Garrett Whitlock tossed a very strong 7.0 innings on the mound Sunday afternoon only allowing a run on three hits, and Justin Turner provided the game winner with his first homerun as a member of the Boston Red Sox in a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park. Boston has now won three in a row after suffering a four game sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays, and will go their own four game sweep of Los Angeles on Patriots Day Monday.
Los Angeles (7-8) got their only run in the top of the second inning, as Brandon Drury with two outs singled in Anthony Rendon who began the frame with a double to right field. Boston got all they needed in the bottom of the third when Alex Verdugo singled with one out, and then Turner took an 0-1 pitch off Reid Detmers deep into the monster seats in left for a two-run homerun. The Angels had their last threat in the eighth inning, as Gio Urshela singled off reliever Kaleb Ort and then with one out Drury took a walk. Ort got out of the jam when he got Logan O’Hoppe to fly out and then picked off pinch runner Brett Phillips at second base. Ryan Brasier picked up the save when he retired Zach Neto, Mike Trout, and Shohei Ohtani in order in the ninth to get his team back to a .500 record (8-8). The game was the fastest in MLB so far this season (1 hour, 57 minutes), and the quickest at Fenway Park since October 1, 1989 when Boston played Milwaukee (1 hr, 50 minutes).
Verdugo and Turner both had two hits in the win. Whitlock (1-1) walked two and struckout five in his solid outing, the first starter on the staff so far this season to go more the five innings on the hill. Ort got his first hold and Brasier his first save. Detmers (0-1) took the loss on the mound for Los Angeles allowing two runs on six hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings. The finale of the four game series is set for 11:10 a.m. Monday for Patriots Day. Brayan Bello gets his first start of the season for the Red Sox on the hill, to be opposed by one of the best in the game in Ohtani (2-0, 0.47 ERA) for the Angels.
Story by Chris Lessner/Photo by Chris Lessner taken at Fenway Park on Saturday, April 15
