Angels rally in fifth inning of 8-3 victory over Red Sox

KEY MOMENT: The Angels erased a 3-1 deficit with five runs in the fifth inning, Erick Aybar’s single, Chris Iannetta’s walk and Efren Navarro’s single loading the bases. Kole Calhoun walked to force in a run, and Mike Trout’s bloop dropped in front of right fielder Daniel Nava, who recovered to force Calhoun at second base while the tying run scored. Albert Pujols hit a run-scoring single to right field, Josh Hamilton hit a sacrifice fly to center, and Howie Kendrick hit a run-scoring single to right for a 6-3 lead.

AT THE PLATE: On the same night the Angels lost their best pitcher, Garrett Richards, to a knee injury, they may have found their cleanup batter. Hamilton, mired in an 11-game slump in which he hit .122 (five for 41) with 18 strikeouts, doubled off the Green Monster in left-center field in the fourth inning and scored on Kendrick’s single. In addition to his fifth-inning sacrifice fly, Hamilton hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field in the seventh and lined a run-scoring single to left-center field in the ninth. He lined out to first base in the second.

ON THE MOUND: A heavily worked bullpen came to the rescue again, combining to give up one run and six hits in 7 1/3 innings. Cory Rasmus replaced Richards and gave up a home run to David Ortiz in 2 1/3 innings. Mike Morin, Fernando Salas, Kevin Jepsen, Joe Smith and Huston Street followed with scoreless innings, Jepsen escaping a second-and-third, one-out jam in the seventh by getting Nava to fly to shallow left and striking out Kelly Johnson with a 97-mph fastball.

IT TAKES A THIEF: With Calhoun’s leaping grab to rob Brock Holt of a three-run home run Tuesday night, the Angels have 12 home run-robbing catches since the start of 2012, most in the major leagues, according to ESPN Stats and Info.

EXTRA BASES: The Angels, who trailed, 3-0, through three innings, notched their 39th comeback victory this season and their 10th in which they have overcome a deficit of three runs or more. … Utility man Grant Green (lumbar strain) is expected to start a rehabilitation stint with triple-A Salt Lake by Friday.

UP NEXT: Right-hander Matt Shoemaker (11-4, 3.84 ERA) will oppose Boston right-hander Rubby De La Rosa (4-4, 3.79) on Thursday at 4 p.m. PDT at Fenway Park. On the air: TV: FS West. Radio: 830.