BASEBALL: Angels keep their rally caps on to sweep Red Sox

MLB: They take the lead in the ninth inning, lose it, then score again in the 10th to defeat Red Sox.

By Howard Ulman BOSTON - Kendrys Morales led off The Angels' two-run 10th inning with a solo homer, and the Angels completed a three-game sweep of Boston by outlasting the Red Sox 14-13 on Thursday night.

The Red Sox wasted a 6-0 lead then rallied from deficits of 8-7 in the sixth and 12-11 in the ninth. But closer Alfredo Aceves struggled after Boston was one out away from victory in the ninth. Aceves (2-8) gave up five runs and six hits in one inning, and the Red Sox lost for the 11th time in 15 games.

Ernesto Frieri (2-0) got the win after giving up a tying solo homer in the ninth to Cody Ross, his 19th of the season, and an RBI single in the 10th to Dustin Pedroia, who drove in five runs.

Frieri was charged with a blown save, but secured the win when he struck out Adrian Gonzalez to end the 4-hour, 34-minute game.

With the score tied at 12, Morales jumped on an 0-1 pitch from Aceves for his 16th homer - just over the low right field fence. Erick Aybar followed with a single, knocking out Aceves. Vernon Wells hit an RBI double off Craig Breslow for the final run.

The Angels, who were swept in four games by Tampa Bay before coming to Boston, remained five games behind the Rays and closed to within 3 1-2 of Baltimore in the race for the AL's two wild-card spots.

The Red Sox took an 11-9 lead in the

eighth on RBI singles by Jacoby Ellsbury and Pedroia, but the Angels rallied in the ninth and regained the lead with Wells' eighth homer and two-out, run-scoring singles by Torii Hunter and Mark Trumbo.

Angels starter C.J. Wilson, 0-5 in his last 11 starts, struggled again.

The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first on a double by Pedroia and an RBI single by Gonzalez.

They made it 6-0 in the second on run-scoring singles by Scott Podsednik and Ellsbury and Pedroia's 11th homer, a three-run shot.

But Franklin Morales couldn't hold the lead, giving up six of the Angels' eight third-inning runs. Los Angeles had six hits, three walks and an error in the inning. Chris Iannetta and Hunter had two hits each, and every member of the Angels lineup except Trumbo got on base in the inning.

Two runs scored on bases-loaded walks to Kendrys Morales and Wells. Seven consecutive batters reached base after two were out.

Wilson then settled down and retired eight straight batters before Pedroia reached on an error by third baseman Alberto Callaspo in the fifth and scored on a single by Ross.

Boston went ahead 9-8 with two runs in the sixth on Mike Aviles' 12th homer and consecutive doubles by Pedro Ciriaco and Ellsbury. But Los Angeles tied it in the seventh on Trout's RBI single.

Notes

The last Angels pitcher to go 11 starts without a win was Jim Abbott, whose streak reached 13 games from May 7 to Aug, 10, 1996. ... Angels first baseman Albert Pujols missed the game with tightness in his right calf. ... Red Sox left fielder Carl Crawford underwent Tommy John surgery on Thursday to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. He is expected to be sidelined six to nine months. ... Jon Lester (7-10) pitches for the Red Sox on Friday against Bruce Chen (9-10) in the opener of a four-game series with the Kansas City Royals. ... The Angels return home for a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers with Zack Greinke (1-2) going for Los Angeles against Rick Porcello (9-8).

Source: http://www.sbsun.com/sports/ci_21389789/baseball-angels-keep-their-rally-caps-sweep-red?source=rss

brownback brownback salvia cybermonday deals cybermonday deals steve johnson norman reedus