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ANAHEIM, Calif. — Instant reactions from the Red Sox’ 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium Saturday night:
1) The Red Sox kept it rolling on the road with an easy 8-1 victory over the Angels Saturday, getting them off to a 2-0 start on this trip while giving them their seventh win in the last nine games. The Sox raced out to a 3-0 lead thanks to a three-run homer from Willson Contreras in the first, then tacked on four more in the fifth, led by a two-run homer from Romy Gonzalez. Sonny Gray earned his 10th win with six innings of one-run ball.
2) Earlier in the day, Gray was passed over for the American League All-Star team despite a 9-1 record and an ERA of 2.69. It’s unclear if he used that snub as extra motivation on the mound Saturday night, but whatever drove him, it worked. He barely broke a sweat over six innings, needing just 70 pitches to record his 18 outs. He was tagged for only four hits, two of them singles that didn’t leave the infield. The only run came on a homer, but like almost all of them that Gray has allowed this year, it came with the bases empty.
3) Let’s face it: Contreras has a flair for the dramatic. Hours after he was left off the AL All-Star team and later issued a mea culpa for some of his on-field behavior in the last 10 days, Contreras came to the plate in the top of the first inning and promptly smoked a three-run homer to left field. It was his 19th of the season and marked the 17th time this season he’s had a multiple-RBI game. It also staked Gray to a quick 3-0 lead.
4) It hasn’t taken Gonzalez long to get into the swing of things. After missing most of the first three months following shoulder surgery in spring training, Gonzalez is heating up. On Friday, he had a triple and two singles with two RBI. On Saturday, he hammered a two-run homer down the left field line in the fifth. His specialty, of course, is hitting lefties, but Gonzalez can hit righties, too, and helps lengthen the middle portion of the Boston lineup.
5) Infielder Anthony Seigler continues to impress. Seigler, who played second and hit leadoff Saturday, worked a leadoff walk and came around to score on the three-run shot by Contreras. In the fifth, he led off with an opposite-field double, sliced down the right field line. But it was in the field where he really shone. In the bottom of the fourth, Seigler ranged to his left to snare a ground ball off the bat of Josh Lowe. He then spun around on the outfield grass and fired to second to cut down Jorge Soler, the lead runner. Seigler has shown the ability to play a number of infield positions and play them all well.
6) As he’s done almost from the start of the season, Wilyer Abreu continues to pulverize lefties. He had a double off Reid Detmers in Friday’s win and Saturday night, the hit parade continued with a two-run double in the third off Angels lefty reliever Samy Natera Jr. Coming into Saturday, Abreu was slashing .362/.430/.521 against lefthanders this season. That’s pretty impressive for someone who often sat against lefties in his first three years with the Red Sox. Ironically, he’s produced far better against lefties than righties (.227/.291/.393).
7) The Red Sox have done an excellent job making the Angels’ starting pitchers really work in the two games to date. On Friday, Detmers needed 104 pitches for just five innings of work. Saturday night, starter Sam Aldegheri threw 88 pitches through the first four innings. When you’re making the starter throw more than 20 pitches per inning on a consistent basis, you’re going to be successful.
8) The three-game series concludes Sunday night at 9:38 Eastern with the Red Sox sending All-Star Ranger Suarez (4-3, 2.94) to the mound against righty Ryan Johnson (1-3, 7.40 ERA).
More Red Sox coverage
- Some Things I Think I Think: Caleb Durbin’s turnaround is worth saluting
- Red Sox’ Sonny Gray, spurred by All-Star snub, earns league-best 10th win; ‘I was disappointed, for sure’
- Red Sox vs. Angels predictions, best bets and player projections for Sunday finale
- Red Sox’ Willson Contreras offers tearful apology for recent on-field incidents
- Red Sox standouts Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray left off AL All-Star squad
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