Angels Sweep Sox Again After Tough Loss (62-70)

Lester allowed five runs in eight innings

This game pretty much exemplified this season, the pitching was bad from their ace, their offense couldn't hit when it counted, and the game wasn't even particularly close. The Angels jumped out to a lead in the first after Mike Trout walked and Torii Hunter singled, putting runners at the corners. Both runners came home when Albert Pujols knocked a double on a ground ball down the third base line and past the diving Pedro Ciriaco. However, the Red Sox bats got right to work as they loaded the bases on two walks and a single with one out. They got one run back when Mike Aviles drove in James Loney with a sacrifice fly. However, the Angels didn't stop in the third, as they got into a good scoring position with a pair of one out singles.

Loney hit his first Red Sox HR

Back-to-back singles by Mark Trumbo and Alberto Callaspo would net the Angels two more runs to make it 4-1. The Angels just kept on rolling over Jon Lester (8-10, 4.98) in the fourth when they put runners at first and third with no outs. They scored a run on a double play ball by Mike Trout which increased the Angels lead to four runs at 5-1. There was a rare scoreless inning in the fifth but the Red Sox cut into the Angels' lead a bit in the sixth. On a weird hit, James Loney turned a low-inside curveball (not a bad pitch by any means) into a hard line drive home run to right field to make it 5-2. However, that would be one of relatively few blemishes in a great outing for Zach Greinke as he exited after the seventh with a line of 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K. The Angels relief corps (an inning of Kevin Jepsen and an inning of Ernesto Frieri) shut down the Red Sox for the next two in a rough loss.

Bright Spots:
James Loney- 3-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 2-3, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Scott Podsednik- 0-5, 3 K, 2 LOB
Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB
Pedro Ciriaco- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
James Loney- Loney had his first good night in a Red Sox uniform as he knocked a home run and scored another run in a 3-4 night-- he is now .412/1/4 in Boston.