ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Continuing their run of dominance, the Red Sox picked up their sixth win in a row Wednesday with a 9-0 shutout of the Los Angeles Angels, improving to 15-2 through their first 17 games.
Rick Porcello (4-0) held the Angels scoreless through six innings, working out of jams in the first and third innings. All six of the hits against him were singles and the Angels didn't get a baserunner past second base after the first inning. Thirteen times in the first 17 games, the Red Sox starting pitcher has given up no more than one run.
Boston blasted three more homers -- including a grand slam from Rafael Devers, the first of his career, and fourth for the team in the last 10 games -- to give them nine for the two games against the Angels. J.D. Martinez (four hits) added a solo shot in the seventh and Mitch Moreland provided a two-run belt in the ninth for the finishing touch. Moreland, who had run-scoring singles in both the first and third, finished with four RBI.
On their current winning streak, the Red Sox have outscored opponents 45-11.
WHO: Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels
WHEN: 10:07 p.m. EST
WHERE: Angel Stadium
WHAT'S UP: The streaking Red Sox own the best record in the game. They've won five straight and 14 of their last 15 and are off to their best start in franchise story, having lost just once since an Opening Day defeat. The Sox bludgeoned the Angels 10-1 in the series opener Tuesday night, and with a win Wednesday night, can lay claim to having won each of their first six series. The Angels still lead the A.L. West and will look to get back on track after their starting pitcher, Shohei Ohtani, was shelled for four runs in the first two innings and left with a blister.
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Rick Porcello (3-0, 1.83) vs. LHP Tyler Skaggs (2-0, 1.69).
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI 93.7 FM
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS
11:57 Porcello gets Mike Trout to fly out to center and that marks the first time tonight he's retired either Trout or Ian Kinsler, the top two hitters in the Angels' lineup. They had been 4-for-4 with a HBP; everyone else was 2-for-14 with six strikeouts.
11:20 Porcello continues to pitch out of jams. The Angels are just 1-for-7 with four strikeouts with RISP.
11:12 That's four grand slams (Devers, first career) in the last 10 games for the Red Sox, who had zero in all of 2017.
11:00 Another solid at-bat for Moreland, who gets a pitch out of the heart of the plate and takes it to left field. Two at-bats, two run-scoring singles for Moreland, stationed in the cleanup spot tonight.
10:58 Betts is usually one of the most instinctive baserunners on the team, but he didn't get good jump there, believing, apparently, that the ball might be caught by second baseman Ian Kinsler. Instead, the ball gets through into center and Betts has to stop at third, though, given how hard it was hit and the fact that Mike Trout was charging the ball, he probably wouldn't have scored anyway.
10:54 Mookie Betts, diving back into first base on a back pick by catcher Martin Maldonado, gets hit on the left leg by the throw. Wincing in pain for a bit, he flexes the leg and remains in the game.
10:47 Far more efficient inning for Porcello, who, after needing 23 pitches to get through the first inning, requires only 12 to retire the Angels in order in the second.
10:34 Strange inning for Rick Porcello, who gives up three hard-hit singles, but also strikes out three, all swinging. He's had difficulty in the first inning since last year, but came up big to fan both Kole Calhoun and Zack Cozart with the bases loaded.
10:16 Tyler Skaggs had gone away to Mitch Moreland with the first two pitches of the at-bat, but then hung a curveball in and Moreland roped it into the right field corner for an RBI-single, scoring Hanley Ramirez (double).
LINEUPS
Red Sox
Betts RF
Ramirez DH
Martinez LF
Moreland 1B
Nunez 2B
Devers 3B
Leon C
Bradley CF
Lin SS
Angels
Kinsler 2B
Trout CF
Upton LF
Pujols DH
Calhoun RF
Cozart 3B
Valbuena 1B
Simmons SS
Maldonado C
NEWS AND NOTES:
- LHP Bobby Poyner (hamstring) is close to going on a rehab assignment. It will likely be a short one, perhaps two appearances. "With him,'' said Alex Cora, "if he's able to move, field his position and repeat his delivery, he should be fine.''
- RHP Steven Wright will begin a rehab assignment Friday at Pawtucket.
- Cora isn't a fan of the "personal catcher'' concept, but he acknowledged Wednesday that he's purposely matching Sandy Leon with Rick Porcello. "He caught him in that last start in spring training, against the Cubs,'' said Cora. "I've been making sure he catches him. The pitch usage...there's something going on. I can't explain it. There's a lot of conviction in the way he's calling the game (for Porcello). Don't get me wrong, Christian (Vazquez) is doing the same thing (for others pitchers). It really doesn't matter with the pitchers, but there's something there that I do feel is clicking and it also helps Christian to get some rest.''
- Cora praised Brian Johnson, who contributed three shutout innings of relief after David Price was lifted after five innings Tuesday. "When you have guys who can give you multiple innings and quality innings, that's a plus for us,'' said Cora. "I know it was a 9-1 game and he gave us x amount of outs. But I trust him and Valezquez in a three-run game in the sixth inning. If they can give us nine outs and we stay away from our big boys -- Craig (Kimbrel) and Joe (Kelly) and (Matt) Barnes -- because they need a rest, it's a great. We feel, on a daily basis, with those two guys we have length, but we also have quality, too.'' As an added benefit, the multi-inning stints allow the Sox to keep Johnson and (Hector) Velazquez to keep stretched outs in the event they're needed down the road for a spot start.