Mike Trout delivered three hits, including a towering three-run home run, and Jo Adell homered twice as the Los Angeles Angels built an early lead and held off the Boston Red Sox for a 7-6 victory on Monday night in the first game of a three-game set at Fenway Park.
Los Angeles wasted no time against Boston starter Richard Fitts, jumping out to a six-run lead in the first inning. Zach Neto opened the game with a solo home run, followed by a walk and a single. Trout then launched a 454-foot home run off the light stanchion in left-center field to extend the lead to 4-0. The Angels weren’t done as Adell later added a solo homer, pushing the lead to 5-0 before Fitts recorded an out. An error contributed to the early damage as Los Angeles took a 6-0 lead after the top half of the inning.
The Red Sox responded with a rally of their own, scoring four runs in the fifth inning. Jarren Duran led off the frame with a double and later scored as Boston narrowed the deficit to 6-5. In the sixth, the Red Sox loaded the bases with two outs, but Angels reliever Reid Detmers induced a slow grounder to third from Carlos Narváez to escape the jam.
Adell provided a key insurance run for Los Angeles in the sixth with his second home run of the game, a solo shot that pushed the lead to 7-5. Adell now has 14 home runs on the season.
Ceddanne Rafaela homered in the eighth to pull the Red Sox within one, but Angels closer Kenley Jansen recorded the final three outs in the ninth to earn his 11th save. Romy Gonzalez came closest to extending the game, sending a deep line drive to right field that was caught near the warning track to end it.
Trout, who recently returned from a month-long stint on the injured list due to a bone bruise in his left knee, continued his hot stretch at the plate. With hits in his first three at-bats, he has gone 8-for-14 since rejoining the lineup on Friday. His performance also elevated him past Tim Salmon for second on the Angels’ all-time hits list with 1,675. Garret Anderson remains the franchise leader with 2,368.
Angels reliever Ryan Zeferjahn (3-1) earned the win with a scoreless seventh inning, striking out two batters. Fitts (0-3) took the loss after allowing six runs, five of them earned, in three innings.
The Red Sox and Angels will meet again Tuesday night at Fenway Park. Right-hander Brayan Bello (2-1) is scheduled to start for Boston, while Los Angeles is expected to send left-hander Yusei Kikuchi to the mound. Betting odds opened with Boston slightly favored at -115, while the Angels stood at -105, reflecting a closely matched pitching duel. The over/under for the contest is set at 9.5 runs, following Monday’s high-scoring affair.
