels nearly added another run when Josh Hamilton sent a ball into the left-center field gap with two outs. It kicked up over the fence, meaning that Trout, who was on first base and definitely would have scored, needed to stop at third base. Aceves then avoided any damage by getting Howie Kendrick to hit a slow roller to first base.
The Red Sox are scheduled to send up David Ortiz, Mike Napoli and Mike Carp in the ninth inning. The Angels scored four runs to tie the game in the ninth Saturday. The Red Sox will need three runs in this one.
Ernesto Frieri will be the new Angels pitcher.
Mid 8th, Angels 2-0: The Red Sox’ offense is three outs away from being shut out, as the bats couldn’t come up with anything in the eighth inning.
Scott Downs took over for the Angels, and Jacoby Ellsbury popped out to third baseman Alberto Callaspo in foul territory to begin the eighth.
Downs then struck out Daniel Nava, who didn’t offer at a 1-2 sinker that caught the strike zone.
Dustin Pedroia, who was seeking to get on base so that David Ortiz could represent the potential tying run, grounded to third to end the inning.
Ortiz, Mike Napoli and Mike Carp will be due up for Boston in the ninth inning. It’s up to Junichi Tazawa to make sure that the Red Sox only need two runs.
End 7th, Angels 2-0: John Lackey has a new season-high for pitches thrown with 116. Two pitches are still the difference, though.
Lackey’s night is likely over, and he finished strong, retiring the Angels in order in the seventh inning.
Alberto Callaspo led off with a comebacker that Lackey fielded and tossed to first. Mike Napoli appeared to lose the ball in the sun or the lights, as it dropped near his feet, but he still managed to complete the out.
Lackey then struck out Brad Hawpe swinging for his ninth strikeout of the contest.
Hank Conger, who homered to give the Angels their second run of the game, drilled a hot-shot ground ball to first base. Napoli made the play, though, and he flipped to Lackey to end the inning.
Mid 7th, Angels 2-0: Jered Weaver left with two runners on in the seventh inning, and Dane De La Rosa picked him right up. The Red Sox’ offense is still scoreless.
Mike Napoli dropped a single into right field to lead off the seventh.
Weaver then settled down to retire two straight, including Ryan Lavarnway, who flied out to the edge of the warning track in right field.
Brock Holt singled into right-center field with two down, and that spelled the end of Weaver’s night. The right-hander had thrown 114 pitches.
De La Rosa needed just two pitches upon entering to retire Jose Iglesias on a flyout to right field.
Weaver exited after 6 2/3 shutout innings. He surrendered five hits, walked two and struck out six.
End 6th, Angels 2-0: John Lackey was finally forced to throw some high-stress pitches in the sixth inning.
Lackey hadn’t really been in any major jam, as the Angels’ two runs have come on a pair of solo homers. He needed to work in the sixth, though.
Lackey got two quick outs, as both J.B. Shuck and Mike Trout grounded out. Trout’s hard-hit grounder up the middle had a chance to sneak into center field, but Dustin Pedroia made a nice sliding stop.
Albert Pujols then found himself in a two-strike count after home plate umpire Mike Winters ruled that he offered at a 2-1 pitch down and out of the zone. Pujols didn’t like the call, but rather than get too distracted by it, he responded by singling into right field.
It’s clear that Pujols is having a hard time running these days, but it didn’t stop him from being aggressive on the bases in the sixth inning. Josh Hamilton, who was batting with the shift on, walked on a 3-2 pitch. Pujols, who was off with the full count, ran to second base, but he then realized that no one was covering third base, so he kept on running.
Hamilton stole second base with Howie Kendrick batting to put runners at second and third with two outs. Lackey managed to escape the jam by getting Kendrick to ground to Jose Iglesias at short.
Mid 6th, Angels 2-0: Jered Weaver needed just nine pitches to retire Boston in order in the sixth.
Daniel Nava jumped on a fastball and sent it to the warning track in left-center field. Mike Trout ranged over and hauled it in just before the fence for a long out.
Dustin Pedroia then grounded to second base for the second out, and David Ortiz ended the inning with a lazy grounder to first.
End 5th, Angels 2-0: John Lackey has looked great, but two long balls have doomed him.
Lackey put a pitch right down the pipe with two outs in the fifth inning, and Hank Conger was all over it. Conger, who was clearly thinking dead red, hammered his sixth home run of the season to right field to extend the Angels’ lead.
Conger’s blast was the only blemish of the inning, as Lackey retired the other three hitters he faced. The final out came on another excellent play down at third base by Brock Holt.
Holt, was was called up Saturday, made a backhanded play near the line before tossing to first to complete the out. He has made two great, backhanded plays in this game, and both have robbed Erick Aybar.
Mid 5th, Angels 1-0: A bang-bang play ended the top of the fifth inning.
