Hey, Let's All Gather Round The Dumpster Fire-I Mean The Los Angeles Angels In 2013

The Angels are proof that you can spend a shit ton of money in MLB and assemble an All-Star lineup yet come nowhere close to being .500. Every time you see Los Angeles (haha them or the Dodgers) you think "hey, they'll turn it around at some point." This weekend at Fenway Park is a statement that no, they probably won't.

The teams split a day-night doubleheader yesterday (after Friday's game was rained out) but Boston (39-25 overall, 21-14 home) beat Los Angeles (27-36 overall, 12-18 away) 10-5 this afternoon. With the win, the Red Sox moved a season-high 14 games over .500, improved to an MLB-best 13-6 in day games and 13-6-2 in all series. Oh and they have the best record in the American League.

I'm not saying it's all Angels manager Mike Scioscia's fault since by and large, I think that baseball managers are mostly useless but after 14 years in charge (longest tenured in MLB), hey maybe it's time for a new voice. Just a thought.

Whatever is going on with the Angels, it's clear that this current group isn't working. They missed the playoffs last season and at this pace, they look like they'll out of contention by the All-Star break this year. Explain to me how that's possible with Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, Mark Trumbo, Howie Kendrick, Jered Weaver, etc on your club. Weird.

Anywho, Boston took the rubber game by smashing four home runs. Pujols (.241) showed that he's not completely washed up with a solo shot to right center in the first inning but Joe Blanton (1-10) was given the task of winning a game. Haha yeah good luck with that. In five innings of batting practice, he allowed seven runs (six earned) on eight hits with six strikeouts and a walk. He allowed three of the four homers by the Red Sox.

Daniel Nava tied it with an RBI single in the third then David Ortiz crushed a three-run bomb, his 13th of the season, to right center that gave Boston a 4-1 lead it wouldn't relinquish.

Ryan Dempster (4-6) got the ball for Boston and he did enough: six innings, three earned runs, six hits, six strikeouts and two walks. He notched his 2000th career strikeout (which I never would have guessed), only the second Canadian to have done that in MLB (what up Ferguson Jenkins?). If there's one thing that Dempster loves more than strikeouts, it's solo homers. He gave up another one, this time to Alberto Callaspo in the fourth.

Jacoby Ellsbury (walk, run, stolen base) answered with an RBI triple (his sixth of the season) in home half of the fourth. Mark Trumbo (2 hits, 2 walks) had an RBI single in the fifth but that's all the Angels would get until garbage time in the eighth.

Blanton gave up back-to-back solo homers to Mike Carp (6th of the season) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (8th of the season) in the sixth. Salty added a two-run bomb in the seventh.

J.B. Shuck-the guy with one of the best names in MLB had a two-run single in the eighth for Los Angeles. What a waste of Mike Trout's (3 for 5 with 2 doubles, run) many talents.

Boston finished 4-2 on this homestand vs. Rangers and Angels with two more series victories against AL West opponents. Looking ahead, their next 14 games are no joke: three at Tampa Bay (34-28, 4th in AL East), four at Baltimore (35-28, 3rd in AL East) then three at Fenway vs. Rays and four in Detroit. Ouch babe.

The Red Sox are 5-1 against the Rays this season but I don't really expect that to stay so one-sided. Tomorrow night (7:10, NESN), John Lackey (3-5) faces Alex Cobb (6-2)-Tampa Bay's next great young pitcher. On Tuesday (7:10, NESN) Jon Lester (6-2) faces the artist formerly known as Fausto Carmona (now Roberto Hernandez who is 3-6) and Wednesday (7:10, NESN) is Clay Buchholz's spot in the rotation but at the moment he's TBD vs. rookie Chris Archer (1-1).

UPDATE 6/10: Will Middlebrooks was recalled from Pawtucket and Pedro Ciriaco was designated for assignment.

Franklin Morales will start on Wednesday for the Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay. Buchholz is supposedly questionable for a start on Friday which doesn't sound very promising.

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Angels Sweep The Red Sox (Again) But Who Cares, College Football Has Begun!

This September for the Red Sox promises to be a blur of pain and forgettable results as Boston likely stumbles to its first losing record-under .500-since 1997 (78-84). 15 years!

They closed the book on the Angels tonight as Boston (62-70, 30-32 away) lost 5-2 to Los Angeles (69-62, 36-29 home) at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The Angels swept this three-game series just like they did last week at Fenway, making them 6-0 against the Red Sox in 2012.

Zack Greinke (3-2) went seven innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. Kevin Jepsen earned his 11th save with a scoreless eighth inning and closer Ernesto Frieri struck out two in the ninth for his 16th save.

