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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 24, 2023 5:02:23 GMT -5
‘Oh, damn, that’s Mike Trout’ and other thoughts that go through Red Sox pitchers’ minds By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated May 23, 2023, 11:59 p.m.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout would be a first-ballot Hall of Famer if he retired right now. Surely it would be unanimous, too, barring some persnickety voter seeking attention.
Trout’s statistics through the end of last season compare favorably with players such as Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle at the same stage of their careers.
The Los Angeles Angels’ center fielder has 361 home runs, 921 RBIs, and a .998 OPS. Trout doesn’t steal bases often these days but he has 204 of those, too.
He’s a three-time Most Valuable Player with four second-place finishes and is a 10-time All-Star.
When Trout walked to the plate at Angel Stadium in the first inning of Monday night’s 2-1 victory against the Red Sox, several fans seated close to the field stood up and posed for selfies with him in the background. Who can blame them for wanting photographic evidence they were only a few steps away from the best player of his generation?
What about the pitchers standing 60 feet, 6 inches away from Trout? What’s it like for them to face a player of his stature? We asked some of the Red Sox before the second game of the series Tuesday night. Trout had a two-run homer off Joely Rodriguez in the eighth inning in a 4-0 victory for the Angels.
“It’s like anyone else. Get strike one and then get strike two,” said Tanner Houck, who struck out Trout twice Monday and got him on a grounder to second base.
The way Houck sees it, the odds are in his favor.
“Great hitters make outs seven out of 10 times. As a pitcher you always have the advantage,” he said. “Even on a three-ball count, I always believe I have the advantage. You go right after them, no matter who they are.”
Trout is 0 for 4 in five plate appearances against Houck, all coming this season.
Houck said would have preferred to step off the mound and take a few deep breaths before facing Trout. But with the pitch timer, that would be cutting it close.
“You can’t rush,” he said. “If you rush and leave a ball up, he’s going to hit it a long way. You really have to focus on every pitch.”
Kutter Crawford faced Trout for the first time Monday and walked him on six pitches.
“You see him on TV and in video games. Seeing him step in the box was like. ‘Oh, damn, that’s Mike Trout.’ But you still have a job to do,” he said.
Crawford worked the edges of the strike zone, but did get strikes on two fastballs on the outside corner.
“In the back of your mind, you know you can’t make a mistake,” Crawford said. “He doesn’t miss too many mistakes and he does damage when he hits the ball.”
James Paxton, who is scheduled to face the Angels on Wednesday, has faced Trout the most among Sox pitchers, 30 times. Trout was 5 for 28 with 11 strikeouts and two walks. When Paxton played for the Seattle Mariners, they were frequent foes over the years.
“It’s fun to face a guy like that,” Paxton said. “I have a ton of respect for Mike. It’s about executing with a hitter like that. He’s so good at covering the plate. You have to make your pitches in good places.”
“Whoever the hitter is, even a player like that, you have to attack them.”
Closer Kenley Jansen has had the most success against Trout among Sox pitchers, striking him out eight times in 10 at-bats. Trout also has a walk, a home run, and a fly ball to right field.
“I love it. Every time you can face Mike Trout, Shohei [Ohtani], Bryce Harper, and other heavyweight hitters, it brings out the best in you,” Jansen said.
“I don’t know what it is. You try and create that with other hitters and you can’t. I’m sure I’m not the only pitcher who feels that way.”
Jansen, unlike his teammates, feels the pitcher has only a “slight advantage” against Trout.
“You can’t miss against him or it’s on the freeway,” Jansen said. “He’s a great dude, too. I’ve gotten to know him a little and I like him. I like facing him, too. That’s what it’s all about, the competition.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 24, 2023 5:05:43 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK How the Red Sox analytics department helped Jarren Duran get a head start on improving in the outfield By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated May 23, 2023, 9:08 p.m.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Start earlier.
That was the message sent to Jarren Duran through the Red Sox analytics department regarding his jumps in the outfield.
Duran wasn’t getting good reads in center field. So, the Sox analytics department along with former bench coach Will Venable went to the struggling outfielder and devised a scheme centered around Duran beginning his movement either to his right or left just before the pitcher’s offering.
“As the pitch is coming I start gradually moving that way,” Duran said before Tuesday’ 4-0 loss to the Angels. “I just start gradually moving to the way that the pitch is going. If it’s a fastball away then I’m kind of cheating the fastball away [moving to my left]. I get a little bit of a baby shuffle that way.”
Duran, admittedly, was hesitant at first. He wears PitchCom, relaying pitch selection and location, in the field , but never thought to use that as a means to get an edge.
