Search This Blog

Showing posts with label Gary Matthews Jr. Los Angeles Angels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gary Matthews Jr. Los Angeles Angels. Show all posts

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Angels beat Red Sox in 13 innings, ending at 2:45 a.m. EST


It's only fitting that the Los Angeles Angels finally beat the Boston Red Sox in a game that most either didn't see or gave up on watching and went to bed (even on the West Coast).

The Angels (17-14) won 5-3 in 13 innings last night at Fenway Park against the Red Sox (14-16), in a game that didn't end until 2:45 a.m. EST thanks to a lengthy rain delay (two hours and thirty five minutes).

For someone that never goes to bed at a reasonable hour, it was hilarious to watch the game that would never end. I'd like to give props to the die-hard fans that stayed but you had to be insane to stay for the entire game, a meaningless May game against the Angels.

It was bad luck for both starting pitchers since they were both dealing, particularly Los Angeles' Ervin Santana (4 innings, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts). He had a no-hitter going when the game was put on hold in the top of the fifth. That no-hitter continued until Jed Lowrie got a hit in the bottom of the seventh.

Josh Beckett (4.1 innings, 1 hit, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts) was nearly as dominant but he was also lifted since you never bring back a starting pitcher after a rain delay.

It became a contest decided by random bullpens and wouldn't you know that somehow Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-3) would find a way to screw it up as he took the loss in his first MLB relief appearance (1 inning, 3 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk).

Vernon Wells broke the scoreless tie with a two-run bomb off Dan Wheeler in the top of the seventh.

Adrian Gonzalez reached on an infield single in the bottom of the eighth and Jason Varitek scored on the play as Angels reliever Fernando Rodney decided for some reason to flip the ball to his catcher Hank Conger. Too bad it wasn't even close.

Erick Aybar's sacrifice fly scored Wells in the top of the ninth and gave Los Angeles a 3-1 lead.

Boston showed some resiliency as they scored twice in their last at bats against LA's new closer Jordan Walden. Lowrie scored on a throwing error by Conger and then Jacoby Ellsbury delivered with an RBI single that plated Carl Crawford.

Bobby Abreu was the hero for the Angels as he hit a two-run single in the top of the 13th against Matsuzaka, scoring Howie Kendrick and Peter Bourjos.

The fourth and final game of this series has already begun with John Lackey opposing former Red Sox Joel Pineiro. With a 15-2 record the last two seasons against the Angels and 6-1 this year, Boston will try to close out this series on a high note even though they have to be dead tired.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Red Sox improve to 9-0 against hapless Angels


Other than the playoffs last season, it's safe to say that the Boston Red Sox own the Los Angeles Angels (or whatever you want to call him).

John Lackey (11-7) tried his hardest to lose to his former team: seven innings, five earned runs on ten hits, five strikeouts but he was overshadowed by Scott Kazmir, who got a no-decision.

Do you remember how good Kazmir was with the Devil Rays (when they weren't just the Rays)? He's my age but he's already washed up, pretty sad. He went five innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits with three walks and two strikeouts. It's obvious why Tampa Bay dumped him last season, they could see he didn't have anything left.

This was a back and forth game with both offenses running wild on bad pitching. Adrian Beltre gave Boston (69-52) a 1-0 in the first inning with an RBI single.

Mike Napoli tied it up with a solo homer in the third and Howie Kendrick put Los Angeles (60-61) up 2-1 in the fourth with an RBI single.

Bill Hall made it 2-2 with a solo homer in the fourth before Alberto Callaspo crushed a three-run bomb in the fifth.

No problem though as the Angels and their B-squad of relievers couldn't hold the lead. Beltre cut it to 5-4 with a two-run homer in the fifth before Boston scored two runs in the seventh without getting a hit.

Victor Martinez (3 hits) scored on a wild pitch and then Daniel Nava drove in a run by getting hit by a pitch.

The Sox added an insurance run in the eighth when V-Mart hit an RBI single.

Jonathan Papelbon struck out the side in the ninth, probably his best outing of the season. It was a historical feat too since with that he became the first closer with 30+ saves in his first major league season.

Josh Beckett takes the mound tonight as the Red Sox look to sweep the Angels, Ervin Santana will pitch for Los Angeles.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Darnell McDonald and Ryan Kalish, outfielders of the future for the Red Sox?


2010 has been a revolving door for the Boston Red Sox as they have shuffled through a million lineups to augment an absurd level of injuries.

Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron were declared done for the season last night (no surprise) but the Sox (68-52) had no time to worry about it. More importantly, Dustin Pedroia-the team's heart and soul-returned to action after being out since June 25.

Thanks to two replacement outfielders: journeyman Darnell McDonald and rookie Ryan Kalish, Boston shut out the Los Angeles Angels (60-60) 6-0 at Fenway Park in the first game of a three-game series.

McDonald hit a solo homer in the third over the Monster that broke the back window of a car parked on a rooftop garage on Landsdowne Street. Pretty cool stuff, sorry person with Rhode Island plates.

Kalish topped that with a grand slam in the fourth, making it 5-0 Red Sox.

Victor Martinez doubled home David Ortiz (2 hits, 2 runs) in the fifth and Boston had accumulated an impressive 6-0 lead over Jered Weaver (5 innings, 6 earned runs, 6 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts).

It shouldn't have taken this long to mention him but Clay Buchholz (14-5) improved his AL-best ERA to 2.36 as he has quickly added his name to the top of the AL Cy Young discussion. He went seven scoreless innings without his best stuff: five hits, two walks and three strikeouts.

Things figure to get much uglier pitching wise as John Lackey takes on Scott Kazmir tonight in game two. Lackey has been a big disappointment so far with the Red Sox and Kazmir has completely lost his wondrous talents he showed in obscurity for the Rays.

Tampa Bay and the Yankees both won last night, meaning they're both tied and 5.5 games ahead of Boston.