The Red Sox have been enjoying their West Coast jaunt so far. They’ve won seven consecutive games, including a three-game sweep of the Athletics and taking the first three in a four game set at Anaheim.
The winning streak is the Sox’ longest of the season and longest since seven-in-a-row in September 2021.
On Wednesday, Boston capitalized yet again on a reeling Angels club that extended a franchise record with a 14th straight loss. The loss streak, which, at least in part, claimed the job of Manager Joe Maddon, has been historically bad. Accord to Elias, it has made the Angels just the third team in Major League history to be 10+ games over .500 only to endure a 10+ game losing streak to fall below .500, joining the 1978 A’s and 1970 Cubs.
All three games against at Angels this week have been one-run wins for Boston (1-0, 6-5, 1-0), with the first coming as a complete game shut out for Michael Wacha.
Lots of traffic, but no runs
On Wednesday, Nathan Eovaldi allowed six hits but no runs. Working in and out of jams, he lasted just five innings (84 pitches). Eovaldi was the first Boston starter to allow six or more hits but zero runs over 5.0 or fewer innings and come away with a win since Ramiro Mendoza on July 5, 2003, also at Anaheim.
Notably, Eovaldi did not allow a home run on Wednesday. It was his second straight game without a home run allowed, remarkably his longest such streak in his 12 games of 2022.
Following Eovaldi, four Sox relievers combined to allow just one hit over the next four innings. In all, Boston pitchers issued zero walks on Wednesday for the fifth time in 2022, tied for 5th-most games in the American League.
Angels pitchers have contained the Sox so far, holding them homeless in three games. It’s the team’s fifth stretch of three or more games without a long ball this season. Boston was homerless in a season-high six games April 23-28.