What gave Duran pause was overcommitting too much to one side. Sure, a pitch could be thrown in one location but that doesn’t mean a hitter will hit the ball where it is pitched. What if the batter pulled the outside pitch instead? That would then cause Duran to change directions, leading to a bad route while also running the risk of misplaying a ball, something that was already caused nightmares for Duran last year.
But the Red Sox wanted Duran to trust his athleticism. If there was anyone who could reroute, correct his movement, and make the play, it was Duran. Plus, his feet were moving instead of being stagnant.
“I was always worried about having a bad route to the ball,” Duran said. “But the analytics team broke down to me, like ‘Dude, some of the best outfielders have the worst route efficiency, but their jumps are [expletive] amazing. So, let’s just work on your jumps and keep your jumps really good.’ My jumps spiked. I started getting the balls way easier. So, like, that’s what I was focused on.”
Duran was in the 66th percentile last season in outs above average, per Baseball Savant. But that figure has jumped to the 83rd percentile this season. He’s still a minus-1 in defensive runs saved, but was a positive for most of this season in that category. In 462 ⅔ innings last year, Duran was a minus-7 in that metric.
The defense and the trust in his instincts and athleticism is another example of the evolution of Duran this season. But of course, it took experience to really digest and believe in the information handed to him.
In the Sox’ July 24 matchup last season against the Blue Jays at Fenway, Bo Bichette pulled an outside pitch to Duran in left-center. Duran had already been shading to his right but quickly saw the ball was over his right shoulder. Duran rerouted and made the play at the wall.
“I was like, ‘Damn that was easy,’” Duran said. “I think about it now like a defensive back, they’re constantly shifting. They think the play is going this way but then have shift the other way. You just have to trust your athleticism.” Injured list
Manager Alex Cora said that pitcher Wyatt Mills (elbow inflammation), who seemed to be progressing, is feeling sore. He was scheduled to pitch in a simulated game, but that has been pushed back. Yu Chang (hamate bone) has been swinging a bat but he, too, is feeling sore in the hand area where the hamate bone was removed. The hope is that he will get into a rehab game this weekend. The Sox are hopeful Christian Arroyo (hamstring) will go on a rehab assignment this weekend as well.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 24, 2023 5:08:51 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Angels Wednesday, May 24th, 2023 9:30pm @ Angels Stadium
Paxton 1-0/2.45
Anderson 1-0/ 5.27
Red Sox attempt to avert sweep vs. Angels behind James Paxton FLM
James Paxton will be on the mound for the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., something that both the left-hander and the organization couldn't be sure would ever happen just a few months ago.
Paxton made his first two starts with the Red Sox earlier this month, a year and a half after he signed with the club as a free agent. The Red Sox inked a deal with Paxton in December 2021 even though he was expected to miss the entire 2022 season because of Tommy John surgery.
The Red Sox paid Paxton $6 million in 2022 essentially to rehab the former Mariner and Yankee. However, the club declined an option to pay him $13 million per season in both 2023 and 2024. Paxton, though, had a player option of $4 million to stay in Boston for 2023, and he grabbed it.
"For me, I was just trying to get my feet back under me again in the big leagues," Paxton said. "These guys (the Red Sox's training staff and medical team) knew me really well, rehabbing me all year last year, and they did a fantastic job of that. I felt comfortable with this group. I just felt like it was the right group to get me back on my feet in the big leagues."
Paxton might have been able to get more on the open market, but after a conversation with his agent Scott Boras, the 34-year-old Canadian made the call to stay.
"It wasn't the longest conversation we ever had," Paxton said. "It was just, 'Look, you haven't pitched in a couple of years, now you feel comfortable there. This is about getting you back on the mound again and getting you to feel good.' I just felt like this was the right place, and (Boras) agreed.
"There's also that piece where I felt like I owed it to the team to pitch here."
He is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two starts this season, including his first victory since Aug. 15, 2020, when he allowed just one run and five hits in six innings against the San Diego Padres on Friday.
Paxton has pitched well against the Angels in his career, going 4-3 with a 2.43 ERA in 12 career starts. He will try to help the Red Sox avoid being swept by the Angels after losses in the first two games of the series, 2-1 on Monday and 4-0 on Tuesday.
Left-hander Tyler Anderson (1-0, 5.27 ERA) will make his ninth start of the season for the Angels. He won his first start on April 2 against the Oakland A's, but he has received a no-decision in all seven starts since then. In his most recent outing, on Thursday in Baltimore, Anderson gave up three runs and six hits in five innings.
He is 0-0 with a 7.56 ERA in two career starts vs. Boston.
