The Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox convened in Anaheim this week sporting the best records in baseball and explosive lineups led by two of the most dynamic players in the game, outfielders Mike Trout and Mookie Betts.
It seemed a little bigger than your typical mid-April series, and not just because two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani started the opener for the Angels. It was a chance for the upstart Angels to see how they stack up against a team that will battle the New York Yankees for AL East supremacy.
Or maybe not.
“It’s always fun to play good teams, regardless of the time of year, but it’s April, and we’re just worried about ourselves and what we can do to get better,” Angels second baseman Ian Kinsler said. “We’re not measuring ourselves against anyone else.”
A sound approach, this was, because two games in against the Red Sox, the Angels clearly don’t measure up.
Boston pounded Angels starter Tyler Skaggs for six runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings, Rafael Devers’ grand slam keying a five-run third, and right-hander Rick Porcello threw six shutout innings to lead the Red Sox to a 9-0 victory before an announced crowd of 34,508 in Angel Stadium Wednesday night.
“Tyler just missed with some pitches, third inning big, trying to work out of trouble, didn’t quite get a curve ball where he wanted to, and Devers hit it well, give him credit,” said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. “Those guys, if you miss your spots, they can swing the bats. We can too, but we really haven’t pressured them on the offensive side.”
J.D. Martinez had four hits, including a solo homer in the seventh, and Mitch Moreland capped a three-hit, four-RBI night with a two-run homer in the ninth to push the Red Sox to 15-2, the best start in the 118-year history of the franchise.
Including Tuesday night’s 10-1 thrashing of the Angels, Boston has outscored the Angels 19-1, outhit them 29-10 and outhomered them 9-0 in two games. They have completely outpitched the Angels and played superior defense.
Porcello, who mixes a heavy sinking two-seam fastball with a slider and a changeup, allowed six hits, struck out six and walked none to improve to 4-0 with a 1.40 ERA.
Skaggs was described as “effectively awful” in his last start, when he needed 114 pitches to complete five innings of one-run, five-hit, four-walk ball against Texas.
He laboured again at the start Wednesday night, needing 27 pitches to complete a first inning in which Hanley Ramirez doubled and Moreland ripped a hanging curve to right field for a two-out RBI single and a 1-0 Boston lead. Skaggs appeared to right himself in the second, needing 10 pitches to breeze through a one-two-three inning. More trouble awaited in the third.
Betts, who hit three solo homers Tuesday night, led off with a single to center, and Ramirez chopped a grounder that Zack Cozart, the third baseman, backed up on and fielded well behind the bag.
Cozart, who spent the last six seasons playing shortstop for Cincinnati and opened this season at second base in place of the injured Kinsler, was making his fourth career start at third. His inexperience showed.
Though his only play was at first base, Cozart threw to second in an attempt to force the speedy Betts, who easily beat the throw. Martinez laced a 73-mph curve to center for a single to load the bases, as the “Let’s Go Red Sox!” chants, a staple in Angel Stadium when Boston is in town, grew in volume and clarity.
Moreland flared a 92-mph fastball to left for an RBI single and a 2-0 lead, and Devers lined a 76-mph curve high off the right-field wall for his first career grand slam and a 6-0 lead.
RESULTS
Mets 11 Nationals 5
Red Sox 9 Angels 0
Twins 2 Indians 1 (16 innings)
Athletics 12 White Sox 11 (14 innings)
Tigers 6 Orioles 5
Astros 7 Mariners 1
Blue Jays 15 Royals 5
Braves 7 Phillies 3
Giants 4 Diamondbacks 3 (10 innings)
Dodgers 13 Padres 4
Rays 4 Rangers 2
Brewers 2 Reds 0
Pirates 10 Rockies 2
Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers hits a grand slam home run against the Los Angeles Angels in the third inning of their MLB game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. PICTURE: USA TODAY Sports
