Valbuena's Solo Homer Lifts Angels To 3-2 Win Over Red Sox
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Luis Valbuena hit a tiebreaking solo home run in the seventh inning, Mike Trout and Andrelton Simmons also homered and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Boston Red Sox 3-2 on Sunday.
Valbuena hit his ninth shot of the season into short right field to leadoff the inning, rounding out a trio of solo homers for the Angels.
Parker Bridwell (4-1) gave up two runs on five hits in seven innings. Bud Norris earned his 15th save while only giving up a single to Hanley Ramirez to start the ninth. Xander Bogaerts hit into a double play to end the game.
Rick Porcello (4-13) allowed three runs in eight innings, his 18th consecutive start where he threw at least 6 innings. He struck out six and walked one.
Ramirez homered to left field with two outs in the top of the sixth that gave Boston a 2-1 lead. Trout promptly answered with a massive shot to center. It was Trout's third home run in five games and his fifth RBI of the eight-game homestand.
Bridwell retired the first 10 batters he faced and 14 of 15 Red Sox before Sandy Leon singled with two outs in the fifth. Simmons made a sliding backhand grab on Brock Holt's ground ball to short but couldn't get the throw off, putting two runners on. Deven Marrero's line-drive single then fell in front of a diving Ben Revere in left and scored Leon to tie the game at 1.
After hitting the game-winner homer Saturday night, Simmons sent his 11th home run to left-center in the fourth to give the Angels a brief 1-0 lead.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: 2B Dustin Pedroia got the day off to rest his sore left knee. Holt started in place of Pedroia, with Marrero at 3B.
Angels: Yunel Escobar was slotted at DH to give Albert Pujols two days off going into a six-game road trip. Valbuena replaced Escobar at 3B, while C.J. Cron got the nod at 1B.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-2, 3.66 ERA) will make his second start since coming off the disabled list because of a right knee injury when the Red Sox open a three-game series at the Seattle Mariners on Monday. Rodriguez went six scoreless innings to pick up the win against the Mariners on May 26.
Angels: RHP Jesse Chavez (5-10, 4.88) has gone seven straight starts without recording a win and will try to end that futility when the Angels open a three-game series at the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday. Chavez has allowed 12 home runs in 10 road starts.
(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)