Anderson has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his past four starts, including his longest outing of the season on April 28 when he gave up one run and five hits in 6 2/3 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out a season-high seven.
"That was his best one," Angels manager Phil Nevin said. "This is what we saw last year (when Anderson pitched for the Dodgers, going 15-5 with a 2.57 ERA). Located very well. Changeup was really good. He added a couple ticks of velocity. I thought he was really good."
The Red Sox will hope they can muster more offense against Anderson than they did in the first two games of the series. Boston produced one run, six hits and four walks while striking out 16 times in the two defeats.
--Field Level Media
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 24, 2023 13:06:48 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 2m Alex Cora said on WEEI that Corey Kluber is going to the bullpen and Tanner Houck will remain in the rotation
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 24, 2023 13:12:19 GMT -5
Game 50: Red Sox at Angels lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated May 24, 2023, 53 minutes ago The offensive woes continue for the Red Sox, who have scored just one run in the last three games after being shut out, 4-0, by the Angels Tuesday night. It spoiled another fine performance by Brayan Bello, who tossed seven innings and allowed allowing two runs and striking out six. The Sox dropped to 10-5-1 in series play. They have produced one run, six hits, and four walks while striking out 16 times in dropping the first two games in Anaheim. After Wednesday’s game, the Sox will have Thursday off before opening a three-game series at Arizona. Lineups RED SOX (26-23): 1. Rob Refsnyder (R) LF 2. Justin Turner (R) 1B 3. Masataka Yoshida (L) DH 4. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 5. Enrique Hernandez (R) SS 6. Pablo Reyes (R) 2B 7. Connor Wong (R) C 8. Raimel Tapia (L) RF 9. Jarren Duran (L) CF Pitching: LHP James Paxton (1-0, 2.45 ERA) ANGELS (27-23): 1. Taylor Ward (R) LF 2. Mike Trout (R) CF 3. Shohei Ohtani (L) DH 4. Hunter Renfroe (R) RF 5. Brandon Drury (R) 1B 6. Gio Urshela (R) 3B 7. Luis Rengifo (S) 2B 8. Chad Wallach (R) C 9. Zach Neto (R) SS Pitching: LHP Tyler Anderson (1-0, 5.27 ERA) Time: 9:38 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Anderson: Triston Casas 0-2, Rafael Devers 2-4, Kiké Hernández 7-32, Rob Refsnyder 2-2, Raimel Tapia 0-3, Justin Turner 18-36, Alex Verdugo 2-4, Connor Wong 2-2 Angels vs. Paxton: Brandon Drury 3-11, Hunter Renfroe 0-7, Mike Trout 5-28 Stat of the day: The Sox are 14-18 against righthanded starters, and 12-5 when opposing lefthanders. Notes: The Red Sox are 6-4 in their last 10 games against the Angels, and 20-12 since the start of 2018. … Paxton is 4-3 with a 2.43 ERA in 12 career starts against the Angels. In his last time out, he recorded his first win since Aug. 15, 2020 when he allowed just one run and five hits in six innings against the Padres last Friday. … Anderson is 0-0 with a 7.56 ERA in two career starts. He has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his past four starts Song of the Day: Great White " Once Bitten Twice Shy" www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz61YQWZuYU
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Post by Kimmi on May 24, 2023 14:46:06 GMT -5
Red Sox record 2 hits in loss to LA, have scored 1 run in past 32 innings Published: May. 23, 2023, 11:51 p.m. By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Red Sox’ bats have gone silent on the West Coast. Boston recorded just two hits in a 4-0 loss to the Angels at Angel Stadium on Tuesday. The Red Sox have scored just one run in their past 32 innings. They didn’t score over their final five innings of Saturday’s win. They were shut out 7-0 Sunday in San Diego, then scored only one run in Monday’s loss to Anaheim. Triston Casas and Enmanuel Valdez delivered Boston’s only hits Tuesday. Brayan Bello goes 7 innings Red Sox starter Brayan Bello pitched well. He allowed just two runs, six hits and no walks while striking out six in 7 innings. Both runs came on solo homers. Mickey Moniak led off the bottom of the first inning with a 418-foot homer off Bello. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning when Matt Thaiss crushed a 409-foot homer off Bello. Bello recorded 12 swings-and-misses: seven with his four-seam fastball and five with his changeup. His topped out at 97.3 mph with his 32 four-seam fastballs and averaged 96.1 mph, per Baseball Savant. Trout homers Mike Trout’s two-run homer off Joely Rodriguez in the bottom of the eighth made it 4-0 Angels. Red Sox-Angels series finale The Red Sox and Angels will play their series finale Wednesday at 9:38 p.m., eastern. Lefty James Paxton (1-0, 2.45 ERA) will start for Boston opposite lefty Tyler Anderson (1-0, 5.27 ERA) It seems like the Red Sox offense goes through a few of these lulls every season, some of them being rather prolonged. It's so frustrating, and you can just kind of sense that they aren't going to score many, if any, runs. Memo to the offense: Please show up tonight.