Jon Lester (8-11) pitched a complete game but that was only to save Boston's taxed bullpen. He allowed five earned runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and three walks.

Torii Hunter (3 for 4, 2 runs) seems to always kill the Red Sox while Albert Pujols (2 for 4, double, run, two RBIs) and Mark Trumbo (2 for 4, RBI) also left their mark.

Things have gotten so bad for Boston and their lineups are so weak that James Loney was the cleanup hitter this evening, haha really. I can't knock his production though since he went 3 for 4 with a solo homer (his 1st for the Red Sox) and two runs. Boston was ready to hop on their chartered plane since they only managed seven hits and Mike Aviles (2 hits, RBI) was the only other guy with multiple hits.

The Angels were 3 for 9 with runners in scoring position while the Red Sox were 0 for 6.

Pujols had a two-run double in the first as the theme of tough first innings continues to haunt the Red Sox pitchers even with the Texas Toughguy long gone. Aviles' sacrifice fly in the second cut it to 2-1 but Trumbo and Alberto Callaspo added RBI singles in the third for a 4-1 advantage.

A run scored on Mike Trout's double play in the fourth and Loney blasted his homer to right in the sixth.

Going 0 for California is a real possibility this weekend as Boston visits Oakland (73-57, 2nd AL West), who are one of the hottest teams in MLB and a legitimate playoff contender. The pitching matchups all favor the A's as well: Aaron Cook (3-7) opposes Brandon McCarthy (7-5; best Tweeter in MLB) tomorrow night (10:05 p.m., NESN), Felix Doubront (10-6) gets Brett Anderson (2-0) on Saturday night (9:05 p.m., NESN) and Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-3) faces Tommy Milone (11-9) on Sunday afternoon (4:05 p.m., NESN). Can you say, another sweep?

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Alfredo Aceves Is A Very Valuable Pitcher But He Is Not A Closer As He Proved Once Again

Things have a way of always turning out poorly on bad teams no matter what the sport. Alfredo Aceves returned from his three-game suspension tonight and wouldn't you know that he played a critical part of why Boston choked away a 5-4 lead in the ninth and lost 6-5 to the Angels in the series opener at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

Aceves (2-9, 8 blown saves) got a 1-2-3 eighth but as anyone knows from watching the Red Sox (62-68, 30-30 away) this season, he struggles mightily when called upon for a save longer than an inning. Mike Trout (3 hits, 2 RBIs) tied it with an RBI single then Torii Hunter (run, walk) won it on a walkoff sacrifice fly.

Los Angeles (67-62, 34-29 home) actually trailed 5-2 in the sixth before Albert Pujols (29th of the season) cranked a solo homer and Howie Kendrick cut it to 5-4 with an RBI double.

Clay Buchholz (7 innings, 4 earned runs, 6 hits, 5 strikeouts, 3 walks) and Jered Weaver (7 innings, 5 runs, 4 earned, 7 hits, 5 strikeouts, 1 walk) pitched to a standstill but the Angels improved to 4-0 against the Red Sox this season-all in the span of a week.

The incomparable Trout (25th of the season) gave the Angels a 1-0 lead with a leadoff homer to start the home half of the first. Mark Trumbo added a sacrifice fly for the 2-0 LA advantage.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (22nd of the season) cut it to 2-1 with a solo homer of his own in the second. Boston added three runs in the fourth on RBI singles from James Loney (3rd game in a row) and Salty. A run also crossed home plate on Ryan Kalish's double play.

Ryan Lavarnway's sacrifice fly in the sixth put the Red Sox in good position up 5-2. Bobby Valentine's hand was mostly forced since he didn't want to use Andrew Bailey (who pitched in 4 of the last 5 days) or Vicente Padilla. Although, for some reason he had Aceves warming up in the sixth. Clayton Mortensen was an option but he's never closed so I can't say I blame Valentine from staying away from him.

Kevin Jepsen (3-2) unknowingly earned the win with a scoreless ninth.

It was just another soul-crushing loss in a season full of them. Mortensen will be sent back to Pawtucket to make room for tomorrow night's (10:05 p.m., NESN) starter Zach Stewart (1-2), who makes his Red Sox debut vs. C.J. Wilson (9-9). He was the major piece that came over from the White Sox in the Kevin Youkilis trade.

I have to admit that even though they aren't good and they are playing out the string, I enjoy watching this cast of mostly spare parts and minor leaguers play rather than the overpaid underachievers that we were stuck with the last few seasons. Who knows, maybe a few of them will win jobs for next year (Pedro Ciriaco already has).

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If Buchholz Pitches Like That, Red Sox Will Struggle To Win Any Games The Rest Of The Way

This season continues to punish Red Sox fans (assuming any of those still exist) as things only get worse both on and off the field for this hated ballclub.

