Red Sox tighten defense, beat Angels
After committing eight errors in first four home games, Boston cleans it up. Ward homers in 7-2 loss.
BOSTON — Triston Casas hit a long two-run homer in a four-run first inning and the Boston Red Sox cleaned up their season-long defensive problems in a 7-2 victory over the Angels on Saturday for their first home victory of the season.
Masataka Yoshida added two RBI singles for the Red Sox.
They opened 0-4 at home while committing eight errors that led to nine unearned runs.
For the season, they made 14 accounting for 15 unearned.
But on Saturday, they were clean in the field, including a nice play up-the-middle by shortstop David Hamilton that led to a force out. The game ended with a nifty 64-3 double play.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer — the 8,999th in club history — for the Angels, who beat Boston 7-0 in the series opener Friday.
Slugger Mike Trout went 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Wearing their City Connect uniforms that pay tribute to the Boston Marathon’s finish-line colors with bright yellow jerseys and powder blue hats for the second straight game, the Red Sox broke ahead with the four-run first against Griffin Canning (0-2).
Yoshida had an RBI single before Casas belted a drive estimated at 429 feet over the Angels’ bullpen, making it 3-0.
When he got into the dugout after trotting around the bases, someone draped a B.A.A. 5K medal around his neck.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora ran the race in the morning.
Ceddanne Rafael’s run-scoring single made it 4-0 before they added two more runs in the second.
“When you put balls over the plate, they don't miss them,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “Especially the one that Casas hit. Before you know, we were down 4-0.”
Greg Weissert (1-1) worked two innings of scoreless relief with three strikeouts for the victory.
Boston improved to 28-8 wearing the yellow and blue.
Looking to play better defense, the Red Sox took infield before batting practice about three hours prior to the game’s start.
Canning was tagged for seven runs — six earned — in four innings.
Recalled from Triple-A Worcester before the game, Boston starter Cooper Criswell gave up two runs in four innings.
Detmers dazzles again
Reid Detmers gave up three hits over 61⁄3 innings with seven strikeouts and Ward matched a season high with three RBIs to lead the Angels over the Red Sox 7-0 on Friday night.
“He kept them off balance all night,” Washington said of Detmers.
“Another great outing . ... It seems like every time we’ve needed it, he’s stepped up. I couldn’t ask for more from him.”
The Angels sent seven batters to the plate in the first inning, scoring three runs (one earned) against Boston right-hander Tanner Houck (2-1), who had not given up a run in his previous two starts, spanning 12 innings.
Houck matched a career high by giving up seven runs (four earned) on a career-high 12 hits in 52⁄3 innings.
“Stuff-wise, I felt a little f lat with everything,” Houck said. “Felt like it didn’t quite have the same bite as the last two outings.”
Detmers (3-0) was just as good as in his previous start — an April 6 win against Boston, in which he gave up one run on three hits with a walk and 12 strikeouts in six innings. He had two walks Friday.
“I didn’t have my best stuff early,” Detmers said. “I was kind of just fighting myself a little bit. Worked in between innings, figured it out slowly and by the end of the game I felt like I had all my stuff back.”
Ward’s two-run homer with two outs in the sixth, scoring Mike Trout, who singled, ended Houck’s night with left-hander Brennan Bernardino entering.
Boston made three errors in the game, matching a season high set April 5 against the Angels.
The Red Sox dropped to 0-4 at Fenway Park.
“Things didn’t work out for them on the defensive side, to our advantage,” Washington said.
Cora said those mental mistakes really bothered him.
“Like, the physical ones, they’re part of it,” he said. “We will make mistakes, we will make errors. I made errors. I know how it works. It’s part of it. But, the other ones are the ones we have to eliminate, the mental ones.”