Los Angeles Angels’ Kyren Paris leaps but can’t make the catch on a double by Boston Red Sox’s Roman Anthony during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Los Angeles Angels’ pitcher Grayson Rodriguez delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Boston Red Sox’s Adley Rutschman, right, is congratulated after his three-run home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Boston Red Sox’s Mickey Gasper (30) makes the force on a ground out by Los Angeles Angels’ Zach Neto during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Los Angeles Angels’ Moisés Ballesteros celebrates after his solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Los Angeles Angels’ Josh Lowe (3) safely steals second base as Boston Red Sox’s Isiah Kiner-Falefa makes a late tag during the second inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
BOSTON — Despite two shaky innings, Grayson Rodriguez was one good pitch from escaping.
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A fastball over the middle was not the pitch.
The Angels’ right-hander gave up a two-out, two-strike three-run homer to Adley Rutschman in the second inning. The Angels were suddenly down by four runs on their way to a 5-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Monday afternoon.
The Angels (54-90) lost for the 12th time in their last 14 games, as they sink toward the franchise’s first 100-loss season.
While the Angels haven’t won many games lately, this one was an outlier in the way that they lost. Their rotation has been so good since the start of August that they have rarely trailed by more than a couple runs early.
Rodriguez has not been as good as the other starters, though. After missing the end of 2024 and all of 2025 with injuries, Rodriguez has a 6.28 ERA in 17 starts with the Angels.
Prior to Monday’s game, he was on an encouraging streak, with a 3.49 ERA in his last seven starts. In a few of those games, Rodriguez started poorly but found his footing.
Not this time.
Rodriguez walked two and allowed a single in the first inning. He was fortunate that Trevor Story bailed him out by popping up on a first pitch that was out of the zone.
In the second, Rodriguez gave up a leadoff homer to Jarren Duran, and then he walked two.
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With a better pitch to Rutschman, his former batterymate in Baltimore, Rodriguez might have been able to pull it together as he had in his recent starts. Instead, the fastball caught too much of the inner half of the plate and Rutschman lined it off the screen on Pesky’s Pole in right field.
Rodriguez gave up a fifth run in the third inning, when he allowed three more singles.
Every run the Angels allow is magnified these days because the offense has had so much trouble.
They couldn’t score a run in five innings against Brayan Bello, who was knocked out of the Red Sox rotation because he’d pitched so poorly. The Red Sox put him back in the rotation for a spot start on Monday.
The Angels’ best chance to get back in the game came immediately after Rutschman’s homer. They loaded the bases with two outs in the third, but Moisés Ballesteros hit a pop-up.
Although Ballesteros didn’t come through when the Angels needed him in that spot, he had three hits in his other trips, including a homer. He also made a diving stop of a grounder at first.
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More to come on this story.