Four Real? Red Sox vs Angels 6-8.1-13

Jan-Christian Sorensen
Contributing Writer

If Hollywood turned this game into a movie, it’d be called Angels in the Infield.

And it’s probably also one that Red Sox fans would prefer go straight to DVD. 

Sox pitching served up a total of eight walks — three with the bases loaded — to drop the first half of a day-night doubleheader to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 9-5 on Saturday.

While Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jose Iglesias extended hitting streaks and Ellsbury further proved his groin injury is on the mend by swiping two bases, it was a loss of command for reliever Franklin Morales in the seventh inning that swung the game solidly in the Angels’ favor.

Despite a last-gasp, two-out comeback in the bottom of the ninth in which Boston scored three runs, the damage had already been done. No inside-out rally caps were going to save this one for the Sox.

Here are the four at-bats that changed the game:

1) After a Mike Trout double, a walk to Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols at the plate in the third inning, the Angels pulled a successful double steal on starter Felix Doubront, moving Trout to third and Hamilton to second. Pujols then launched a sacrifice to center to being home Trout to give the Angels a 2-0 lead.

2) In the top of the seventh with two out and the bases loaded, Morales walked Callaspo on four straight pitches to cash in Pujols and extend the Angels’ advantage to 5-2.

3) Still in the top of the seventh and following his walk to Callaspo, Morales walked the next batter, Chris Iannetta, on another four straight balls to bring home Mark Trumbo for a 6-2 Angels lead.

4) In the top of the ninth after Clayton Mortensen gave up singles to Howie Kendrick and Alberto Callaspo, Sox manager John Farrell brought in Andrew Miller in relief, but even he couldn’t staunch the bleeding. Miller issued a walk to Erick Aybar to load the bases and then walked Trout to bring home Callaspo with the Angels’ eighth run of the day.

Hopefully the Sox will be able to mine some of the momentum they built too late in the ninth inning to help carry them to victory in the nightcap, when Clay Buchholz (8-0, 1.62 ERA) takes on C.J. Wilson (4-4, 3.93 ERA).

Twitter: jan_doh