Angels Blast Past Red Sox Behind Neto’s Three-Run Homer

The Los Angeles Angels came to Fenway Park on Wednesday and reminded the Boston Red Sox exactly why home runs still matter in this game. With a barrage of longballs that left Jake Bennett searching for answers, the Angels walked away with a 6-4 victory that never felt as close as the final score suggested.

This was not a game for the faint of heart or those who believe in the value of manufacturing runs. Both teams opted instead to hit their way to victory, and the Angels simply out-mashed the Red Sox when it counted most. Zach Neto‘s three-run blast in the third inning set the tone early, following Jose Siri‘s two-run shot that put the visitors up 5-0 before most fans had settled into their seats.

Denzer Guzman added insult to injury with a solo shot later in the same inning, and suddenly Bennett was in full retreat mode. The Red Sox pitcher gave up six runs on nine hits in just 5.1 innings, which is the kind of line that gets a pitcher relegated to middle relief or worse. There’s no excuse for that performance when the Angels were serving up hanging breaking balls and fastballs that begged to be deposited over the Green Monster.

Red Sox Rally Falls Short

To their credit, the Red Sox didn’t go quietly into that good night. Roman Anthony launched a two-run homer in the fifth to cut into the deficit, and Wilyer Abreu followed suit with a solo blast in the sixth that made it 6-4. These were respectable offensive efforts, but they came far too late and against a team that had already seized control of the game. The Red Sox were playing catch-up from the moment Neto stepped into the batter’s box in the third.

Nate Eaton’s ninth-inning single that plated Jarren Duran was their last meaningful contribution, but it changed nothing. This was a game that belonged to the Angels from start to finish, a masterclass in striking first and often.

Johnson and Joyce Handle Business

Ryan Johnson deserves credit for his steady six-inning performance, allowing just three runs on five hits while striking out five. He wasn’t spectacular, but he was efficient and, most importantly, he was effective when it mattered. Ben Joyce came out of the bullpen with a 104-mph fastball that belonged in a different stratosphere, shutting the door with a save that showed why the Angels trust him in these situations.

The bottom line is this: the Angels came to Boston on a Wednesday night and took what they wanted. They jumped on Bennett early, added another run for good measure, and then held on when the Red Sox finally remembered how to swing a bat. It wasn’t pretty by any means, but it was effective, and in September, effective is all that matters. The Red Sox will need to figure out their pitching situation quickly if they have any hope of competing down the stretch. Wednesday belonged to Los Angeles.