Angels 7, Red Sox 3, Game 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Angels completed a four-game series sweep of the Boston Red Sox, finishing it off with a doubleheader sweep Monday afternoon and evening at Angel Stadium.
After Sunday's game between the two teams was rained out -- the first rainout in Anaheim since June 16, 1995 -- the Angels began the day with an 11-1 win, and followed it up with a 7-3 victory in the nightcap.
Albert Pujols stole the show, hitting three home runs, one in the first game and two more in the second. Now the league leader with 29 homers, Pujols went 4-for-7 with the three homers and four RBIs in the two games.
The Angels have won five in a row and 11 of their last 13, as they moved two games ahead of second-place Houston in the American League West.
The Red Sox are going in the opposite direction; they've lost six of seven and remain in last place in the AL East, 8 1/2 games behind the Yankees.
The Angels outscored the Red Sox in the series 22-4. Two of Boston's runs came in the sixth inning of the second game when designated hitter David Ortiz homered off Angels starter Andrew Heaney. Before then, the Red Sox had scored one run in 32 innings against Angels pitching.
Other than giving up the homer, Heaney was outstanding again. He went seven innings, gave up five hits, walked none and struck out four. Since being called up to replace the injured Jered Weaver, Heaney is 4-0 with a 1.57 ERA in four starts.
Boston's Game 2 starter, knuckleballer Steven Wright (3-3) got the loss after allowing six runs on six hits in three walks in five innings.
The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the second inning of the nightcap on first baseman Pujols' home run off Wright.
The Angels added to their lead in the third inning, putting together a two-out rally.
Second baseman Johnny Giavotella walked, right fielder Kole Calhoun bunted for a single and center fielder Mike Trout walked to load the bases.
Pujols drove in the first run of the inning with a walk, and shortstop Erick Aybar plated two more with a single to center. Center fielder Daniel Robertson's infield single drove in the final run of the inning to give the Angels a 5-0 lead.
Trout hit his 28th homer of the year leading off the fifth inning to put the Angels up 6-0.
The Angels won Game 1 of the doubleheader 11-1, thanks to a big inning, scoring seven runs in the second inning against Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez. Calhoun and Pujols hit home runs in the inning, and third baseman David Freese added a three-run homer in the fourth.
Angels starter Hector Santiago (7-4) gave up one run in five-plus innings to get the win.
NOTES: Mike Trout started Game 2 of the doubleheader as the Angels' designated hitter. He has started all of the Angels' 92 games this season, three of them at DH. ... Red Sox manager John Farrell said before Game 1 that 2B Dustin Pedroia would play in Game 1 but not Game 2 of the doubleheader. But Pedroia, who missed 15 games with a strained hamstring, was in the starting lineup for Game 2. ... Angels 1B Albert Pujols hit his 27th home run of the season in Game 1, which was his 1,136th extra-base hit of his career, tying Ty Cobb for 12th on the all-time list. He passed Cobb by hitting two more homers in Game 2. ... The Red Sox offense snapped a string of 21 consecutive scoreless innings when 1B Mike Napoli drove in a run with a single in the fourth inning of Game 1.