Yusei Kikuchi recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts. Jo Adell and Travis d’Arnaud delivered a home run and an RBI single to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon. The victory secured a three-game sweep for Los Angeles and brought the team back to the .500 mark at 40-40 for the first time since May 23.
Kikuchi, now 3-6 on the season, allowed just two hits across seven innings. He walked one batter and overcame a rugged opening frame in which the Red Sox capitalized on a fielding error by shortstop Scott Kingery. With the bases loaded and two outs in the first inning, Trevor Story delivered a two-run single to put Boston ahead 2-0, though the runs were unearned.
Following the first inning, Kikuchi dominated the Red Sox lineup. Over the next six innings, the 34-year-old left-hander retired 18 of the final 19 batters he faced, striking out the side in both the second and fifth innings. He induced 20 swings and misses overall and needed just 74 pitches over those six innings of recovery. Kikuchi did not allow a walk after the first inning and retired the side in order in the fourth, sixth, and seventh frames.
Los Angeles responded to the early deficit in the fourth inning when Adell and d’Arnaud hit back-to-back solo home runs off Boston starter Richard Fitts, evening the score at 2-2. Adell’s home run, measured at 433 feet, was his 17th of the season and 10th in June, continuing his hot streak at the plate.
The Angels took the lead in the fifth inning against reliever Luis Guerrero. After Nolan Schanuel led off with a walk, Mike Trout added another free pass with one out. Guerrero struck out Taylor Ward with a high-velocity fastball but then surrendered RBI singles to Adell and d’Arnaud, giving Los Angeles a 4-2 advantage.
Los Angeles extended its lead in the sixth. Luis Rengifo and Kingery each singled, and with two outs, Trout delivered a run-scoring single off reliever Zack Kelly to push the score to 5-2.
Ryan Zeferjahn pitched the final two innings for the Angels without allowing a run, securing his second save of the season and preserving Kikuchi’s strong outing.
The Angels have continued to rely heavily on a consistent starting rotation. Through their first 80 games, they have used only five starting pitchers—Kikuchi, Jose Soriano, Tyler Anderson, Kyle Hendricks, and Jack Kochanowicz—matching a franchise record set in 1999 for the most games to start a season with no more than five starters.
Looking ahead, the Angels will remain in Anaheim for a weekend series against the Washington Nationals. Jose Soriano (5-5, 3.39 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday’s opener. The Red Sox return home to face the Toronto Blue Jays, with right-hander Brayan Bello (3-2, 3.31 ERA) set to take the mound. According to current betting odds, the Angels are slight favorites at -120 against Washington, with an over/under of 8.5 runs projected for the series opener.
