Angels Give Detmers Run Support In 6-1 Win Over Red Sox

The Los Angeles Angels finally backed up a starter with some genuine run support, and lefty Reid Detmers was the beneficiary as he pitching brilliantly (again) and the Angels posted a 6-1 win over the Boston Red Sox. 

Runs have been hard to come by for Angels starter lately, but the Angels gave Detmers what passes for a cushion to work with early, starting with a double from Vaughn Grissom off Boston starter Sandoval, followed by a sacrifice bunt from Moises Ballasteros and a double-play grounder from Christian Moore to make it 1-0. 

The Halos got two more in the third when Denzer Guzman singled, Mike Trout walked, and Jose Siri singled to score Guzman. Grissom did the same to bring Trout home, and that gave the Angels a 3-0 lead. 

The Angels bumped up their lead in the fifth on another double-play ball, this one afer a double from Travis d’Arnaud and a single by Zach Neto. 

That made it 4-0, but the Red Sox got one back in the seventh with Detmers finally out of the game. The rally started off reliever Jose Fermin when Jose Siri turned an ordinary Trevor Story single into a double with a daring dive that failed, and Nick Sogard singled him home. 

But the Angels bullpen settled down after that as Tyler Saucedo and Ryan Watson combined to pitch a scoreless eighth, and Zach Neto ended all thoughts of a Red Sox comeback with a two-run homer of Raymond Burgos to put the game away and account for the 6-1 final score. 

The Angels pounded out 15 hits, with Neto being the biggest night with four for those hits and his 24th homer of the season. Detmers pitched one-hit baseball through six innings, and he struck out nine while walking just one batter. 

The win was just the second in September for their Angels, and it upped their record to 3-12 in their last 15 games. The victory also gave them a chance to get a rare series win, and send Ryan Johnson to the mound against Jake Bennett in the series finale to try and get it done. 

The loss was costly for the Red Sox, who are trying to make a late run to catch the New York Yankees in the top wild card spot. Boston is now three games behind with 16 left to play, so this was a loss they can ill afford if they want to have a legitimate shot at that.