Win is out of their reach

A change in fortune.

That’s been the story of Josh Hamilton’s first season as an Angel, and a more specific twist of fate proved cruel again Friday as the Boston Red Sox claimed a 6-2 victory at Angel Stadium.

A night after blasting a dramatic, tying ninth-inning home run, Hamilton sprinted at full speed in right field to pursue a high, slicing fly by Boston’s Jonny Gomes with two outs in a seventh-inning tie.

Hamilton was positioned for the catch, but the ball struck the top of his glove and fell to the grass, the error allowing Shane Victorino to score from first base.

“I started to slide to catch it, and it came back on me,” Hamilton said. “I was caught in between ... and it just hit off my glove.”

Hamilton said his adjustment in shifting to right field from center, and playing in a new stadium this year contributed to the slip.

“From hero to goat ... you play the game, you make mistakes,” Hamilton said. “You try to shake it off and do what you can to improve and not make that mistake again. But some things happen in a game that you can’t practice.”

The miscue by the Hamilton clinched that Angels starter C.J. Wilson (8-6) would not win a personal-best fifth consecutive start, his exit coming after 121 pitches.

An inning later, Boston slugger David Ortiz widened his team’s lead, coming off the bench to smack his fifth career pinch-hit home run. The two-run homer over the right-field wall off reliever Dane De La Rosa was Ortiz’s 17th of the season for first-place Boston (54-34).

Ex-Angel Mike Napoli added another homer in the ninth, ending a drought of 86 at-bats without a homer.

The loss deflated a run of eight wins in the Angels’ nine previous games.

Wilson started the night hopeful to continue an efficient stretch in which he’d walked only 13 in his most recent seven starts (43 innings).

But Boston’s penchant for patience at the plate took hold in the second inning. The Red Sox rank second in the American League in walks.

Gomes walked and Daniel Nava worked Wilson to a full count before pushing a single left of second baseman Howie Kendrick.

Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia then singled to left field, the bouncing ball being misplayed by left fielder J.B. Shuck, an error that allowed Nava to score. Wilson also walked No. 9 hitter Jose Iglesias before escaping the inning.

His pitch count had risen to 37 en route to more than 100 by the end of the sixth inning.

“I struggled getting ahead ... and they hit balls into the middle of the field,” Wilson said, excusing the fielding mistakes. “No one wants to boot a ball. Josh said it was his bad. I played outfield as a kid. I don’t hold grudges. The effort’s good. That’s just the way it goes sometimes.”

Boston starter Felix Doubront (5-3) survived his own pitch-count issues early, but Kendrick opened the Angels’ fourth by lining Doubront’s first pitch over the wall in right-center, tying the score, 2-2, with home run No. 10.

Doubront answered by retiring 10 consecutive Angels, ending a skid of five starts without a win that dated to June 1.

Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said his team has “made too many errors. ... It’s frustrating. It adds up.”

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