Angels take long and short way home in 7-2 win over Red Sox

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Hideki Matsui keyed a four-run sixth inning with a three-run home run, and the Angels added three runs in the seventh without hitting a ball out of the infield for a 7-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Ervin Santana (13-8) allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings, as the Angels snapped a three-game losing streak and moved to within seven games of Texas in the American League West, the closest they have been to the Rangers since July 25. It was also the Angels’ first win in 10 games against the Red Sox this season.

David Ortiz gave Boston a 1-0 lead with a solo home run to right field in the fourth inning, and Red Sox right-hander Josh Beckett blanked the Angels on two hits through five innings.

But the Angels broke through in the sixth, Maicer Izturis sparking the rally with a one-out double to right. Alberto Callaspo doubled off the wall in left-center to score Izturis for a 1-1 tie, and Torii Hunter reached on an infield single, a hard grounder that kicked off the glove of Adrian Beltre at third.

Matsui then lined his 16th homer of the season into the Red Sox bullpen in right-center field to give the Angels a 4-1 lead. Boston threatened in the bottom of the sixth when Victor Martinez‘s grounder went through the legs of first baseman Howie Kendrick, putting runners on first and third with two outs, but Santana got Beltre to fly to left, ending the inning.

After Jeff Mathis struck out to open the seventh for the Angels, Peter Bourjos snapped an 0-for-16 slump with a bunt single. Bobby Abreu walked, and Beckett was pulled in favor of right-hander Manny Delcarmen.

Izturis walked to load the bases, and Callaspo grounded out to third, Bourjos scoring for a 5-1 lead. Hunter walked to load the bases, and Matsui walked to force in Abreu for a 6-1 lead, giving the Japanese slugger his second four-RBI game of the season. Kendrick then beat out an infield single to third to knock in Izturis before Erick Aybar struck out, ending the inning.

The Red Sox loaded the bases off Santana with no outs in the eighth, and Angels Manager Mike Scioscia summoned reliever Kevin Jepsen, who whose wild pitch and bases-loaded walk allowed the tying and go-ahead runs to score in the seventh inning of Wednesday night’s 7-5 loss to Boston.

But Jepsen got Martinez to fly to shallow right, Beltre to hit a sacrifice fly to center, and he struck out J.D. Drew to end the inning.

-- Mike DiGiovanna in Boston