Red Sox Wrap: Boston Plays Clean, Secures Win Over Angels

BOSTON — The Red Sox needed to bounce back Saturday, and did exactly that by winning the middle game of their series against the Los Angeles Angels, 7-2, at Fenway Park.

Boston moves to 8-7 with the win, while LA falls to 7-7.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Red Sox needed a win Saturday, but even more than that, they just needed to put a disastrous few days behind them.

Boston was able to accomplish that, and left little doubt in the process.

Triston Casas helped put a crooked number on the board early, belting a two-run shot into the right-field bleachers to give the Red Sox a lead. It was enough to keep the pressure off spot starter Cooper Criswell, who fought through four innings and kept the Angels fighting from behind.

Crushed.
Destroyed.
Demolished. pic.twitter.com/nImFOWDKd8

— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 13, 2024

Boston shifted to the bullpen in the fifth inning, and that’s really where the story begins.

It’s been a rough go for the relievers, who coughed up multiple leads coming into the series, but they bounced back with five shutdown innings. Greg Weissert got things going in the fifth and sixth, while Josh Winckowski shut LA down during the seventh and eighth. Joely Rodríguez locked the door in the ninth.

It wasn’t a bad game for the defense, either, and although a base-running error led to Enmanuel Valdez’s removal from the game due to a wrist injury, you could say the Red Sox played a clean game.

Given the week they’ve had? You can’t ask for much more.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Casas is off to a much better start this April than last, moving his WRC+ to 130 halfway through the month. He went 1-for-4 from the dish with his homer.

— Masataka Yoshida had a nice afternoon, connecting on a pair of RBI singles in his first two plate appearances.

— Wilyer Abreu finished 2-for-4 from the plate, tallying an RBI and a number of solid defensive plays in right field.

UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Angels will meet for the rubber match of their three-game set Sunday at Fenway Park. It’ll be the final game between the two teams this season, with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET, following an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.