The Red Sox are ready to take on the Angels in the first game of a three-game set as they send Aaron Cook to the mound against Ervin Santana.
We'll keep you up-to-date on all the action as it goes down in Fenway
Angels 5, Red Sox 3, End 8th -- The Red Sox get the baserunners they need, but they come too late. A two-out walk for Jarrod Saltalamacchia and single from Daniel Nava bring Mike Aviles to the plate with the tying run at first, but the shortstop can do nothing more than hit it on the ground, right to Howie Kendrick for the out.
Angels 5, Red Sox 3, Mid 8th -- Vicente Padilla makes a succesful return to the mound in the eighth, striking out one in a 1-2-3 inning of work.
Angels 5, Red Sox 3, End 7th -- Scott Podsednik doubles with one down in the seventh, coming around to score on a ground ball and wild pitch to bring the Sox within two. As bad as this game started for Boston, it's not ever yet.
Angels 5, Red Sox 2, Mid 7th -- Clayton Mortensen continues to get outs for the Sox, retiring the fourth, fifth, and sixth batters he faces for another perfect inning on the mound.
Angels 5, Red Sox 2, End 6th -- Finally, after six innings of frustration, a high fastball to Jarrod Saltalamacchia with a man on provides a breakthrough for the Red Sox. Salty puts his bat on the right plane, and though Torii Hunter initially seems to possibly have a play on the ball, Salty gets just enough to power it into the third row of seats in right field.
Angels 5, Red Sox 0, Mid 6th -- After three straight innings with runs scoring against them, the Sox get a clean frame from Clayton Mortensen in the sixth.
Angels 5, Red Sox 0, End 5th -- The Red Sox gain no ground in the fifth, picking up only a Scott Podsednik single as Ervin Santana continues to baffle them on the mound.
Angels 5, Red Sox 0, Mid 5th -- There's nothing questionable about the Angels' fourth or fifth runs. With a man already on, Aaron Cook leaves a meatball over the zone to Mark Trumbo, and Trumbo hits it so far over the Monster that it'll be a wonder if it stays in Massachusetts.
Angels 3, Red Sox 0, End 4th -- Ervin Santana gets his second 1-2-3 inning of the night. This is a pretty poor performance from the Sox against a pitcher who has struggled as often as Santana has had.
Angels 3, Red Sox 0, Mid 4th -- Aaron Cook strikes out a fourth batter in Mark Trumbo to start the fourth inning, then allows a single to Howie Kendrick. It's the only ball in the air Cook allows in the inning, but once again the infield comes up empty when it comes to making plays on Cook's ground balls. Four straight manage to find their way through for singles, and while the Sox manage to luck into one out in the run down, it's not enough to keep the Angels from building their lead from one run to three.
Angels 1, Red Sox 0, End 3rd -- The Red Sox waste another chance in the third, stranding two men on base after singles from Pedro Ciriaco and Jacoby Ellsbury put men on the corners with one out. Ervin Santana went to a fastball high and away to sit Adrian Gonzalez down on strikes, ending the threat.
Angels 1, Red Sox 0, Mid 3rd -- Ground balls are Aaron Cook's bread and butter, but they can't all go for outs. Despite picking up his third(!) strikeout in three innings, Cook sees ground balls from Mike Trout and Albert Pujols get through, and with Trout having advanced to second on an errant pickoff throw, it's enough for the Angels to take the early lead.
Red Sox 0, Angels 0, End 2nd -- Cody Ross picks up a one-out double, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia draws a quick walk behind him, but the bottom of the lineup wastes the opportunity as both Daniel Nava and Mike Aviles pop out behind him to end the inning.
Red Sox 0, Angels 0, Mid 2nd -- Shockingly enough, after erasing a leadoff baserunner by inducing a double play, Aaron Cook picks up his second strikeout of the night. Rare form for the groundball specialist.
Red Sox 0, Angels 0, End 1st -- Ervin Santana looks nothing like a 5.59 ERA pitcher in the first inning. Nine pitches are all he needs to retire the Red Sox 1-2-3 on three ground balls, taking a page out of Cook's own book.
Red Sox 0, Angels 0, Mid 1st -- Aaron Cook starts out the game with one of the most unexpected outcomes you'll see this year: a four-pitch strikeout of rookie phenom Mike Trout. It's just the eighth strikeout Cook has mustered this year. After a ground ball out, Albert Pujols returns things to some level of normalcy by doubling off the wall before Cook ended the inning with another ground ball from Kendrys Morales.