Tonight, Jered Weaver (16-3) showed why he's one of the best pitchers in baseball as the Angels (64-60, 31-31 away) cruised to a 7-3 win against the Red Sox (59-65, 29-36 home) at Fenway Park.

Weaver went seven innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and a walk. Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz (11-4) transformed back into his crappy self from earlier this season as he allowed a career-high 12 hits in 5.1 innings with seven earned runs (which also tied a career-high), three strikeouts and a walk.

Los Angeles pounded out 15 hits and it was the guys at the bottom of the lineup getting it done: Providence native Chris Iannetta was 3 for 4 with a triple and RBI; Maicer Izturis was 3 for 4 with two runs and an RBI; Howie Kendrick had a double, solo homer and two runs; Erick Aybar had two singles and scored twice.

Boston's futility was summed up by the fact that Scott Podsednick (3 for 5, stolen base) was the offensive star. Dustin Pedroia singled, scored a run and stole two bases.

Los Angeles scored twice in the third inning on Iannetta's RBI single and a run came home on Mike Trout's double play ball. Mark Trumbo and Izturis added RBI singles in the fourth as the Angels jumped out to a 4-0 lead.

Ryan Lavarnway and Mike Aviles had back-to-back RBI doubles in the fourth but 4-2 was as close as the Red Sox could get. After hitting a double, Albert Pujols left in the fourth with tightness in his calf but it didn't appear serious. Kendrick's solo homer (his 7th of the season) in the sixth and Torii Hunter's two-run single gave Los Angeles an insurmountable 7-2 deficit for Boston.

Cody Ross' RBI double in the eighth accounted for the final run of the game.

To illustrate how hopeless the Red Sox have become, the Mariners (61-64) have passed them in the AL wild card standings-haha not that either have a prayer of coming within five games of those. Franklin Morales (3-4) battles fellow southpaw C.J. Wilson (9-9) tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) in the series finale as the Angels go for the three-game sweep.

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Everything Is Cured When You Play The Red Sox

Los Angeles was plummeting down the AL West and wild card standings after going 3-7 on a 10-game homestand and losing their last four games in a row. However, they should change their tune in the next 10 days as they play Boston six times in that time frame.

The Angels (63-60, 30-31 away) didn't have the feel of a team in disarray tonight as they beat the Red Sox (59-64, 29-35 home) 5-3 in the series opener at Fenway Park.

Boston honored the late Johnny Pesky before the game and all the Red Sox wore his No. 6 while the grounds crew cut his number into the grass beyond the shortstop position. It was a classy gesture, likewise for the patches the Angels wore on their jerseys for him. Making the mood even more sad for NESN viewers, tonight was also the Jimmy Fund telethon so we were treated to an array of heartbreaking stories about cancer.

Aaron Cook (3-7) might have started his last game for the Red Sox since he continues to get hit hard. In five innings, he allowed five runs (four earned) on 11 hits with four strikeouts and a walk.

Ervin Santana (7-10) would fit well in Boston's rotation since he's been brutal this season but he was fine this time around. He lasted 6.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

Boston was 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position, Los Angeles was 3 for 6. More and more, I understand that is one of the most important statistics in baseball which usually determines who wins and who loses.

When you look at all the talent on the Angels, it's hard to believe they came in only two games above .500. Albert Pujols (2 hits, double) had an RBI single in the third, Erick Aybar had an RBI single in the fourth and Providence native (and URI track and field star) Chris Iannetta added a run on an infield single later in the frame as Los Angeles took a 3-0 lead.

Mark Trumbo (2 hits) crushed his 30th homer of the season in memorable fashion, 440-feet over the Green Monster for a two-run shot and a commanding 5-0 advantage. Rookie superstar and MVP favorite Mike Trout was 2 for 4 with a run and walk in his Fenway debut and first ever game against the Red Sox.

Boston finally got on the board in the sixth on Jarrod Saltalamacchia's (21st of the season) two-run homer that just got over the fence in right field. Scott Podsednick (2 hits, double) scored on Jordan Walden's wild pitch in the seventh.

The Angels are always known for their outstanding bullpens and this one looks like no exception. Scott Downs and Kevin Jepsen both got two outs before closer Ernestro Frieri had a 1-2-3 ninth for his 15th save of the season.

I guarantee I won't say this more than once or twice the rest of this pointless season but you should tune in to tomorrow night's (7:10 p.m., NESN) Red Sox game. Clay Buchholz (11-3) opposes Jered Weaver (15-3) as two of the most talented pitchers in baseball square off. It has all the makings of a classic pitchers' duel but when it appears so obvious, it'll probably be the exact opposite.

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