The Red Sox can hope only to dodge the sweep as they send Franklin Morales to the mound against C.J. Wilson and the Angels. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. EST with broadcasts on NESN and WEEI.
We'll keep you up-to-date on all the action as it goes down in Fenway Park.
Angels 14, Red Sox 12, Mid 10th -- Kendry Morales hits a homer on the second pitch of the inning, and the Angels add an insurance run to boot. Surely that has to be it?
Red Sox 12, Angels 12, End 9th -- The game just gets more and more ridiculous. Three pitches into the bottom of the ninth, and Cody Ross blasts an absolute moonshot to left. We're headed to extra innings, of all things.
Angels 12, Red Sox 11, Mid 9th -- No, they can't. Shockingly, for the third time tonight, a Boston lead lasts not even half of an inning. Vernon Wells takes Alfredo Aceves deep to cut the defiicit in half, and then with two outs and two strikes, Mike Trout lines a hit into right field, moving to second on a bit of a gaffe from Cody Ross. Torii Hunter singled him home, with Jarrod Saltalamacchia coming in just late on the tag as the Angels tied it, and after a Howie Kendrick walk, Mark Trumbo was there to give the Angels a lead with a single of his own. SImply unbelievable.
Red Sox 11, Angels 9, End 8th -- And the Red Sox gain the lead with just three outs left to go! While a bad call on a close play at first costs them a baserunner and an out in Mike Aviles, the Sox manage to push through, getting back-to-back singles from Scott Podsednik and Pedro Ciriaco. The Angels turn to Scott Downs, but it ends up being to no avail, as Ellsbury finds the outfield with a line drive single, giving Boston the one run lead. Dustin Pedroia adds some insurance with an infield single afterwards, now the question is can they get that lockdown ninth?
Red Sox 9, Angels 9, Mid 8th -- Three more outs from Vicente Padilla get the Sox into the bottom of the eighth with a chance to take the lead, but right now their pen is wearing awfully thin. Extra innings might well favor Los Angeles.
Red Sox 9, Angels 9, End 7th -- Kevin Jepsen retires the better part of the Boston lineup 1-2-3, sending the game into the eighth still tied.
Red Sox 9, Angels 9, Mid 7th -- And the Angels take the tie right back. Andrew Bailey isn't exactly shaky, but he has the balls fall in the wrong places. A ground ball and shallow pop-up behind second base get him two baserunners on limited contact, and Mike Trout manages to grab the tie with a single up the middle before Vicente Padilla enters the game to escape the jam.
Red Sox 9, Angels 8, End 6th -- The Sox jump back on top in the sixth as they show power to left field. The tying run comes in when Mike Aviles launches a deep fly ball into the Monster seats. The tie doesn't last long, however, as back-to-back doubles from Ciriaco and Ellsbury score a ninth run to make it a 1-run Sox advantage.
Angels 8, Red Sox 7, Mid 6th -- Melancon gives the Sox another solid inning, working around a two-out walk to Mark Trumbo.
Angels 8, Red Sox 7, End 5th -- An Alberto Callaspo error allows Pedroia to reach first in the fifth, and after a passed ball moves him to second, Cody Ross is able to drive him home. The question is, even if the Red Sox win, will it feel like a victory the way it's happened?
Angels 8, Red Sox 6, Mid 5th -- With Tazawa having already worked a ton in the previous game, the Sox turn to Mark Melancon in the fifth, and while he ends up surrendering a single, it's ends up being inconsequential after Mike Trout flies out to center to end the frame.
Angels 8, Red Sox 6, End 4th -- Still no resurgence from the Sox, who go down in short order in a 1-2-3 fourth.
Angels 8, Red Sox 6, Mid 4th -- Go-to bullpen saver Junichi Tazawa gets the Sox three quick outs in the fourth .The Sox can actually still win this game obviously, it being a 2-run difference, but it's going to be tough to recover from an emotional beating like they took in the third.
Angels 8, Red Sox 6, End 3rd -- For those wondering what the lockdown inning looks like, Wilson provides one, retiring the Red Sox 1-2-3 in the third with a pair of strikeouts to boot. He's not going to have a good night, one way or the other, but he's feeling a lot better than the Sox are right now.
Angels 8, Red Sox 6, Mid 3rd -- I've got nothing.
After opening up a 6-0 lead in the second, the Sox now trail 8-6.
The salient points are that Franklin Morales gave up a run on three singles, lost the strike zone, loaded the bases and walked in another. He could have been out of the inning right there, but Pedro Ciriaco fumbled a ground ball, and the frame was allowed to continue with Clayton Mortensen on the mound in his stead.
Mortensen didn't do any better. Another run walked in, and then three straight singles. Scoring two on the first, and one each on the second and third, the lead was not simply gone--it had changed hands.
There is low, and then there is this.
Red Sox 6, Angels 0, End 2nd -- La Luna! The flood gates open for the Sox in the second as the lineup pulls a conga line on the basepaths. Mauro Gomez got it started with one out, slapping a double past third and into left field. After a Mike Aviles strikeout left the Sox with just one out to spare, the real damage began. A ground ball from Scott Podsednik made its way through the infield, scoring Gomez, and Pedro Ciriaco followed it up with what is becoming a trademark of his: the infield hit. Jacoby Ellsbury lines a single into center to give the Sox their second run of the inning, but it's Pedroia who really cracks it open, catching a fastball over the middle of the plate and turning on it, launching a rocket into the Monster seats on a line to make it 6-0.
Red Sox 1, Angels 0, Mid 2nd -- Franklin Morales gives up a single and a double in the second inning. Usually that's enough to score a run, but Morales manages to squeeze a ground ball in between, leaving the leadoff runner erased and the Red Sox in possession of their lead.
Red Sox 1, Angels 0, End 1st -- A very quick two-out rally gets the Sox a run and the lead in the bottom of the first. After starting the game with a pair of ground balls, C.J. Wilson sees Dustin Pedroia hit one in the air and very deep to center, missing the homer by a bit, but not the wall. With Pedroia on second base, Adrian Gonzalez steps up out to break an 0-for-8 slump and does just that, singling into center on the second pitch he sees to bring the run home and give the Sox the lead.
Red Sox 0, Angels 0, Mid 1st -- Franklin Morales comes out throwing heat all the way, and while it takes him a few pitches, he gets through the first with nary an off-speed pitch. Mike Trout starts the game off with a strikeout, Pedro Ciriaco gloves a sharp hit ball from Torii Hunter for out number two, and while Howie Kendrick is able to pick up a single, Mark Trumbo ends the inning with an easy pop-up.