BOSTON – Down big early on Wednesday night at Fenway Park, there were flickers of hope that the Red Sox would come storming back.
The first match was lit when Roman Anthony broke out of a 1-for-23 slump with a rocket of a two-run homer to right in the fifth.
Wilyer Abreu led off the sixth with a solo shot into the bleachers in center, and a 6-0 deficit had been cut in half.
But interim manager Chad Tracy’s club couldn’t climb all the way out of the hole that rookie lefty Jake Bennett put them in, and the Sox were defeated, 6-3, in the rubber match of a three-game series against the Angels, who have the worst record in the American League (56-90).
Despite the slight setback in this series, the Red Sox (80-67) remain in strong shape to make it to the postseason, holding firm possession of the second AL Wild Card spot. The Guardians (74-73), currently in the third spot, fell to the Orioles, leaving them six behind Boston.
Coming off three straight quality starts, Bennett benefited nicely from a designed rest period of eight days roughly a month ago.
However, Bennett’s strong trio of outings came to an abrupt halt. Zach Neto, who dominated Boston pitching in the final two games of the series, belted a three-run homer to spark a five-run rally in the third that also included a two-run shot by Jose Siri.
Denzer Guzman completed the trifecta of homers off Bennett with a two-out solo shot in the fourth.
A rally in the ninth fell short for the Sox. After an RBI single by Nate Eaton made it a two-run game, Anthony came up as the tying run against Angels closer Ben Joyce. But Anthony’s game-ending fly ball to right fell shy of the warning track.