The Red Sox are ready for their second game against the Los Angeles Angels in Fenway Park, as they send Clay Buchholz to the mound against Jered Weaver.
We'll keep you up-to-date on all the action as it goes down.
Angels 7, Red Sox 3, End 8th -- Dustin Pedroia leads off the inning with a single, steals second, and manages to score when Cody Ross manages to place a fly ball perfectly down the line in left for the RBI double. Unfortunately, the Sox strand both Ross and Ryan Lavarnway, who walks behind him, leaving them still facing a big deficit going into the ninth.
Angels 7, Red Sox 2, Mid 8th -- Chris Iannetta motors all the way around to third on a long fly ball to center, but it comes with two outs, and Junichi Tazawa is up to the task of getting out of the inning without surrendering any more runs.
Angels 7, Red Sox 2, End 7th -- The Sox get just a Scott Podsednik in a scoreless seventh inning. Jered Weaver is likely done for the night with a start befitting a pitcher of his quality. That comes in stark contrast to Clay Buchholz.
Angels 7, Red Sox 2, Mid 7th -- Junichi Tazawa manages to retire the side in order in the seventh, but it's likely too late for the pitching to come through tonight.
Angels 7, Red Sox 2, End 6th -- Both Cody Ross and Jarrod Saltalamacchia strike out in a 1-2-3 sixth inning that provides no promise for a comeback.
Angels 7, Red Sox 2, Mid 6th -- And the rout is thoroughly on. After the lucky escape from the fifth, leaving Buchholz in at all was a bit questionable. After the Howie Kendrick homer into the Monster seats made it 5-2? For two batters? Pretty much indefensible. Both men would reach base before Junichi Tazawa was called into the game, and an infield single prolongs the inning enough for a line drive from Torii Hunter to bring them both home.
It was a bad outing for Clay Buchholz either way, no doubt. But Bobby V took a bad night and made it a real disaster. Again.
Angels 4, Red Sox 2, End 5th -- The Sox go right back to ineptitude against Weaver in the fifth, with two fly balls and a ground ball putting an end to things in a hurry.
Angels 4, Red Sox 2, Mid 5th -- Once again Clay Buchholz runs into trouble, though this time he is lucky enough to avoid any damage, at least. After Chris Iannetta and Mike Trout reached on a single and walk, a fly ball moved Iannetta within 90 feet with just one out on the board. The run did not come across to score, however, as Pedro Ciriaco scooped up a Vernon Wells ground ball and fired home to catch Iannetta at the plate for the second out, with Kendrys Morales flying out to end the inning.
Angels 4, Red Sox 2, End 4th -- Buchholz is struggling, but the Sox finally pull a couple back for him against Weaver, all coming with two outs. Jarrod Saltalamacchia starts it off by dumping a single quickly into right field, and then comes in to score when Ryan Lavarnway finally gets some convincing contact, smashing a long wall ball double off the Monster. Behind him, Mike Aviles catches some wall as well, bringing Lavarnway home to cut the Angels lead in half before the inning ends.
Angels 4, Red Sox 0, Mid 4th -- Even when Clay is on the mound, the Sox can't have nice things, apparently. This time there's no real luck involved against Buchholz, as a solid double from Albert Pujols and single up-the-middle from Mark Trumbo gives the Angels their third run. He's even given a bit of help when Trumbo is caught stealing second, but with another double coming immediately thereafter, the one seeing-eye single of the inning is enough to cost him a fourth.
Angels 2, Red Sox 0, End 3rd -- A strong start to the third inning leads only to a disappointing conclusion. A walk from Mike Aviles and single from Scott Podsednik put two men on base with one out, but Jacoby Ellsbury managed only a routine fly ball, and while Dustin Pedroia was able to put some charge into his line drive, it stayed up too long and wasn't far enough from Mark Trumbo to cause any real trouble.
Angels 2, Red Sox 0, Mid 3rd -- The Angels have the first breakthrough of the game, nickle-and-diming their way to two runs in the third. Their three hits start the inning, and none could really be described as more than a flair, with one a simple ground ball, but they all find holes in the defense. While Clay Buchholz does manage to induce a double play to limit the damage, it's still two big runs in this matchup between two pitchers in top form.
Red Sox 0, Angels 0, End 2nd -- Jered Weaver responds in kind in the second inning with a 1-2-3 frame of his own. He, however, does it the way he has all year: free of strikeouts, full of weak contact.
RedSox 0, Angels 0, Mid 2nd -- Clay rolls straight on through the second inning, striking out Mark Trumbo swinging over the top of a 1-2 changeup as part of an 11-pitch, 1-2-3 frame.
Red Sox 0, Angels 0, End 1st -- The Sox are lucky not to respond with a 1-2-3 frame of their own. After a Scott Podsednik bloop single gives them a leadoff baserunner, Jacoby Ellsbury grounds into a double play to quickly erase him. Dustin Pedroia's strikeout should have been the end of things, but Chris Iannetta can't hold on to the ball, and Albert Pujols takes his foot off the bag before receiving the throw from home plate, letting Adrian Gonzalez get a chance. It only extends the inning for four pitches, however, with Gonzalez taking four pitches, three of them for strikes.
Red Sox 0, Angels 0, Mid 1st -- Clay Buchholz gives up a hit in the first, but it doesn't cost him a 1-2-3 inning. After a good play up-the-middle from Dustin Pedroia catches Mike Trout by a step, Buchholz brings a fastball back over the inside corner to pick up a strikeout against Torii Hunter.The hit comes from Albert Pujols, a single to the wall that Pujols tries to turn into two bases. Podsednik's throw is on target, however, and Dustin Pedroia brings it across the plate to apply the tag as Pujols slid in to the bag.