BSJ Game Report: Red Sox 5, Angels 3 - Devers, bullpen help Boston past sloppy Los Angeles

All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Angels, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

Angels were the gift that kept on giving: After taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a Hunter Renfroe Wall-ball double — which felt like it might hold up, the way the Sox have been going — the Angels were in a giving mood behind starter Patrick Sandoval. Rafael Devers reached on an error by shortstop Luis Rengifo, and he was plated when Kiké Hernández doubled. After back-to-back strikeouts and a walk, Anthony Rendon made his first of two throwing errors on a routine ball that should have ended the inning, instead the game was tied 2-2. After Devers gave the Sox the lead on a Pesky Pole shot in the fifth, LA got sloppy again in the sixth. Even though Aaron Loup hit two batters to start the inning, he should have gotten out to it when Rendon threw away another potential inning-ending play with two outs. Instead, a run was scored and the final run came on a Loagn O’Hoppe passed ball. The Red Sox scored five runs on two hits.

“That’s part of the game, right?” Alex Cora told reporters. “I always say that, at this level, if you give the opposition more than 27 outs, at one point they’re going to make you pay and we did. We put the ball in play, we ran hard, they threw the ball away, and we got a W.”

“We just made uncharacteristic mistakes,” Angels manager Phil Nevin told reporters. “We’re better than that. We all know that. Mistakes happen. Just one of those nights.”

Bullpen, Jansen impressive: Other than the pitch to Renfroe and a bout of wildness — he tied a career-high with four walks — Tanner Houck was mostly solid in his four innings of work, as he allowed four hits and struck out seven. But it was the bullpen that stole the show. Josh Winckowski (3 innings, one run), John Schreiber (scoreless 8th) and, especially, Kenley Jansen helped the Sox give up just one run over the final eight innings.

Jansen came on to face Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Renfroe and he whiffed them all on 13 pitches (11 strikes) around a Rendon bloop single. Trout and Ohtani were overmatched to continue a history with little success against the veteran right-hander. 

“Man, it was fun,” Jansen said. “Facing the best hitters in the game, and I got out of it. So, definitely a good feeling, especially my first save at Fenway. So that’s a good one.”

"He's feeling good," said Cora of his closer, who has pitched scoreless in all four appearances this season and he's now 3-for-3 in save opportunities. "He works so hard and he understands how his pitches have to play. ... Today, that was fun to watch. I know he enjoyed it too."

TURNING POINT

Considering the Red Sox had lost four straight and were clobbered by at the Trop — generating just one lead the entire series — it was significant that Devers gave Boston some good vibes with his sixth homer for the season, which ties him with New York's Pete Alonzo and Baltimore's Ryan Mountcastle for the MLB lead.

ONE UP

Kiké Hernández: Is starting to heat up a little as he went 2 for 4 to raise his average to .146. Better yet, he made Cora look pretty smart for putting Justin Turner in the 2nd spot ahead of Rob Refsnyder and Devers, leaving Hernandez of all people as the protection behind Devers. Not so crazy, apparently. Hernandez has recorded an RBI in each of his last 3 games since snapping an 0-for-28 span with an RBI double in the 5th inning on Wednesday at Tampa

THREE DOWN

Triston Casas: He was brutal going hitless in three at-bats: two strikeouts (one he looked foolish he was so out in front) and a weak grounder. He's now hitting .122 and is hitless in his last five games and six of seven. 

Rob Refsnyder and Christian Arroyo: Combined they were 0 for 9 with four strikeouts and left three on base. They are batting .148 and .171 respectively. Of the Red Sox's nine-man lineup, six are batting below .200.

QUOTE OF NOTE

"Representing the city ... we just needed a win regardless if we were representing Caguas (Puerto Rico), to be honest with you. ... We can breathe now, you know? ... Obviously you know the playoffs, it starts now, the Bruins and the Celtics — I mean where else you want to be? Just to start the weekend with a W is fun." - Cora.

NOTES

LF Masataka Yoshida, sidelined since Tuesday with right hamstring tightness, could return to the lineup Saturday, possibly Sunday. ... RHP Brayan Bello is expected to start Monday morning in the Patriots’ Day game, opposed by Ohtani.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Red Sox have come from behind in 4 of their 6 wins this season.
• Improved to 16-4 (.800) when wearing their Nike City Connect Series uniforms, including 10-2 since the start of 2022.
• Boston has scored 28 runs in Houck's 3 starts this season.
• Angels have been held to 4 runs or fewer in each of their last 4 games

UP NEXT

The second game of the four-game series starts at 4:10 p.m. and will feature RHP Nick Pivetta (0-1, 0.90) vs. LHP Tyler Anderson (1-0, 4.22).