Bobby Dalbec hit a go ahead two-run homerun in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday night, as the Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 4-3 in the opener of a three game series at Fenway Park.
Hunter Renfoe had given Boston (24-16) a 2-0 lead when he took LAA starter Griffin Canning deep to center field for a two-run homer in the second inning. Shohei Ohtani cut the deficit in half when he hit his 11th long ball of the season, a solo homer in the sixth. In the top of the seventh, Anthony Rendon knocked Sox starter Nick Pivetta out of the game with a leadoff single. Matt Andriese came on and allowed a single to Jared Walsh, and then with one out Jose Iglesias slapped a double right to score Rendon and Walsh to make it 3-2 Angels. With one out in the bottom half, Renfoe singled and then Dalbec lost one deep above the green monster in left center on a 1-2 pitch for the game winner off reliever Tony Watson. It was the fourth of the year for Dalbec.
Renfroe and Christian Vazquez had two hits each for Boston, while Andriese (2-2) would get credited with the win. Pivetta allowed two runs on four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in 6+ innings in a no decision. Adam Ottavino pitched a perfect eighth with two strikeouts for his eighth hold of the season, and Matt Barnes struck out the side in the ninth inning for his ninth save. Ohtani and Iglesias had two hits a piece for Los Angeles (16-21), while Watson (1-1) was tagged with the pitching loss. Canning allowed two runs on six hits in 6.0 innings. Game two of the series is Saturday at 4:10 p.m. with LHP Martin Perez starting on the mound for the Red Sox, and the Angels countering with RHP Dylan Bundy.
