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Major League Baseball
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Boston 8, LA Angels 3
When: 7:15 PM ET, Saturday, May 23, 2015
Where: Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
Temperature: 63°
Umpires: Home - James Hoye, 1B - John Hirschbeck, 2B - John Tumpane, 3B - Sam Holbrook
Attendance: 37735

BOSTON -- Mike Scioscia of all people knows the damage Mike Napoli can do.

Scioscia, in his 16th year at the helm of the Los Angeles Angels, managed the catcher-turned-first baseman for the first five seasons of his career, so it certainly didn't come as a surprise to him when the Boston Red Sox slugger had a big night at the plate against his former team.

Napoli launched two home runs, including a two-run shot in the sixth inning that gave Boston the lead for good in an 8-3 win on Saturday night at Fenway Park.

"Obviously, a big part of tonight's game were the two balls he hit," Scioscia said.

The first long ball came in the second inning when Napoli took Angels left-hander C.J. Wilson deep on a full-count, two-seam fastball with two outs. His second homer came four innings later on a 3-2 curveball with a runner on.

"I thought C.J. was behind some counts, and when he made some pitches to Mike, Mike squared him up," Scioscia said.

The home runs, Napoli's sixth and seventh of the season, both sailed over the Green Monster in left field, giving him 14 career multi-homer games after hitting four in the last five games.

"I feel pretty good," Napoli said. "This is the time where I have to maintain what I'm doing right now in the cage in my BPs. I know where my hands have to get. It's a good feeling having to go in there and compete and not think what's going wrong with my swing."

The suddenly surging Napoli, who was dropped to the sixth spot in the lineup Friday, is batting .389 (7-for-18) with four homers and six RBIs in the first five games of the Red Sox homestead.

"This homestand he's found his stroke very well and he's hit extremely well against the Angels since leaving there," Red Sox manager John Farrell said.

"I think more importantly for us, he's on time. It's more consistent what we've seen in a number of years from Nap. It couldn't come at a better time."

Wilson has had his fair share of experience pitching to Napoli, a former teammate he has faced on and off for the last decade.

"We have it in for each other," said Wilson, who struck out six but allowed four earned runs, seven hits and three walks in seven innings to fall to 2-3. "We've been playing on opposite teams for 10 years.

"My numbers against Nap are, I'd say, good overall. So it's an anomaly tonight to give up two home runs."

Boston (20-23) snapped a three-game losing streak and has a chance Sunday to win its first series since taking two of three in Oakland from May 11 to 13.

Right-handed knuckleballer Steven Wright (2-1) posted his first career win as a starter, giving up two earned runs, four hits and a walk while striking out two in 6 1/3 innings. Right-hander Koji Uehara, who has converted seven straight saves, pitched a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation.

Right fielder Kole Calhoun (1-for-4) drove in two runs with a first-inning double off the wall in left, giving the Angels a 2-0 lead. Napoli's homer in the second cut the lead in half and center fielder Mookie Betts (2-for-4) tied the score with a pinch-single in to right in the third.

Xander Bogaerts had only one hit in four at-bats, but the Boston shortstop made it count, bringing in two runners on a grounder to right with two outs in the seventh.

Center fielder Mike Trout (1-for-4) singled to left to score the Angels' third and final run of the game in the eighth. Shortstop Erick Aybar (2-for-4) was the only Los Angeles batter to have a multi-hit night.

Blake Swihart was credited with a single and an RBI after the catcher's ground-ball single to right scored third baseman Brock Holt from first with one down in the eighth. Betts plated Swihart with a liner to left two at-bats later, capping the scoring for Boston.

NOTES: Los Angeles had won 11 of its previous 13 games at Fenway Park. ... RHP Mike Morin left the game with a strained left oblique in the seventh inning. … DH Marc Krauss was the only current Angels batter who had faced Boston starter RHP Steven Wright before Saturday, going 1-for-1. ... Boston RF Shane Victorino re-aggravated a left calf injury and left the game with tightness in the third inning. … LF Hanley Ramirez (2-for-4) returned after leaving Friday's game with a left hand injury. ... The Red Sox recalled RHP Heath Hembree from Triple-A Pawtucket and optioned LHP Robbie Ross Jr. to Pawtucket. ... Angels LHP Hector Santiago (3-2, 2.25 ERA) will oppose Red Sox LHP Wade Miley (3-4, 5.10) on Sunday in the series finale.
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
LA Angels   Boston
C.J. Wilson Player Steven Wright
Loss W/L Win
6.0 IP 6.1
6 Strikeouts 2
7 Hits 4
6.00 ERA 2.84
Hitting
LA Angels   Boston
Erick Aybar Player Mike Napoli
2 Hits 2
0 RBI 3
0 HR 2
3 TB 8
.500 Avg .667
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
LA Angels 6 0 9 .182 12 5 3 3 0 1
Boston 12 2 18 .343 19 8 8 4 0 0