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Post by Kimmi on May 24, 2023 14:47:23 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 2m Alex Cora said on WEEI that Corey Kluber is going to the bullpen and Tanner Houck will remain in the rotation Makes sense that Houck stays in the rotation. I thought this was already established a couple of days ago. At any rate, I'm not ready to give up on Kluber yet.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 24, 2023 17:00:13 GMT -5
The line up tonight is a joke analytic department can go to hell.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 24, 2023 18:24:37 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 6h Houck's final 4 innings 20 Slider 12 Splitter 9 Cutter 4 4-Seam 3 Sinker 22 Swings 12 Swing Miss 5 Outs 4 Fouls 1 Hit Man, some good analyses by the RS the past two games. Nice deep-dive.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 24, 2023 18:29:18 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 5h Atrocious game from the lineup
4 for 30. 1 run 5 hard hit balls 0 walks, 9 strikeouts 13 GB, 2 FB, 2 LD, 3 PU Yup. Frustrating when the offense can't do anything. Tip your cap to the Angels pitchers, minus Loup.
The good news is that Houck had a very nice outing.
To me, the pitching performance is the takeaway. Every offense hits the wall, but if we put up consistent starts, we should win our share of the games. And right now, we have four SPs humming right along. If we get the good Whitlock, we should win a lot of games.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 24, 2023 18:34:21 GMT -5
“As the pitch is coming I start gradually moving that way,” Duran said before Tuesday’ 4-0 loss to the Angels. “I just start gradually moving to the way that the pitch is going. If it’s a fastball away then I’m kind of cheating the fastball away [moving to my left]. I get a little bit of a baby shuffle that way.”
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I always did that. That's one of the reasons I liked playing RF. I always get a better read about where the ball is going to hit the bat, at least against righties. You can even pick up slight batter adjustments to see if they are waiting on the pitch or if they are going to try to turn on it.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 24, 2023 18:49:56 GMT -5
The line up tonight is a joke analytic department can go to hell. So it is basically Refsnyder (who hammers lefties) replacing Casas (.492 in his last 8 games) against a lefty, and Tapia replacing Verdugo, who has a .541 OPS in his past 12 games. I see no problem. This is how you are supposed to construct a lineup to account for days off. Verdugo has started 48 of 49 games. If you give him a day off, it should be against a lefty.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 25, 2023 4:46:44 GMT -5
Sox look to recharge on off-day in AZ Paxton scuffles, Boston swept by Angels as offense has scored just 4 runs in past 41 innings 2:28 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
ANAHEIM -- Perhaps an off-day in the warmth of Phoenix will be a cure-all for the Red Sox, who haven’t looked like themselves for the last several days.
A happy flight is always the goal on a getaway day, but it was not to be on Wednesday night.
James Paxton had turned in solid performances in his first two starts following a two-year layoff due to a variety of injuries, but the rust finally reared its ugly head in start No. 3.
The Big Maple lasted just three innings while giving up five runs, three walks and two homers as Boston went down to 7-3 defeat and a three-game sweep at the hands of the Angels.
“Command was off, stuff was good,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “The leadoff walk, the two-out walk, we paid the price, but I think the stuff was OK. It’s just the command was off.”
Paxton threw 59 pitches. Of the 26 swings the Angels took, they whiffed on just six, none on fastballs. The velocity was still there, though, as Paxton topped out at 96.9 mph and averaged 95.4 mph, just a touch below what it was in his first two starts.
“Sometimes you just don’t have it,” said Paxton. “I was out there battling, trying to get outs and it just wasn’t happening for me.”
While Paxton had extra rest prior to his first two starts, he started Wednesday on the standard four days. Did that play a role in his struggles?
“My body felt fine,” Paxton said. “I just wasn’t executing. I wasn’t sharp. I was falling behind, making mistakes, and they made me pay for it. Command wasn’t great. I wasn’t able to keep the ball where I wanted to throw it. I was just missing both sides of the plate and leaving the ball up for them.”
Paxton will get an extra day going into his next start, which is set for Tuesday at Fenway against the Reds.
