What seemed like an easy victory for the Red Sox instead turned into a late-inning nailbiter.
After racing to a 6-0 lead after two innings, the Red Sox saw the Los Angeles Angels tie it up in the seventh, before the Sox rallied to re-take the lead for good with two in seventh and another in the eighth, posting a 9-6 win, their third straight.
Homers by Eduardo Nunez, Sandy Leon and J.D. Martinez helped the Sox get out ahead early. But starter Rick Porcello allowed a three-run homer to Martin Maldonado in the sixth, and Joe Kelly's sloppy fielding and poor pitching allowed the Angels to tie in the seventh.
A run-scoring double by Rafael Devers and an RBI single from Leon in the seventh re-claimed the lead and the Sox scored another run in the eighth on a wild pitch. That wild pitch resulted in an ugly injury to Angels reliever Jake Jewell, who had his leg collapse as he raced to the plate to take a throw and had to be carted off the field.
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS
10:12 That's the best I've seen Eduardo Nunez run all season. He motored from first to home on the Devers hit to the gap
9:57 Fourth time this month in 10 appearances that Kelly has been scored upon, third time for multiple runs.
9:36 Joe Kelly gets the seventh, with presumably, Matt Barnes for the eighth. Why Kelly first, if he's the top high leverage guy? Because the Angels have 2-3-4 (Trout-Upton-Pujols) coming up this inning, that's why.
9:25 Lack of execution there by Porcello and it comes back to haunt him. Left a two-seamer up in the heart of the plate and Martin Maldonado crushed it into the Monster Seats in left-center. Suddenly, a pretty close game at 6-4.
9:11 Once more, the replay system abounds in mystery. From every conceivable angle shown on the NESN telecast, it appeared as though Albert Pujols failed to ever tag Eduardo Nunez. And yet, the call "stands.'' Go figure.
7:58 J.D. Martinez sets a Red Sox franchise record for most homers before July 1 with his 25th, with two aboard. Also, Martinez has more homers this year -- at the exact midway point of the schedule -- than any Red Sox player hit all of last season
7:47 Not much mystery to that one -- Eduardo Nunez got a fat sinker, up over the middle of the plate, and hammered it into the center field bleachers.
7:22 Andrew Benintendi is now 13-for-14 in stolen base tries this season.
7:14 You forget sometimes how much speed Mike Trout has, especially for a player his size -- until at-bats like the one he had in the first inning. On a routine, hard-hit ground ball to third, the throw from Rafael Devers beat Trout to first by about a step.
WHO: Red Sox vs. Angels
WHEN: 7:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
WHAT'S UP: This is the fourth meeting of the year between the teams and the Red Sox have scored no fewer than eight runs in the four games, outscoring the Angels 36-4. The Sox have won four of their last five overall. The Sox tied a season high with five homers Tuesday night; in games in which they've hit multiple homers this season, the Sox are 32-5, including 19-1 in the last 20 occasions. The Angels are reeling, in danger of dropping out of the wild card chase. They've dropped four straight and seven of their last 10.
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Rick Porcello (9-3, 3.44) vs. LHP Andrew Heaney (4-5, 3.43)
TV/RADIO: NESN/MLB NETWORK; WEEI 93.7 FM
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Betts RF
Benintendi LF
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Moreland 1B
Nunez 2B
Devers 3B
Leon C
Bradley CF
ANGELS
Kinsler
Trout
Upton LF
Pujols 1B
Valbuena 3B
Simmons SS
Calhoun RF
Maldonado C
Hermosillo CF
NEWS AND NOTES
- LHP Drew Pomeranz (biceps tendonitis) threw a simulated game for two innings Wednesday afternoon and both he and the Red Sox were encouraged by the results. "I felt right where I wanted to be,'' said Pomeranz afterward. "We'll see where we go from here. Obviously, I didn't want to get hurt, didn't want to go on the DL. But you learn to use that time wisely, so we're trying to get everything together and it's working out pretty well.'' "He looked better,'' reported manager Alex Cora. "His arm speed was better and mechanics-wise, he was pretty close to where he was last year.'' Pomeranz is tentatively scheduled to make a rehab start for Pawtucket on Monday. He'll need at least two outings to build up his arm strength before the Sox can consider a return.
- The Red Sox announced that they signed INF Brandon Phillips to a minor league deal. Phillips, 37, hasn't played anywhere this season, but is obviously being looked at as an option at second, with the immediate future of Dustin Pedroia in doubt. Phillips split last year between Atlanta and the L.A. Angels and actually had a decent season with a slash line of .285/.319/.416 and some pop (!3 homers, 60 RBI), but couldn't get a job this spring. He'll report to the club's spring training complex in Fort Myers to get into shape and then join Pawtucket.