The Red Sox ran their winning streak to seven matches with a 5:2 victory over the Angels on Monday evening. The hosts had been building momentum against Baltimore, but this was a different kind of test — a road team on a slide coming to town.
By then the Angels were deep in trouble. They'd lost four of their last five, including two straight against Pittsburgh before that one-game bounce-back win. The Red Sox meanwhile had stringed together four victories, all against the Orioles except for the opening loss to Seattle.
And here's the thing — the gap between the two sides showed up in the scoreboard. Five runs to two isn't a close game. The Red Sox had been patient all evening, while the Angels looked like they were chasing the game from the first pitch.
To be fair, the Angels had shown they could score. A 6:1 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday proved they weren't entirely toothless. But this was a different opponent, and they were second to everything.
The result keeps the Red Sox building. Seven straight wins is no small feat, and they'll want to carry that rhythm into the final stretch. The Angels will need to find something — anything — to stop the slide before it gets worse.