Red Sox at Angels
Rick Porcello won the American League Cy Young Award two seasons ago when he had a 5-0 record in April. The right-hander is off to another strong start as he looks to post his fourth straight win of the current campaign when the Boston Red Sox visit the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday.
Porcello had a 4.66 ERA through three starts in 2016 and certainly has been stingier this season with a 1.83 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and .182 batting average against. The 29-year-old took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his last start before giving up two hits and exiting after the frame in a 6-3 win over the New York Yankees. Mookie Betts belted three homers for the third time in his career to tie Ted Williams' club mark as the Red Sox trounced the Angels 10-1 on Tuesday. Boston went deep six times in the contest and owns a major league-best 14-2 record while ending the seven-game winning streak of the also-hot Angels, who are a franchise-best 13-4 through 17 games.
TV: 10:07 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), FS West (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Rick Porcello (3-0, 1.83 ERA) vs. Angels LH Tyler Skaggs (2-0, 1.69)
Porcello's strong start includes 17 strikeouts against just one walk in 19 2/3 innings. He is 6-7 with a 5.67 ERA in 16 career turns against Los Angeles but has tossed back-to-back complete games at Angel Stadium despite being just 1-4 with a 5.82 ERA in six career outings at the ballpark. Porcello routinely struggles with Ian Kinsler (9-for-20, seven RBIs), Albert Pujols (9-for-26, one homer) and Kole Calhoun (7-for-19, two homers) and also has served up two blasts to Mike Trout (7-for-29).
Skaggs already has equaled his victory total from last season, when he went 2-6 with a 4.55 ERA in 16 starts. The 26-year-old struck out seven in five innings while beating Texas in his last turn as he gave up one run and five hits. Skaggs struck out eight and allowed four hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his lone career start against Boston in 2016.
WALK-OFFS
1. Betts was back in the Red Sox's lineup Tuesday after missing one game with a foot injury.
2. Los Angeles RHP-DH Shohei Ohtani (blister on throwing hand) departed Tuesday's game after two innings and said in his postgame press conference that he will take it "day by day" per his availability as a hitter.
3. Boston has scored 75 runs over its past nine games.