Richard Fitts allows 6 runs, 3 homers in first, Red Sox lose 7-6 to Angels

Fresh off a badly needed series accomplishment in Atlanta the Red Sox came into Monday riding renewed momentum as they opened a crucial three-game homestand against the Los Angeles Angels The good vibes lasted all of about five pitches The Angels ambushed Richard Fitts for three home runs in a calamitous six-run first inning chasing the Red Sox starter from the competition after only three outs in what ended up being a - loss Even with the horrible start the Red Sox were still nearly able to come all the way back twice drawing to within one run but the club couldn t get over the hump Coming off an abbreviated three-inning outing in his first start back off the injured list last week the original plan was for Fitts to throw about - pitches as he worked his way back into form But the Angels never gave him a chance as Zach Neto set the tone with a -foot bomb to the Green Monster seats on the fifth pitch of the battle It only went downhill from there Fitts walked Nolan Schanuel allowed a single to Taylor Ward and then drew a grounder to third that Abraham Toro couldn t field cleanly allowing Schanuel to figure and putting two men on with no outs That brought up Mike Trout and when Fitts threw the future Hall of Famer a fastball right down the middle Trout sent it feet into the deepest part of the Monster seats for a three-run homer Jo Adell delivered the exclamation mark two batters later with a solo shot to put the Angels up - Fitts finished the inning but was lifted for the second after recording only three outs on pitches In doing so he became just the second starter in Red Sox history to allow six runs and three homers in one inning or fewer joining Oil Can Boyd who did so on May The outing also continued a concerning trend for the Red Sox whose starters have not been able to consistently pitch deep into games Boston s starters have now failed to complete five innings in of games more than a third of the club s games played to this point As NESN s Tom Caron noted on social media the number is significantly worse when you remove Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler from the equation All other Red Sox starters besides those two have pitched five innings or more in just of games It's the nd time in games that a Red Sox starting pitcher doesn't go innings Crochet and Buehler combined have failed to go innings just twice in starts All other Sox starters combined have been unable to go innings in half of their starts of Tom Caron TomCaron June That s not a recipe for success but Monday the Red Sox were at least able to fight back and make it a ballgame After Fitts came out Hunter Dobbins took the ball and kept the Angels off the scoreboard for the next four innings Rafael Devers got the Red Sox on the board with an RBI double in the third and in the fifth Boston s bats came to life with a four-run rally to cut the deficit to one Jarren Duran started things off with his second double of the meeting and after Devers drew a walk Rob Refsnyder tagged Angels starter Tyler Anderson for an RBI single Carlos Narvaez then followed with an RBI double to make it - chasing Anderson from the contest after innings Then with reliever Hunter Strickland on the mound Romy Gonzalez came through in his first challenge off the injured list with a two-run double down the right field line That made it a - meeting but after reaching third on Abraham Toro s subsequent groundout he was stranded feet away from home by Trevor Story who struck out to end the rally That was as close as the Red Sox got The Angels without delay answered back in the top of the sixth when Adell tagged Dobbins for his second home run of the meeting on the very first pitch of the inning Boston also squandered a prime scoring opportunity in the bottom of the sixth loading the bases against Angels lefty Reid Detmers before coming away empty handed The Red Sox were able to avoid a knockout punch in the seventh when Toro and Gonzalez combined to turn a spectacular double play to end the inning cutting short what could have been a game-clinching rally with Trout at the plate That kept it a two-run contest into the eighth when Ceddanne Rafaela led off with a solo home run to make it a - Angels lead But while Luis Guerrero was able to keep the Angels off the board in the ninth the Red Sox were unable to complete the comeback against old friend Kenley Jansen who closed out his former squad to record his th save of the season and the th of his career