BOSTON — Kenley Jansen against Mike Trout with the tying runner at third base provided a ninth-inning scare, but ultimately the Boston Red Sox earned a 5-4 victory and took their three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon.
Boston improved to 9-7 on the campaign while LA dropped to 7-8.
Check out the box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Red Sox didn’t overwhelm with their number of hits (seven), but certainly made them count. Boston blasted three home runs in the first six frames, in addition to Pablo Reyes’ drive to the deepest part of the ballpark in the fifth inning.
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After Tyler O’Neill and Triston Casas went back-to-back in the first inning, Reyes smacked an RBI double to score Jarren Duran in the fifth inning. It gave Boston a 3-2 lead. Just one frame later, Masataka Yoshida provided the Red Sox with some insurance on his two-run shot to deep right field. It scored Wilyer Abreu, who benefited from a lead-off walk.
The back-to-back from O’Neill and Casas marked the third time this season the Red Sox have connected on consecutive jacks.
Yoshida’s 384-foot homer to right field marked his first of the season.
The three home runs complemented the effort of Red Sox starter Brayan Bello and reliever Justin Slaten, who combined to limit the Angels to three runs on eight hits. Boston’s defense was better, too, as the Red Sox made key defensive plays without an error behind Bello and company.
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It wasn’t all perfect for the Red Sox, though. The Red Sox twice got caught on the base paths. The first came after Reyes was caught in a rundown when Boston had runners on first and second and two outs in the fifth inning. Connor Wong, who reached on an infield single, later made the final out in the sixth inning before he could swipe second base.
STARS OF THE GAME
— O’Neill (2-for-3, walk) is swinging arguably the hottest bat in MLB. O’Neill got the Red Sox on the board with his solo home run in the first inning, his seventh of the season. O’Neill later hit a third-inning single to left and had a hard line drive robbed by Angels center fielder Mike Trout in the fifth inning.
— Bello was good for the Red Sox as he threw 107 pitches, a season-high for Red Sox starters. Bello allowed two runs on five hits across 5 1/3 innings. He threw 72 of those 107 pitches for strikes, struck out eight batters and allowed two walks.
— Slaten stepped up in a big spot for the Red Sox. Slaten inherited runners at first and third with one out in the sixth inning, and proceeded to get an inning-ending double play. Slaten limited the Angels to two hits in 2 1/3 innings with 22 of his 34 pitches going for strikes.
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ON DECK AT NESN
Rafael Devers is expected to be back when the Red Sox host the Cleveland Guardians in a Patriots’ Day matchup at Fenway Park on Monday morning. First pitch is scheduled for 11:10 a.m. ET, and you can watch it on NESN after an hour of pregame coverage.
Featured image via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
