The Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox will take the field at Fenway Park on Monday. First pitch from Boston is at 11:10 a.m. ET.
Los Angeles (7-7 SU and 5-9 RL) dropped the first two games of the series. The Angels hope to hit the road victorious with ace Shohei Ohtani (2-0 with a 0.47 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in three starts) taking the mound in the series finale.
Boston (7-8 SU and 7-8 RL) is glad to be back home after it was swept by Tampa Bay in Florida. The Red Sox will turn to 23-year-old right-hander Brayan Bello tomorrow in place of Chris Sale, who will get an extra day of rest and pitch Tuesday.
Los Angeles was leading the AL West when it packed its bags for an East Coast road trip but is now .500 and a game back of Texas after consecutive defeats. The Angels have a squad capable of making the playoffs, but with a few new starting position players, it may take some time for them to gel.
LA lost 5-3 on Friday and 9-7 on Saturday. The Angels led both games but were 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position in game one and surrendered three runs in the bottom of the eighth in game two. That won't get the job done on the road, no matter who you're playing.
.@Urshela10 tames the Monster ??#GoHalos pic.twitter.com/wHZPSsDbQ4
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 15, 2023
The Angels score 5.36 runs per game (7th) and hit .246 (17th) with a .744 OPS (13th). They've hit 18 home runs (11th) and stolen five bases (26th). The LA pitching staff has compiled a 3.80 ERA (8th) and a 1.28 WHIP (9th) with five quality starts.
Ohtani takes the bump in Beantown on Monday following consecutive wins in his previous starts against Seattle and Washington. The 28-year-old tossed seven innings of one-hit baseball in his last outing, shutting down the Nationals. Ohtani is 3-1 in four career starts against the Red Sox, with the loss coming back in his rookie year (2018).