Final: Red Sox 4, Angels 2 - Red Sox made it four straight

After bludgeoning the Los Angeles Angels in their first five meeting this season, the Red Sox swept the season series by more conventional means, snapping a 1-1 tie with a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh for a 4-2 victory.

Boston had never before swept a season series as long as six games with any opponent.

A bases-loaded walk to Brock Holt snapped the tie in the sixth and a two-run homer from Jackie Bradley upped the lead further in the seventh.

Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez, in effect splitting a spot start, combined to allow just one run through the first six innings.

The win was Boston's fourth in a row and sixth in the last seven, heading into their big series with the Yankees this weekend in New York.

IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:

10:00  Another rocky inning for Joe Kelly, who gives up a walk and two singles to the first two hitters he faces, resulting in a run. He then gave up two rockets -- a hard liner right at Mookie Betts in RF and another screaming line drive that was somehow hauled in by Andrew Benintendi in left, who made a spectacular leaping catch in front of The Wall to save two runs.

9:38 Jackie Bradley's hot week continues with a laser of a homer into the right field bleachers, scoring Vazquez ahead of him. That's eight hits for Bradley since Sunday.

9:24    Sox have to be happy with what they got from their stitched-together start from relievers Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez - six innings, one run on four hits allowed. Now, it's on to the usual late-inning relievers. But with a start to fill, the Sox did pretty well for themselves with Johnson and Velazquez.

9:21    A bases-loaded walk to Brock Holt forces in a run to give the Red Sox their first lead of the night, but the Sox leave a lot on the table in the sixth. Rafael Devers ends the inning with a 1-2-3 double-play and the Sox have to be satisfied with just the one run.

8:49   An example of the great plate coverage Rafael Devers has -- a 2-and-0 pitch inches off the ground that the third baseman golfed into the center field bleachers for his 13th homer of the season, tying the game at 1-1.

8:02 The Sox were unsure what they could expect in terms of length from Brian Johnson, who hasn't been stretched out in some time. He's made a few multi-inning relief appearances, but this is his first start since the first weekend of the regular season. So far, however, Johnson has done fine, shutting out the Angels through the first three innings on 51 pitches. He'll go back out for the fourth, but unless it's a very quick inning, it's hard to imagine him going longer than that.

7:36 Xander Bogaerts continues to be a doubles machine. That line drive into the left field corner was his 23rd two-base hit of the season, placing him in the Top 10 in the American League despite a DL stint that forced him to miss more than two weeks back in April.

7:15 Your basic circus catch by Jackie Bradley Jr., tracking a long fly ball by Justin Upton to the wall in dead center, leaping and robbing Upton of extra bases.

 

WHO:  Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels
WHERE: Fenway Park
WHEN: 7:10 p.m.
WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox are seeking a season sweep of the Angels, having won the first five by a combined total of 45-10. The Sox have never swept a season series from anyone for as long as six games before and have never before swept a season series against the Angels at any length. Boston has averaged nine runs per game against the Angels.  Brian Johnson hasn't started since the fourth game of the season.
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Brian Johnson (1-2, 4.50) vs. RHP Jaime Barria (5-3, 3.40)
TV/RADIO: NESN/ESPN; WEEI 93.7



LINEUPS

RED SOX

Betts RF
Benintendi LF
Martinez DH
Moreland 1B
Bogaerts SS
Holt 2B
Devers 3B
Vazquez C
Bradley CF

ANGELS

Kinsler 2B
Trout DH
Upton LF
Pujols 1B
Simmons SS
Fletcher 3B
Young CF
Briceno C
Hermosillo RF