Red Sox Put Angels Away With Lumber, Complete Sweep

The Red Sox finished off the Angels in Anaheim on Sunday with the kind of baseball that makes West Coast road trips bearable: home runs. Lots of them. Jarren Duran went yard with a two-run shot in the second inning, and that’s really all we need to know about how this series played out. The long ball swept the Angels. Simple math.

Here’s what’s encouraging: Duran is in the middle of the lineup doing damage. Anthony Seigler, catching and also getting at-bats, was there to congratulate him after the blast. That’s the kind of depth you want from a pitching-starved team trying to compete in the AL East. If your hitters can manufacture runs on their own—especially on the road against sub-.500 competition—you’re taking care of business the way contenders should.

Yes, late-night West Coast baseball is brutal. Yes, we’d all rather be sleeping. But sweeping a series in Anaheim without needing heroic pitching performances? That’s the kind of efficient baseball that wins October games. Craig Breslow and Alex Cora have built a roster that can hurt teams with the bat, and Duran’s home run is proof the investment in the lineup is paying dividends right now.