MLB Notebook: Red Sox stay hot in Anaheim, All-Star snubs, Contreras speaks out, Midsummer Classic lookahead

The Red Sox have taken the first two games of their series against the Angels after cruising to an 8-1 victory Saturday night at Angel Stadium.

Boston’s win was fueled by a pair of players who were left off the American League All-Star roster earlier in the day and wasted little time reminding everyone why they deserve to be in Philadelphia for the Midsummer Classic.

The Sox jumped on the Angels immediately, taking a 3-0 lead in the first inning behind Willson Contreras’ three-run homer before breaking the game open with a four-run fifth that featured a two-run blast from Romy González.

Sonny Gray handled the rest.

The veteran right-hander turned in another outstanding outing, allowing one run on four hits over six innings while striking out seven and walking two. Gray improved to 10-1 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.61, the second-best mark in the American League.

Gray has now delivered six consecutive quality starts since May 30, going 5-0 with a sparkling 1.97 ERA during that stretch.

Few offseason additions around baseball have paid bigger dividends than Gray and Contreras. Acquired from the Cardinals over the winter, the duo has been instrumental in keeping the Red Sox afloat, yet both were surprisingly left off the American League All-Star roster.

Contreras, in particular, has a compelling case.

The first baseman has already launched 19 home runs and is on pace to shatter his career high of 24. He’s also batting in the middle of Boston’s lineup with 56 RBIs, a .536 slugging percentage and a career-best .914 OPS.

According to FanGraphs, Contreras has been worth 2.9 WAR this season, trailing only the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz (3.4) among American League first basemen.

With Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. announcing he won’t participate in the All-Star Game, Contreras should be one of the leading candidates to be named as his replacement.

Before Saturday’s game, Contreras admitted he tried not to get caught up in the All-Star announcement, but acknowledged he believed he had done enough to earn the honor.

"If you ask me if I feel personally that I'm deserving, I would tell you yes," Contreras said.

In the clubhouse afterward, Gray didn’t hide his disappointment. The veteran right-hander offered a candid assessment of being left off the American League All-Star roster.

"I was disappointed, for sure," Gray said. "[I’m just] being honest. ... Happy for Ranger and happy for Chappie, for sure. Very well deserving, both of those guys. But a little selfishly, I was disappointed."

The Red Sox will have just two representatives at this year’s All-Star Game, both of them left-handed pitchers.

Ranger Suarez and Aroldis Chapman were Boston’s lone selections after strong first halves that helped anchor the club’s pitching staff.

For Suarez, the trip to Philadelphia will be a homecoming of sorts.

The veteran left-hander spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Phillies before signing with the Red Sox this past offseason. He’ll return to Citizens Bank Park having posted a 2.94 ERA across 16 starts.

It marks the second All-Star selection of Suarez’s career. He also earned the honor in 2024 but was unable to participate because of injury, making this his first opportunity to take part in the Midsummer Classic.

"This will be nice to be able to be present there and take it all in," Suárez said through Pérez. "Just looking to go and enjoy, be a part of it, have fun with everybody there. This being my first one that I'm there, who knows, maybe I'll get to play in the game and be a part of it in that way."

Chapman, who earned his All-Star selection through the players’ vote, also reached a historic milestone Friday night.

In the series opener against the Angels, the 38-year-old closer picked up his 17th save of the season while recording the 1,364th strikeout of his career, surpassing Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm for the most strikeouts by a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball history. Wilhelm’s record had stood for 54 years.

The milestone added another chapter to what has been a remarkable first season in Boston for Chapman, who has once again established himself as one of baseball’s most dominant late-inning arms.

"I think it's really important. It's big for me, that fact," Chapman said through a team interpreter. "I think it's a testament to how they recognize the amount of discipline and hard work that I've put in. And to have that recognized, it's kind of them showing me my merit with how I've been performing over the years."

Now a nine-time All-Star, Chapman admitted his perspective on the event has changed as he’s gotten older, saying he appreciates the opportunity more now than he did earlier in his career.

"Everyone knows it. I'm 38, so some might say, you know, I'm reaching the end of my career," Chapman said. "So I'm just going to enjoy it. I'm going to enjoy it as much as I can, because you don't ever know if this is going to be the last one -- the last time that I get selected."

Beyond the All-Star snubs, the Red Sox put the game away with a four-run fifth inning against reliever Samy Natera Jr.

Wilyer Abreu ripped a two-run double into right field before González capped the rally with a two-run homer, stretching Boston’s lead to 7-1. Ceddanne Rafaela added an RBI double in the eighth inning to put the finishing touches on the 8-1 victory.

"We're doing a nice job taking our walks when they give them to us," Chad Tracy said of the offensive approach. "Just be very selective. ... And then we got people on base and got three big swings from the big boys between Willson, Romy, and Abreu."

With the game comfortably in hand, Tracy lifted Gray after six innings and turned things over to the bullpen. Jovani Morán, Greg Weissert and Alec Gamboa combined for three scoreless innings to finish off Boston’s second straight win over the Angels.

“We had a sizable lead, a full bullpen, some guys that haven’t thrown, it felt like we had a pretty good handle on it and after pushing him hard with the potential no-hitter last time it just felt like it was good to give him a little extra breather,” Tracy said.

With the win, the Red Sox improved to 39-48 and climbed back to within nine games of .500 after briefly falling back into double digits earlier in the week.

Boston will go for the three-game sweep Sunday night behind Suarez (4-3, 2.94 ERA), who is scheduled to face Angels right-hander Ryan Johnson (1-3, 7.40 ERA). First pitch is set for 9:30 p.m. ET.

Contreras Apologizes

Before Saturday night’s win over the Angels, Contreras addressed the string of emotional on-field incidents that culminated in his suspension following last week’s benches-clearing altercation with the Nationals.

The suspension stemmed from Contreras’ role in Tuesday’s confrontation with Washington after Nationals starter Cade Cavalli appeared to direct comments toward him following a strikeout. The Red Sox first baseman walked toward the mound, the benches and bullpens emptied, and Contreras was ultimately ejected after throwing his helmet during the melee.

Just one night earlier, Contreras had also been ejected after