All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 12-4 loss to the Angels, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Boobirds make an appearance: It was bad enough the Sox gave up three runs in the first for the second-straight game, and trailed 5-2 heading to the seventh. But after a circus seven-run seventh for the Angels, the Fenway Faithful were a little salty and let their team have it. Darwinzon Hernandez started the inning, and was eventually relieved by Hector Velazquez. By the end of the frame, they hit two batters (one, Mike Trout, with the bases loaded), walked one, had a passed ball, a two-run error by Sam Travis (who later got a mock cheer) and allowed four hits.
Porcello runs into issues early, then late: Rick Porcello, who had won five of his last six starts, got off to a rough start when he gave up a three-run homer to Justin Upton down the right-field line in the first inning. But he largely cruised from there, retiring 14 straight batters at one point. Then in the span of three pitches in the sixth, Porcello's day was over: single to Kole Calhoun, Trout home run. That was it, after 75 pitches. "Sixth inning, threw three pitches and gave up two runs," Porcello said. "It’s tough, I gotta be better. ... Between there, we were getting quick outs, we were mixing pitches, rolling along just fine and it happened quick there in the sixth. That’s it." Porcello has now allowed 25 home runs on the season, sixth in the league.
https://twitter.com/Angels/status/1160310993127444486
Trout finally homers at Fenway: Mike Trout, one of the best players on the planet, hit his first Fenway home run is his 90th at-bat. "I don’t think about it, I think I get reminded by people," Trout said. "It’s always fun coming back here to play. A lot of history. A lot of baseball has been played here." The blast off Porcello was Trout's 39th of the season, which tied him with Christian Yelich for the MLB lead. Trout is now batting .344 (31-for-90) with 14 RBIs in 22 career games at The Fens. Trout has at last four home runs in every other AL ballpark.
TURNING POINT
The Red Sox, considering their offense, still had hopes for a comeback even down 7-2 after Trout was hit by a pitch. But when Shohei Ohtani stroked a two-run single to right-center, the game was over.
TWO UP
Brock Holt: Had a double and a triple in his three at-bats and all were well-hit. Oh, and he didn't leave a runner on base.
Ryan Weber: The slight right-hander came on in the eighth and allowed two hits in the final two innings.
THREE DOWN
Xander Bogaerts: Was 0 for 5 at the dish and left a team-high five runners (of 17 total) left on base. The team was 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
Michael Chavis: Was also 0 for 5, with three strikeouts.
Darwinzon Hernandez: Faced eight batters and allowed two hits, walked two and hit another.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"Last year, it was a dream season. This season, you’re getting punched in the face every fifth day and it is what it is." — Porcello.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Allowed three runs in the first inning via a three-run homer for the second straight game. It marked the 2nd time allowing 3+ runs in the 1st inning in consecutive games this season (also 6/26 vs. White Sox-6, 6/29 vs. NYY-3).
- The Red Sox have allowed multiple homers in 10 of their 14 games beginning July 28 (25 total). They are 17-30 (.425) when allowing two-plus home runs.
- Sam Travis has three home runs in his last four games. Four of his five HR in 2019 have an estimated distance of 400-plus feet.
- The Angels scored five-plus runs for the first time since July 30 vs. the Tigers, ending an eight-game streak of games scoring four runs or fewer.