Angels struggle against Michael Wacha, Red Sox pitching in 4-0 loss
Rafael Devers homered, Michael Wacha pitched into the sixth inning and the Boston Red Sox beat the Angels 4-0 on Tuesday night.
J.D. Martinez added a solo homer in the eighth to help seal it for Boston, which held the slumping Angels to three hits in its second shutout of the season.
The Red Sox got nine hits and ended a two-game skid in their first game at home since struggling through a 3-7 road trip.
“We hit the ball hard again. We were hunting pitches in the zone,” manager Alex Cora said. “We got pitches. We put good swings on them. It was a good beginning. We played good defense and it’s good to win the first one of the series.”
Noah Syndergaard (2-1) had a solid start for the Angels, throwing 100 pitches on a chilly night and holding the Red Sox to three runs and eight hits over seven innings. But the Angels didn’t give him any run support, squandering the few chances they had by grounding into three double plays.
The Angels were shut out for the second straight day and third time in four games, getting blanked twice in a weekend series against the White Sox.
Wacha (3-0) allowed only singles by Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout and Max Stassi. Jake Diekman and Ryan Brasier preserved the shutout until Hirokazu Sawamura took over in the ninth, striking out Ohtani to end it.
Mike Trout struck out four times and Shohei Ohtani was limited to pinch hitting a day after experiencing groin tightness in a 3-0 loss to the White Sox.
“I was able to make quality pitches early on and early in the count,“ Wacha said. “I was able to get some weak contact and let the defense play behind me. I mean, they were playing great. It was fun to watch them work.”
Devers broke the scoreless tie with a leadoff homer in the fourth, driving the first pitch from Syndergaard deep into the seats in center field. It was the fourth of the season for Devers, who has at least one hit in 21 of Boston’s 24 games.
“If I could have that one back, I probably wouldn’t have thrown that pitch,” Syndergaard said.
Syndergaard walked Xander Bogaerts after Devers’ homer, and a single by Martinez helped set up another run on a soft grounder by Kike Hernandez that scored Bogaerts.
Syndergaard didn’t allow another run until the seventh, when Franchy Cordero and Kevin Plawecki opened with back-to-back singles and Trevor Story delivered a sacrifice fly.
Wacha got a warm ovation when he was pulled with a runner on second and two outs in the sixth. He walked two and struck out two.
Devers’ homer extended his hitting streak to nine games.
TRAINER’S ROOM
RHP Austin Warren broke his nose before the game even started. The reliever was hit in the face by a ball during batting practice and placed on the 15-day injured list. The Angels optioned OF Jo Adell to triple-A Salt Lake and recalled INF Jose Rojas. Adell, the 10th overall pick in the 2017 draft, was batting .231 with three homers and nine RBIs in 19 games. Manager Joe Maddon said he wanted to get Adell more consistent playing time rather than having him share time in the Angels’ crowded outfield. RHP Elvis Peguero, recalled from Salt Lake to fill Warren’s spot after being sent down the day before, took over for Syndergaard in the eighth.
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