Brock Holt walked to begin the inning, and two batters later, Jacoby Ellsbury worked a full count. That meant John Farrell needed to decide whether or not to put Holt in motion with one out in the inning.
Holt was indeed running with Ellsbury locked in a full count, and it almost kept the Red Sox out of a double play as Ellsbury grounded to short. Erick Aybar got rid of the ball very quickly, though, and the Angels were able to successfully turn it to end the inning.
End 4th, Angels 1-0: John Lackey and Jered Weaver are both settling in.
Lackey tossed a 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, retiring Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and Howie Kendrick.
After Pujols flied out to left field to begin the inning, Hamilton put up a good at-bat against Lackey. He fell behind in the count, 0-2, but he laid off three straight pitches to run the count full. Lackey got a generous call on a 3-2, outside curveball, though, and he picked up his seventh strikeout of the contest.
Howie Kendrick grounded out to Jose Iglesias at short to end the inning.
Mid 4th, Angels 1-0: Jered Weaver is responding with some strikeouts of his own. He now has five.
David Ortiz began the inning with a ground ball back toward the mound. It ended up scooting past the mound near second base, but shortstop Erick Aybar was in a perfect position to make the play because of the shift.
Mike Napoli walked with one out, but Weaver bounced back to strike out back-to-back hitters.
Weaver threw four straight offspeed pitches to Mike Carp. The fourth was a changeup that fell off the table, and Carp didn’t stand a chance.
Ryan Lavarnway also went down swinging on an off-speed pitch. He fanned on a 2-2 curveball to end the inning.
End 3rd, Angels 1-0: John Lackey’s strikeout totals have been impressive this season.
Lackey struck out two more in the third inning, and he now has six strikeouts through the first three frames.
Lackey struck out Hank Conger to begin the third inning, and Brock Holt made an awesome defensive play for the second out. Erick Aybar hit a rocket down the third base line, and Holt sprawled out to make a diving stop. Holt then popped up and fired across the diamond.
J.B. Shuck singled with two outs, and he subsequently stole second base to put a runner into scoring position for Mike Trout, who homered back in the first inning. Lackey was very careful this time around, though. He got Trout to chase a 3-2 cutter away, and the Angels’ second-year All-Star foul tipped it into the mitt.
Mid 3rd, Angels 1-0: Jered Weaver enjoyed his first 1-2-3 inning of the game in the third.
It took five pitches for Weaver to record the first two outs, as Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to first base and Daniel Nava flied out into foul territory down the left field line.
Dustin Pedroia put up a pretty good at-bat against Weaver, though. Pedroia saw seven pitches and ran the count full before yanking a chopper down the third base line. Alberto Callaspo made the play and chucked it across the diamond to end the inning.
End 2nd, Angels 1-0: John Lackey helped his own cause in the second inning.
Howie Kendrick dropped down a bunt to begin the inning. It rolled to the left side of the mound, where Lackey made a barehanded play before firing an off-balance, yet accurate throw to first to complete the out.
Alberto Callaspo singled into left field with one down in the inning, but the Red Sox benefited from a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play to end the inning.
Lackey froze Brad Hawpe with a 3-2 cutter on the outside corner, and Ryan Lavarnway delivered a strike to Jose Iglesias at second base to complete the inning-ending double play.
Mid 2nd, Angels 1-0: The Red Sox haven’t done any damage on the scoreboard, but they’re really grinding out at-bats.
Jered Weaver has already thrown 45 pitches, and he was forced to work around a one-out hit in the second inning.
Ryan Lavarnway followed up Mike Carp’s strikeout with a ground ball into the hole between shortstop and third base. Erick Aybar ranged over to grab it, but Lavarnway was able to reach with an infield single.
Brock Holt threatened to add to the threat by hitting a ground ball to the right side. It looked to be on its way into right field, but Howie Kendrick — All-Star snub? — made an excellent diving stop.
Lavarnway moved up to second base on Holt’s groundout, but he would get hung up there. Jose Iglesias, whose average is still up over .400, grounded to third base to end the inning.
End 1st, Angels 1-0: John Lackey made one mistake in the first inning. Unfortunately for him, it came against one of the game’s best hitters.
Lackey struck out the side in the first, but Mike Trout went the other way with a 1-1 fastball and hammered it into the seats to give the Angels a 1-0 lead. Trout didn’t even realize until he was about halfway to second base that it cleared the wall for his 15th home run of the season.
Trout’s blast came with one down in the inning. Lackey struck out J.B. Shuck before surrendering the long ball, and he struck out Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton after it.
Lackey’s fastball velocity was up around 94-95 mph in the first inning.
Mid 1st, 0-0: It’s as if Jered Weaver decided to take matters into his own hands in the first inning.
