The Angels came out of the All-Star break to attack the Red Sox pitching on Friday with an 11-3 win. A 4-2 win on Saturday gives them a four-game win streak and puts them 8 up in the division.
Friday’s 11-run effort was led by Garrett Anderson, who totaled 5 RBI’s and was 4 for 4 with 2 runs scored and a solo homerun. The Angels jumped out for the lead by rallying for three runs in the first, including a single by Anderson to get his first RBI of the night. Their lead was cut to one by the fourth, but the Angels got lucky with four unearned runs in the fifth to put the game out of reach. The Angels had two outs in the fifth, but a fielding error by shortstop Alex Cora started the rally with one run scoring. Anderson then added an RBI single and Howie Kendrick drove in two with a single. The offense totaled 14 hits on the night, with multi-hit games by Anderson, Kotchman, Izturis, and Vlad.
John Lackey’s seventh win also came along with his 1,000th strikeout of his career. He was given a three-run lead by the second and went on to throw seven innings, giving up three runs on five hits with six K’s. Lackey was given plenty of run support and back up by the defense to give him the win. His only mistake was a two-run homerun to Kevin Youkilis in the second, but he came back to strike out Youkilis in the fourth for his 1,000th. Justin Speier and Darren O’Day each threw a hitless inning.
The Angels continued their winning ways on Saturday with a slim 4-2 win over Boston to put them 21 games over .500.
Boston scored two in the second and the Angels trailed all the way to the seventh when they rallied for four runs to make way for the win. Vlad led off the seventh with a solo homerun off the first pitch from Josh Beckett. Torii Hunter and Garret Anderson then singled and moved to second and third by a sacrifice by Reggie Willits. Beckett then intentionally walked Howie Kendrick to load the bases. Erick Aybar cleared the bases with a three-RBI triple to give the Angels the go-ahead runs. Gary Matthews Jr. was also scratched from the lineup for his sore left knee. An MRI will determine when Matthews Jr. can return to the lineup.
Joe Saunders went a strong 6 2/3, giving up only two runs, but Jose Arrendondo got the win after the Angels put up their four runs in the seventh. Saunders only gave Boston two runs, coming off a two-run homerun by Kevin Youkilis, his second in this series. Arrendondo pitched to just two batters in the seventh but takes the win to move his record to 4-0. Scot Shields escaped a bases loaded jam in the eighth by striking out Jed Lowrie. K-Rod then got his 39th save, stranding two Red Sox runners and getting Mike Lowell, the winning run at the plate, to pop out.
The Angels will go for the sweep on Sunday. They send Jon Garland to the mound after getting a extra days’ rest for a stiff neck. He should be plenty rested after not having a start in 8 days, with his last start giving up 10 hits in just 2 2/3 innings. Garland will lead the Angels in front of a national ESPN crowd at home and will face veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. Wakefield is 6-6 this season and 5-6 lifetime at Angel Stadium.
