BSJ Game Report: Angels 6, Red Sox 5 -- Ohtani's homer boosts Angels in the ninth

All you need to know about the Red Sox' loss to the Angels, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

BOX SCORE 

HEADLINES

Barnes' streak comes to end: Matt Barnes had been a perfect 9-for-9 in save opportunities until Sunday, but couldn't close out this one. With the Red Sox leading 5-4, Barnes retired the first two hitters in the ninth. He then got Mike Trout to hit a harmless pop-up to shallow right, but with the infield shifted around and the outfield playing back, the ball found a spot on the outfield grass, eluding three Sox fielders in pursuit. That should have been the first sign for the Red Sox that this one wasn't going to end well. Sure enough, on the first pitch to Shohei Ohtani, the Angels' DH turned on an inside fastball and drove it into the right-field seats, putting the Angels ahead for good, 6-5. The Sox had two baserunners on and one out in the ninth, but couldn't cash in, as their three-game winning streak was snapped and a chance to sweep the Angels eluded them.

Eovaldi pays for one bad inning: Nathan Eovaldi pitched five innings in his start Sunday. In four of them, the Angels were 2-for-14 and Eovaldi fanned five in 49 pitches. The problem came in the second when Eovaldi experienced a nightmare inning, throwing 38 pitches and allowing four runs. A few of the hits early in the inning were hard-hit, but later, some others were softly hit, only to somehow fall in. Phil Gosselin's bloop double, which scored a run, was a perfect example of this and so too was a soft liner to left from light-hitting catcher Drew Butera, which scored two. Eovaldi was otherwise strong, but couldn't extricate himself from an inning that managed to get away from him.

TURNING POINT

The game was lost in the ninth....or was it? The Red Sox had a golden chance far earlier in the game to do some damage and couldn't come up with much. They got back-to-back singles from Marwin Gonzalez and Kevin Plawecki to open the third and a run-scoring double from Jonathan Arauz in the third, giving them second-and-third and no out. A base hit would have scored two and started a big inning. Even a fly ball, or a groundout would have given them at least one more run. Instead, Michael Chavis and Rafael Devers fanned and J.D. Martinez ended the threat with a popup to first. It served as one more example of the Sox not taking full advantage of some early chances in the game -- and regretting them later.

TWO UP

Kevin Plawecki: Filling in behind the plate, Plawecki had a two-hit game with a single in his first trip and a solo homer in his second plate appearance.

Rafael Devers: Devers tied J.D. Martinez for the team lead in homers with a huge three-run homer in the fifth that wiped out the Angels' 4-2 lead.

ONE DOWN

Xander Bogaerts: Serving as the DH for the afternoon, Bogaerts had an atypically quiet day with the bat, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout and a double play.

QUOTE OF NOTE

"I personally think he's the most physically gifted baseball player I've ever seen.'' Matt Barnes on Shohei Ohtani.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

* The loss was the first one for the Red Sox this season in which they had led after eight innings. They had been 21-0 until Sunday.

* The Red Sox have hit multiple homers in four straight games.

* Rafael Devers leads the majors in go-ahead or game-tying RBI this season with 15.

* J.D. Martinez posted his second outfield assist this season in the fifth inning and the 13th for the Red Sox outfield.

* Kevin Plawecki hit his first homer of the season and first since last Sept. 6

UP NEXT

The Red Sox are off Monday before starting a six-game road trip Tuesday night in Dunedin, Fla. against the Toronto Blue Jays. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (5-1, 4.15) vs. LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (3-2, 2.95)