The Angels’ defense has been brutal in this series, and that trend continued in the first, as J.B. Shuck misplayed a fly ball that resulted in a leadoff double. I’m not sure if Shuck lost it in the sun or just read it poorly, but Jacoby Ellsbury shot a ball over his head to kick things off. Ellsbury’s hit streak is now up to 17 games.
Ellsbury moved up to third base when Daniel Nava dropped a single into right field. Ellsbury typically scores from second on a base hit, but he had to hold up to make sure it dropped.
Weaver took control from there.
Dustin Pedroia got a good piece of one, but he lined it right at third baseman Alberto Callaspo for the first out. Weaver then struck out David Ortiz and Mike Napoli.
Weaver fell behind in the count, 2-0, against Ortiz, but he battled back while pounding the outside corner. Napoli ended up fanning on a slider, and Weaver escaped the first-and-third jam unscathed.
8:08 p.m., 0-0: Jacoby Ellsbury squares around to bunt, and then takes the first pitch for a strike.
7:51 p.m.: Remember, folks. There’s still time to vote Koji Uehara into this year’s All-Star Game via MLB.com’s Final Vote. You can vote up until Thursday at 4 p.m. ET.
Uehara had a rough outing Saturday, but he’s still very deserving of a spot in this year’s Midsummer Classic. He’s been the most reliable pitcher in the Red Sox’ bullpen this season, and that should be enough for him to overtake the other four finalists, who are also relievers.
If I haven’t convinced you to vote for Uehara yet, check out the link below — perhaps that will do the trick. If it does, click the link below that to actually vote Uehara into the All-Star Game.
Click here for an opinion on Uehara’s All-Star candidacy >>
Click here to vote for Uehara >>
Uehara is trying to become the fourth Red Sox player selected to this year’s All-Star Game. It was announced Saturday that David Ortiz, Clay Buchholz and Dustin Pedroia will be represent Boston at the annual event.
Ortiz’s selection is his ninth overall. The nine selections have him tied with Bobby Doerr for the third-most in franchise history. Only Carl Yastrzemski (18) and Ted Williams (17) have been to more All-Star Games with the Red Sox.
7:13 p.m.: Andrew Miller — like Shane Victorino — left Saturday’s game, only he did so under more severe circumstances.
Miller faced one batter in the seventh inning before getting injured. J.B. Shuck singled into center field with a runner on second, at which point Miller headed toward home to back up a potential play at the plate. But Miller tumbled the ground, injuring his foot.
Miller was helped off the field following the incident, and he then went for X-rays at a nearby hospital. On Sunday, the Red Sox placed Miller on the 15-day disabled with a left foot sprain.
It’s unclear how much time Miller will miss, but losing him is a big blow to a bullpen that’s already struggling with inconsistency of late. Alfredo Aceves has been recalled.
5:56 p.m.: Shane Victorino will be out of the Red Sox’ lineup Sunday. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of Saturday’s game after dealing with left hamstring tightness.
Daniel Nava will shift over to right field and bat second in Victorino’s absence. Mike Carp will be inserted into the lineup as the left fielder and bat sixth.
Ryan Lavarnway will start behind the dish for Boston. He’ll bat seventh, with Brock Holt and Jose Iglesias batting eighth and ninth, respectively.
Sunday’s complete lineups are below.
Red Sox (54-35)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Mike Carp, LF
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Brock Holt, 3B
Jose Iglesias, SS
John Lackey, RHP (6-5, 2.81 ERA)
Angels (42-45)
J.B. Shuck, LF
Mike Trout, CF
Albert Pujols, DH
Josh Hamilton, RF
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Brad Hawpe, 1B
Hank Conger, C
Erick Aybar, SS
Jered Weaver, RHP (2-4, 3.79 ERA)
8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox have shown resiliency all season long. Their bounce-back ability will truly be tested Sunday.
The Red Sox entered the ninth inning of Saturday’s game against the Angels with a four-run lead, but the advantage soon crumbled. Alex Wilson pitched himself into a bases-loaded jam, and Koji Uehara was unable to clean up the mess despite needing just one out to nail down a victory. The biggest blunder of the inning came when Brandon Snyder botched a potential game-ending forceout by firing a throw over Dustin Pedroia’s head that allowed the tying run to score. Josh Hamilton eventually gave the Angels the win with a walk-off, two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th inning.
It was perhaps the most devastating loss of the season for the Red Sox, who were one out away from starting their 10-game road trip at 2-0. They’re still in great shape, having entered the West Coast swing on the heels of an 8-1 homestand, but they’ll have their work cut out for them while trying to overcome Saturday’s crushing defeat.
John Lackey will be on the mound for the Red Sox in Sunday’s series finale. He’s been very consistent this season, and he’ll need to be on top of his game this time around, as he’ll be opposed by Angels ace Jered Weaver.
Sunday’s rubber match is scheduled to start up at 8:05 p.m., so be sure to get your errands out of the way early.
