Red Sox rout Angels in series finale to win two of three

April 7, 2024

Chase McGuire drove in five runs, Tyler ONeill hit his third home run of the series and the Boston Red Sox finished off an opening 10-game trip with a 12-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.

Tanner Houck (2-0) allowed four hits in six shutout innings and struck out seven. The right-hander became the first Boston pitcher to go at least six innings and record seven or more strikeouts in each of his first two outings of a season.

David Hamilton and Rafael Devers also homered for Boston, which went 7-3 on the trip and opens at home on Tuesday against Baltimore.

Angels slugger Mike Trout averted a shutout in the eighth inning with his fourth homer of the season, a solo shot.

McGuire had a three-run homer in the sixth that extended Bostons lead to 7-0. He also drove in runs with a grounder in the eighth and single in the ninth.

O’Neill, acquired in an offseason trade with St. Louis, is tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts for the major league lead in homers with five. O’Neill also became the first player to have at least five home runs and five walks in their first nine games with the Red Sox.

After going deep twice in Friday’s 8-6 victory, O’Neill put a sinker from Chase Silseth (0-1) over the wall in left-center for a solo shot to make it 3-0 in the third inning. It was the second time in three days the Red Sox hit three home runs in an inning.

Hamilton, called up on Saturday after Trevor Story was placed on the 10-day injured list because of a dislocated left shoulder, opened the scoring in the third when he drove Silseths high fastball off the out-of-town scoreboard above the fence in right-center.

Two batters later, Devers drove a splitter over the shrubs in center field.

The homers were the only hits that Silseth allowed tin five innings. He struck out seven.

The Red Sox sent 10 the plate during their four-run ninth. Ceddanne Rafaela had the key hit with a two-run, bases-loaded single.