“I mean, the first inning was electric, right? Then he walks Hunter [Renfroe] on four pitches,” said Cora. “We get two outs and then he walks the eighth hitter, and then [Zach Neto] got a fastball above the strike zone and he got to it. I think that was it. He'll be ready. He’s got an extra day, and he’ll be ready for the Reds.”
After taking the first two games on this nine-game journey out West, the Sox have lost their last four.
Maybe this is a good time for the club to pause for some rest and relaxation in the Valley of The Sun before taking on the D-backs for the opener of a three-game series on Friday night.
“Excellent,” agreed Cora about Thursday's off-day. “Go out, hang out, play some golf, watch the [Celtics-Heat playoff] game at night and enjoy it.”
There wasn’t much enjoyment to be had in Anaheim, particularly with the offense in its biggest rut of the season, scoring four runs in the past 41 innings.
“I think we put some balls hard in play yesterday,” said Red Sox hitting coach Peter Fatse. “Nothing seemed to fall, obviously, today. Eight hits, scratched a couple across. Just got to keep going. We have done a nice job as a group all season long, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”
Cora wasn’t panicking about the dry spell on offense.
“Part of 162,” he said. “We’ve just got to be ready for Friday. We’ll make adjustments, and we’re going to be ready.”
Cora feels that teams are starting to adjust their scouting reports on Boston’s offense, and now his team must counter, with Fatse and the hitting department continuing to work on adjustments heading into the weekend.
“I think we do some things really well as a club. Obviously, we’re an aggressive group. We hit the fastball pretty well,” said Fatse. “I think teams have started to mix and match a little bit, the last few games specifically. Just the regular ebb and flow of the season, things we’re aware of and things we’re game-planning for.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 25, 2023 4:52:51 GMT -5
Red Sox’s Rafael Devers has .291 OBP; ‘He hasn’t walked in like two weeks’
Updated: May. 24, 2023, 10:38 p.m.|Published: May. 24, 2023, 10:36 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers is hitting for power. He’s tied for third in the American League in home runs (13).
But he’s not reaching base at a high rate this season. He entered Wednesday’s game here at Angel Stadium with a .291 on-base percentage, 48 points below his career mark.
Devers posted a .355 on-base percentage in 297 games (1,278 plate appearances) in 2021-22.
“He hasn’t walked in like two weeks,” manager Alex Cora. “If you don’t walk, your on-base percentage is going to be your batting average.”
Devers hasn’t walked since May 9 in Atlanta and he’s batting .261 with a .261 on-base percentage during the 12-game stretch.
He has walked just twice in 20 games (80 plate appearances) in May after walking eight times in 28 games (123 plate appearances) during April.
Devers had a 8.8% walk rate in 2021-22 combined. He has a 4.9% walk rate this season.
“I think he’s been chasing a lot of offspeed pitches against righties,” Cora said. “You see his splits, he’s been better actually against lefties.”
The 26-year-old has batted .262/.304/.600/.904 with five homers and seven doubles in 69 plate appearances against lefties. He has a .242/.284/.476/.759 line with eight homers and five doubles in 134 plate appearances against righties.
“Just a matter of slowing it down, keep swinging at strikes, which is the most important thing” Cora said. “Overall he’s doing damage but he’s not where he wants to be.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 25, 2023 4:55:06 GMT -5
Red Sox score just 4 runs in 3 losses to Angels; James Paxton struggles
Published: May. 25, 2023, 12:11 a.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Red Sox lefty James Paxton pitched well in his first two starts, giving up just three runs in 11 innings.
But he lasted only 3 innings in the Red Sox’s 7-3 loss to the Angels on Wednesday at Angel Stadium.
Paxton allowed five runs, four hits and three walks while striking out five. He gave up a three-run homer to Zach Neto in the second inning and a solo shot to Shohei Ohtani in the third inning.
Boston scored only three runs in three losses here in Anaheim after getting shut out by the Padres on Sunday. They have scored four runs in 41 innings dating back to the fifth inning Saturday.
The Red sox have lost four straight games.
Paxton threw 59 pitches (35 strikes). He had good velo on his 35 four-seam fastballs, topping out at 96.9 mph and averaging 95.4 mph, per Baseball Savant. But he got zero swings-and-misses with it after recording 17 swings-and-misses with his four-seamer in his first two starts.
Nick Pivetta, who replaced Paxton, gave up a two-run homer to Mike Trout in the fourth inning that made it 7-1 Angels.
Kiké Hernández’s RBI double in the fourth put the Red Sox on the board. Connor Wong belted a solo homer in the seventh inning.
Rob Refsnyder’s RBI single with two outs in the ninth made it 7-3.
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