Red Sox at Angels
The Boston Red Sox missed a golden opportunity to make up ground in the American League wild-card race Saturday and will try to rebound quickly when they visit the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday for the rubber match of a three-game set. The Red Sox bullpen allowed seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on the way to a devastating 10-4 loss in the middle contest of the series and they remain 5 1/2 games out in the wild card chase.
Mookie Betts is 6-for-10 with two homers and four runs scored in the series, while J. D. Martinez is 14-for-32 with five homers and 17 RBIs during an eight-game hitting streak for Boston, which is 5-2 with one contest left on its road trip. David Price is expected to come off the injured list to take the mound for the first time since Aug. 4 in the series finale for the Red Sox, while Los Angeles counters with improving fellow left-hander Andrew Heaney, who is unbeaten in his last five outings. The Angels won for just the second time in nine games Saturday as they registered 13 hits - six for extra bases - and reached double figures in runs for the first time since Aug. 10 at Boston. Los Angeles slugger Albert Pujols, who hit his 20th homer of the season Saturday and is 6-for-12 with six RBIs in the series, moved into a tie with Cal Ripken Jr. for 14th on major league baseball’s all-time list with 3,184 hits.
TV: 4.07 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), FS West (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH David Price (7-5, 4.36 ERA) vs. Angels LH Andrew Heaney (3-3, 3.95)
Price came out of a three-inning simulated game Tuesday feeling good and makes his first start since allowing seven runs over 2 2/3 innings of an Aug. 4 loss to the New York Yankees. The 34-year-old Vanderbilt product struggled in his last five starts before a cyst on his left wrist interrupted his season, permitting 21 runs over 22 innings while serving up 10 homers combined during a five-game winless streak. Justin Upton is 3-for-8 with a homer versus Price, who is 7-7 with a 3.34 ERA in 17 career starts against the Angels.
Heaney has been outstanding in his last three trips to the mound, limiting opponents to five runs (four earned) on 12 hits across 21 total innings with 30 strikeouts. The 28-year-old Oklahoma State product gave up one unearned run on four hits with 10 strikeouts over six frames Tuesday in a no-decision against Texas after tossing eight innings of one-run ball to beat the Rangers seven days earlier. Martinez is 2-for-3 with a homer against Heaney, who yielded one run over 3 2/3 innings in a no-decision at Boston on Aug. 10.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pujols also moved within one double of tying Nap Lajoie (657) for seventh on baseball’s all-time list.
2. The Red Sox saw their streak of 19 straight games with a homer end Saturday - tied for the second-longest run in franchise history.
3. Los Angeles CF Mike Trout stole his 200th career base Saturday and has hit safely in five straight contests.