Buchholz, Red Sox Lose To Angels
BOSTON -- The Los Angeles Angels took out weeks of frustration with an all-out assault on Clay Buchholz and the Red Sox bullpen on Saturday night.
C.J. Cron's six hits, including two home runs, led a 22-hit attack and the last-place Angels, 8-19 in June and losers of 10 of their last 11, hammered the Boston Red Sox 21-2 and ended a four-game losing streak.
Carlos Perez had five hits and drove in six runs, Cron drove in five and Albert Pujols hit his 575th career homer and drove in five for the Angels, who scored 11 runs in the seventh inning.
It was the sixth time in franchise history the Angels scored 20 runs in a game -- the first time since Aug. 25, 2004. The 11 runs in the seventh matched their total output during the four-game losing streak.
Pujols became the eighth player ever to reach both 575 home runs and 1,750 RBIs. He has 15 homers and 55 RBIs this season -- while Cron, who hit a grand slam Friday night, became the third Angel with six hits in a game.
Mike Trout added two hits and scored three times and Hector Santiago (5-4) gave up only an unearned run over six innings in the win.
Mookie Betts had two doubles and his 17th homer for the Red Sox, who got 4 1/3 innings out of Buchholz (3-9, 1-6 at home, where he heard all kinds of boos in this one). The Red Sox bullpen was a disaster and contributed four errors to the Angels cause.
Outfielder Ryan LaMarre, a left-hander, pitched the ninth inning for the Red Sox. He gave up Cron's sixth hit but then kept Perez from his sixth -- the catcher lining out to left. LaMarre yielded two hits but escaped with a scoreless frame, topping off at 78 mph.
Perhaps hoping for different results, Buchholz came out to a different song, switching from "Simple Man" to "Don't Stop Believing." For two batters, it worked, but Trout doubled and Pujols clubbed his home run.
Third baseman Travis Shaw's 11th error (of the team's 42) of the season led to an unearned run in the second, Cron reaching on an infield hit thrown away by Shaw. Andrelton Simmons' sacrifice fly made it 3-0 and Cron homered and brought the boos back in the fourth.
A walk and bad-hop single -- Trout's second hit -- with one out in the fifth and the crowd cheered when John Farrell came out, and then booed when Buchholz left. Shaw's second error of the game loaded the bases. Heath Hembree fanned Daniel Nava but Cron singled in a pair and, after an infield hit, Perez doubled home three.
Betts' second double of the night and third baseman Yunel Escobar's throwing error got the Red Sox in the board in the bottom of the inning.
Boston had a quick chance against Santiago. Betts opened with a drive off the wall in center -- a fan reached out and touched the ball. The Angels, burned by a fan interference non-call Friday, said Betts should be on second and not third and won his challenge.
With first and third and one out, David Ortiz bounced into a double play to kill the threat.
NOTES: Red Sox 1B Hanley Ramirez passed his pregame tests and was back after missing a game with right side soreness. ... Angels 3B Yunel Escobar returned after missing seven games with a left knee injury. ... Boston manager John Farrell said RHP Joe Kelly, rehabbing at Pawtucket, will return to the majors as a reliever, adding "a power arm" to the bullpen. Kelly, who has had shoulder and groin trouble this season, worked in 37 games in relief with the St. Louis Cardinals, counting playoffs. ... Angels manager Mike Scioscia said rehabbing RHP Tyler Skaggs, who hasn't pitched since 2014 because of Tommy John surgery and subsequent setbacks, is getting closer to a return. ... RHP Matt Shoemaker, winless in June despite a 2.14 ERA, faces Red Sox call-up RH Sean O'Sullivan in Sunday's series finale. Shoemaker joined Pedro Martinez (New York Mets, 2006) as the only pitchers to go winless in a month with an ERA below 3.00 and at least 45 strikeouts.
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