Former Angels GM Jerry Dipoto hired by Red Sox on interim basis

Jerry Dipoto, who abruptly resigned as Angels general manager on July 1 in the wake of renewed friction with Manager Mike Scioscia, has been hired on an interim basis by the Boston Red Sox to help with off-season moves, veteran baseball writer Peter Gammons reported Wednesday.

Dipoto, a former big league reliever who worked as a scout for the Red Sox in 2003 and 2004, confirmed to The Times via text message that he has been hired as a “baseball consultant” by the Red Sox but did not elaborate on what his specific role would be or if the job could be a precursor to him being hired on a full-time basis by the Red Sox.

Boston, one of baseball’s most disappointing teams this season, is in last place in the American League East, with a 50-63 record and 12 games out of first place.

During Dipoto’s 3 1/2 years with the Angels, he revamped the front office, putting more of an emphasis on statistical data and advanced analytics than Scioscia was accustomed to, and the manager chafed at some of Dipoto’s personnel moves and ideas.

How Scioscia and the coaches used scouting and statistical information provided by the front office was reportedly at the crux of the discord between the manager and GM and ultimately led to Dipoto’s departure.

Dipoto presided over the two biggest free-agent signings in franchise history, first baseman Albert Pujols to a 10-year, $240-million deal before the 2012 season and left fielder Josh Hamilton to a five-year, $125-million deal before 2013.

Pujols has performed well but Hamilton was a bust, hitting .255 with 31 homers and 123 RBIs in two injury marred seasons before suffering a substance-abuse relapse last winter and getting traded to Texas on April 28.

Dipoto also acquired four pitchers via trade or free agency before 2013 — Joe Blanton, Tommy Hanson, Sean Burnett and Ryan Madson — and all were either ineffective or injured.

But Dipoto made several key moves that boosted the club, acquiring pitcher Zack Greinke in July 2012, trading slugger Mark Trumbo for young pitchers Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs after 2013, signing setup man Joe Smith before 2014 and acquiring closer Huston Street and reliever Trevor Gott last July.

Believing the Angels needed to stock up on young, major league-ready pitching, Dipoto traded second baseman and cleanup batter Howie Kendrick to the Dodgers for left-hander Andrew Heaney, and sent backup catcher Hank Conger to Houston for right-hander Nick Tropeano last winter.

The Angels have missed Kendrick’s bat dearly, but Heaney has pitched well in his first eight starts for the Angels, going 5-1 with a 2.45 earned-run average.

Etc.

For the first time in baseball history, all 15 home teams won on the same day on Tuesday. Viewing every game as a 50-50 proposition independent of all others, STATS figured the odds of a home sweep on a night with a full major league schedule was 1 in 32,768. Research by the Elias Sports Bureau indicated that previously the best performance by home teams had been 12-0 on May 23, 1914. That included four games that day in the Federal League. ... Nelson Cruz, who has 34 home runs and a 21-game hitting streak, was not in the lineup Wednesday for Seattle, a day after leaving the game against Baltimore with neck spasms. ...

Texas scratched Cole Hamels from his scheduled start Thursday because of a sore left groin. ... Leadoff hitter Nori Aoki, who returned to San Francisco’s lineup Wednesday after being hit in the head by a pitch five days earlier, left after four innings because of dizziness. He’ll be reevaluated Thursday. ... The New York Yankees added left-hander Chris Capuano and right-hander Nick Goody from triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to help an overworked bullpen. The team optioned right-hander Branden Pinder to triple A and designated outfielder Garrett Jones for assignment. ... The Colorado Rockies have cut outfielder Drew Stubbs and called up utility player Matt McBride from triple-A Albuquerque. Stubbs hit .216 with five homers and 10 runs batted in in 51 games for Colorado this season.