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Wednesday, Aug. 9 10:05pm ET
Red Sox halt four-game losing streak | |||||
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GAME LOG
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Once again, Nomar Garciaparra showed how valuable he is to the Boston Red Sox. Boston's slumping offense was on the verge of a collapse before Garciaparra kick-started it back to life with a three-run homer in the third inning Wednesday, beating the Anaheim Angels 4-2. "I'm just glad I was able to put some runs on the board and help us win," Garciaparra said after his 18th homer of the season helped end Boston's four-game losing streak. Jeff Fassero (8-5) pitched into the sixth inning for only his second win in nine starts since the end of June. It was career win No. 100 for Fassero, against 87 losses. Garciaparra was 0-for-8 in the series before connecting for his first three-run homer of the season. With Anaheim leading 1-0, Mike Lansing and Trot Nixon began the third inning with singles off right-hander Matt Wise (0-1), making his first big-league start. After Scott Hatteberg and Carl Everett made outs, Garciaparra lined Wise's first pitch into the left-field bullpen. "I hung a slider, I wish I could have that pitch back, but I can't," Wise said. "He's a great hitter, and he took advantage of it." "I wasn't looking for any particular pitch, just to make contact," said Garciaparra, who went 1-for-3 as his league-leading average dropped a point to .385. "He threw the slider, and I was able to get the bat on it." Derek Lowe pitched the final two innings for his 25th save in 30 opportunities. Overshadowed by the Angels' loss was Tim Salmon's 26th homer in the sixth, which cut Boston's lead to 3-2. It was the 222nd homer of Salmon's career, tying Brian Downing's Anaheim record. "Besides his great talent, he is very popular because he plays hard and he plays hurt," Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's probably the most consistent performer we have." Ron Gant gave the Angels a 1-0 lead in the first with his third homer in his last four at-bats. Fassero faced his biggest jam in the fifth. Bengie Molina doubled and Keith Johnson and Gant walked to loaded the bases for Mo Vaughn. Fassero retired the former Boston slugger on a weak grounder to first. Fassero allowed four hits and two runs in five innings. He walked three and struck out five. Fassero was 1-3 in his previous eight starts, averaging only four innings. Wise, who pitched three shutout innings of relief in his first two big-league appearances, was sharp in his starting debut. He allowed three runs on five hits. The Angels' sixth-round draft choice in 1997, Wise was 9-6 with a 3.69 ERA in 18 starts for Edmonton. Manny Alexander hit his a solo homer in the ninth, his second, for the Red Sox. Game notesGant's homer was the third of his career off Fassero. He was 2-for-3 with a solo homer when Fassero faced the Phillies on June 4. ... Vaughn went 3-for-5 in the series opener, including his first homer against the Red Sox, but was 0-for-7 in the final two games. He is 7-for-43 in his career against Boston. ... Salmon has eight homers and 20 RBIs in his last 19 games. ... Boston went 23 consecutive innings without a run-scoring hit until Garciaparra's homer. The Red Sox's first two runs of the series scored on infield grounders. ... Of Anaheim's 179 homers, 114 have been solo shots. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Boston Clubhouse Anaheim Clubhouse RECAPS Cleveland 6 Texas 4
Boston 4
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