Jul 14, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; American League third baseman Brock Holt (26) of the Boston Red Sox scores against the National League during the seventh inning of the 2015 MLB All Star Game at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Red Sox are coming out of the break with some optimism. They were punched in the stomach somewhat by a Sunday loss to the Yankees in a winnable game. Still, the team won four in a row, and five of seven before going into the break. At 42-47, the Red Sox are still only six and a half games out of first. The Sox can look to last year when the Royals were 50-50 at the 100 game mark and went to the World Series. Like the Royals, the Red Sox need shutdown performances from their pitchers to get back to .500 and really in the middle of the playoff hunt rather than just lurking at the edge.
The Los Angeles Angels have been on a hot streak lately. Winners of their last 11 of 14 games, they lead the American League West by a half game, taking advantage of a six game losing streak by the Houston Astros before the break. Led by back to back All-Star MVP Mike Trout and three time league National League MVP Albert Pujols, their offense is clicking on all cylinders. In July, the team has averaged 7.6 runs a game in ten games, including four times hitting double digits.
Let’s take a closer look at the four game Red Sox series with the Angels, which gets underway Friday night at 10:05 Eastern time in Anaheim, California.