Blanton Gives Up 7 in 10-5 Loss To Sox
BOSTON (AP) — Joe Blanton's miserable season continues.
Blanton was hit hard again, giving up three homers and allowing seven runs -- six earned -- in five-plus innings as the Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 10-5 on Sunday.
Blanton (1-10) is trying to remain positive, but knows he has to find a way to turn things around soon.
"I'm never frustrated. It is what it is. I went out and did my best today," the right-hander said. "That's all you can do. I made one mistake that cost me three runs. Other than that, the other two homers were inches from where I wanted it."
David Ortiz hit a three-run home run and Jarrod Saltalamacchia connected twice, the first coming one pitch before Mike Carp for Boston.
Blanton left the game after giving up the back-to-back homers to Saltalamacchia and Carp in the sixth.
"You just need to make your pitches. If I could just take back one pitch, just the change-up to Ortiz," said Blanton, who has a 5.87 ERA. "It was just middle-in up and it's not a good place to throw a change-up to him. If I make a pitch there and get and get the next one, it's a big difference taking away three runs. It changes the (complexion) of the game. I just gotta make a better pitch in that situation and I didn't do it."
The Red Sox took two of three in the weekend series against the Angels and have won six of eight.
Los Angeles entered the weekend having won eight straight against the Red Sox after going 6-0 last season, but dropped the final two after winning the opener of a day-night doubleheader Saturday.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia knows Blanton needs to pitch better to keep his spot in the rotation.
"I know Joe, just like any player, he understands it's a proving ground in the major leagues, everyday you're out there," Scioscia said. "I think that he doesn't have his head buried in the sand. He works very, very hard to not only keep himself in shape, but in trying to be the consistent pitcher that we know is in there. I think there is a sense of urgency in the way he likes to compete and what he likes to do. Unfortunately we're not getting the results and that's where we are right now."
Ryan Dempster (4-6) got his 2,000 career strikeout when he fanned Alberto Callaspo to open the sixth.
Albert Pujols and Callaspo each had solo homers for the Angels.
Ortiz, who hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs in Boston's 7-2 win in the nightcap of a doubleheader Saturday, has five homers and 14 RBIs in his last 10 games.
Saltalamacchia and Carp opened the sixth with homers into the center field seats off starter Joe Blanton (1-10), Carp's drive chasing Blanton. In the next inning, Saltalamacchia homered to center field again, this time a three-run shot into the first row off Robert Coello to give Boston a 10-3 lead.
Dempster gave up three runs on six hits in six innings, walking two and striking out six for just his second victory in his last six decisions.
Trailing 1-0 in the third, the Red Sox scored four runs off Blanton. Daniel Nava tied it with an RBI single, Dustin Pedroia singled, then Ortiz belted his homer into the Red Sox bullpen to make it 4-1.
Callaspo hit a solo homer in the fourth, but Jacoby Ellsbury's RBI triple into the right field corner made it 5-2.
Los Angeles cut it to 5-3 in the fifth on Mark Trumbo's run-scoring single after Mike Trout doubled off the Green Monster.
Pujols' solo homer pushed the Angels ahead in the first.
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